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St. Patrick's Day
March 17
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This day I call to me:
God's power to sustain me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's ear to my hearing,
God's word to my speaking,
God's hand to uphold me,
God's pathway before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's legions to save me.
—from A Retreat With St. Patrick
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A Brief History -- One of the patron saints of Ireland, Patrick is credited with bringing
and the Anglo-Saxons.
Patrick was born to a Romanized British family and at the age of 16 was kidnapped and sold
into slavery. He spent six years as a slave in Ireland before escaping and, after much
hardship and another brief captivity, returned to his home. Some time later Patrick
returned to Ireland with the intention of converting the Irish to Christianity. He was not
the first missionary to preach there, but he was extraordinarily successful.
The story of Patrick's mission is told in his Confessio, a spiritual autobiography that is one
of the few sources of information we have about the saint. Many legends have grown up
around him, including one in which he drove the snakes from Ireland into the sea (there were
never any snakes in Ireland to drive out) and the charming story of how he used the
Shamrock to illustrate the Trinity. Today the Shamrock is the national flower of Ireland
and is worn to commemorate Patrick on his Saint's Day.
The year of Patrick's death is disputed and the year of his birth is uncertain, but he is
believed to have died on March 17th.
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The St. Patrick You Never Knew
St. Patrick's Day - March 17
St. Patrick BreastPlate Prayer
Christian Morning Meditation - Prayer of St. Patrick
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The First Parade
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth
century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for thousands of years.
On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend
church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat
were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage
The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the
English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped
the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.
Over the next thirty-five years, Irish patriotism among American immigrants flourished, prompting the rise of so-
called "Irish Aid" societies, like the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and the Hibernian Society. Each group would
hold annual parades featuring bagpipes (which actually first became popular in the Scottish and British
armies) and drums.
No Irish Need Apply
Up until the mid-nineteenth century, most Irish immigrants in America were members of the Protestant middle
class. When the Great Potato Famine hit Ireland in 1845, close to a million poor, uneducated, Catholic Irish
began to pour into America to escape starvation. Despised for their religious beliefs and funny accents by the
American Protestant majority, the immigrants had trouble finding even menial jobs.
However, the Irish soon began to realize that their great numbers endowed them with a political power that
had yet to be exploited. They started to organize, and their voting block, known as the "green machine,"
became an important swing vote for political hopefuls. Suddenly, annual St. Patrick's Day parades became a
show of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates. In 1948,
President Truman attended New York City 's St. Patrick's Day parade, a proud moment for the many Irish
whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes and racial prejudice to find acceptance in America.
Wearing of the Green Goes Global
Today, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada, and
Australia. Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated in
other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore, and Russia.
In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s,
Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government
began a national campaign to use St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and showcase Ireland to
the rest of the world. Last year, close to one million people took part in Ireland 's St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin,
a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions, and fireworks shows.
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St. Patrick's Prayer
I bind to myself this day the power of God to guide me, the might of God to
uphold me, the wisdom of God to teach me, the eye of God to watch over
me, the ear of God to hear me, the word of God to give me speech, the
hand of God to protect me, the shield of God to shelter me, the host of God
to defend me against evil, against the lust of nature, against every person
who meditates injury to me, whether far or near, whether alone or with
many.
I have invoked all these virtues against every hostile, savage power warring
upon my body and soul, against the evil laws of paganism, against the
false laws of heresy, against the false promises of idolatry and against all
knowledge which blinds the soul of humanity.
Amen
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