Needless to say, March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, and some of us have some Irish heritage to claim. I know a lot of people from Sweden settled here, but so did people of other nationalities.
Did you know that St. Patrick was not from Ireland? In fact he was taken there as a slave during his teenage years, and then managed to return to England. He was not in Ireland on his own accord until later in life.
Patrick was born around 387 A.D. and lived until 461 A.D. When he was 16, his village was invaded by Irish pirates, and he was taken to Ireland to herd sheep. At age 20, he had a dream from God that he should head to the coast, and with that he escaped captivity. Once at the coast he managed to get aboard a ship heading to England. Trouble with that: the owners of the ship detained him and after several more months of captivity, and near starvation, he finally made it back to England.
Once home, he felt the Lord had called him back to Ireland. He became a priest and was sent to Ireland to establish Christianity there. St. Patrick served forty years in Ireland and built the first Irish-Catholic Church. There are many legends about this priest: one holds that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland, another that he raised people from the dead, and another that he believed the shamrock represented the Trinity. The shamrock is now the national flower of Ireland.
The Shamrock has three leaflets and on rare occasion a stem will have an additional leaflet. This has been associated with good luck. Sir John Melton wrote, “If a man walking in the fields finds any four-leaved grass, he shall in a small while after find something good.” The shamrock opens in the daytime and closes at night. So far, no one seems to know why! Many Irish to this day wear a shamrock for good luck. St. Patrick was a beloved priest of Ireland and he is quoted as saying, “I live for my God to teach unbelievers. I am worthy even if people hate me.”
So remember on St. Patrick’s day: It is not just a time to celebrate, have parades, and drink a beer or two. It is a time to remember a patron saint, who gave forty years of his life for the people of Ireland. Many of us have Irish ancestors who came this way, bringing a culture and religious views influenced by this priest.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day and God Bless America. “It is a beautiful day in the neighborhood.”
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We welcome comments, however there are some guidelines:
Keep it Clean: Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexual language. Don't Threaten: Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful: Don't lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice: No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading. Be Proactive: Report abusive posts and don’t engage with trolls. Share with Us: Tell us your personal accounts and the history behind articles.