← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Walter Yannis
Thread ID: 17360 | Posts: 6 | Started: 2005-03-17
2005-03-17 17:04 | User Profile
Happy [URL=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11554a.htm]St. Patrick's [/URL] Day everybody.
[QUOTE][URL=http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=89]Catholic Online Saints[/URL] Saint Patrick Feastday: March 17 Patron Ireland
St. Patrick of Ireland is one of the world's most popular saints.
Apostle of Ireland, born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387; died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, 17 March, 461.
Along with St. Nicholas and St. Valentine, the secular world shares our love of these saints. This is also a day when everyone's Irish.
There are many legends and stories of St. Patrick, but this is his story.
Patrick was born around 385 in Scotland, probably Kilpatrick. His parents were Calpurnius and Conchessa, who were Romans living in Britian in charge of the colonies.
As a boy of fourteen or so, he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans. He learned the language and practices of the people who held him.
During his captivity, he turned to God in prayer. He wrote
"The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same." "I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain."
Patrick's captivity lasted until he was twenty, when he escaped after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast. There he found some sailors who took him back to Britian, where he reunited with his family.
He had another dream in which the people of Ireland were calling out to him "We beg you, holy youth, to come and walk among us once more."
He began his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained by St. Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre, whom he had studied under for years.
Later, Patrick was ordained a bishop, and was sent to take the Gospel to Ireland. He arrived in Ireland March 25, 433, at Slane. One legend says that he met a ch ieftain of one of the tribes, who tried to kill Patrick. Patrick converted Dichu (the chieftain) after he was unable to move his arm until he became friendly to Patrick.
Patrick began preaching the Gospel throughout Ireland, converting many. He and his disciples preached and converted thousands and began building churches all over the country. Kings, their families, and entire kingdoms converted to Christianity when hearing Patrick's message.
Patrick by now had many disciples, among them Beningnus, Auxilius, Iserninus, and Fiaac, (all later canonized as well).
Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland for 40 years. He worked many miracles and wrote of his love for God in Confessions. After years of living in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering he died March 17, 461.
He died at Saul, where he had built the first church.
Why a shamrock? Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Trinity, and has been associated with him and the Irish since that time.
In His Footsteps: Patrick was a humble, pious, gentle man, whose love and total devotion to and trust in God should be a shining example to each of us. He feared nothing, not even death, so complete was his trust in God, and of the importance of his mission. [/QUOTE]
2005-03-17 17:19 | User Profile
Whatever White Magick Patrick used to drive the snakes from Hibernia--or whatever juju the Piper played to charm the rats from Hamelin--would be worth renewing in our own parlous times... :D
About Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrickââ¬â¢s Day is celebrated each year on March 17th. In Ireland, Saint Patrickââ¬â¢s Day is both a holy day and a national holiday. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland as he was the one who brought Christianity to the Irish.
According to legend, Saint Patrick used a shamrock to explain about God. The shamrock, which looks like clover, has three leaves on each stem. Saint Patrick told the people that the shamrock was like the idea of the Trinity ââ¬â that in the one God there are three divine beings: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The shamrock was sacred to the Druids, so Saint Patrickââ¬â¢s use of it in explaining the trinity was very wise.
Although it began in Ireland, Saint Patrickââ¬â¢s Day is celebrated in countries around the world. People with Irish heritage remind themselves of the beautiful green countryside of Ireland by wearing green and taking part in the festivities.
Saint Patrickââ¬â¢s Day is usually celebrated with a parade. The one in Dublin, Ireland is known to some as the Irish Mardi Gras. But the one in New York City is actually one of the biggest. It lasts for hours. Two Irish wolfhounds, the mascots of the New York National Guard infantry regiment the ââ¬ÅFighting 69thââ¬Â, always lead the parade. More than one hundred bands and a hundred thousand marchers follow the wolfhounds in the parade.
Saint Patrick and the Snakes: Another tale about Patrick is that he drove the snakes from Ireland. Different versions of the story, tell of him standing upon a hill, using a wooden staff to drive the serpents into the sea, banishing them forever from Ireland.
One version says that an old serpent resisted banishment, but that Patrick outwitted him. Patrick made a box and invited the snake to enter. The snake insisted it was too small and the two argued. Finally to prove his point, the snake entered the box to show how tight the fit was. Patrick slammed the lid closed and threw the box into the sea.
Although itââ¬â¢s true that Ireland has no snakes, this likely had more to do with the fact that Ireland is an island and being separated from the rest of the continent the snakes couldnââ¬â¢t get there. The stories of Saint Patrick and the snakes are likely a metaphor for his bringing Christianity to Ireland and driving out the pagan religions (serpents were a common symbol in many of these religions).
Visit our Saint Patrick's Day section for loads of crafts and coloring pages to help you celebrate the occasion -- choose one of the Shamrock crafts and discuss the trinity. And why not add in a few Snake coloring pages when you tell the story of Saint Patrick and the Snakes?
2005-03-17 17:30 | User Profile
Here's an interesting little passage from [URL=http://www.holytrinitynewrochelle.org/yourti17361.html]St. Patrick's Confession[/URL]:
[QUOTE]And the day that I arrived the ship was set afloat, and I said that I was able to pay for my passage
with them. But the captain was not pleased, and with indignation he answered harshly: It is of no use for you to ask us to go along with us.' And when I heard this, I left them in order to return to the hut where I was staying. And as I went, I began to pray; and before I had ended my prayer, I heard one of them shouting behind me,Come, hurry, we shall take you on in good faith; make friends with us in whatever way you like.' [B]And so on that day I refused to [U]suck their breasts [/U] for fear of God, [/B] but rather hoped they would come to the faith of Jesus Christ, because they were pagans. And thus I had my way with them, and we set sail at once.[/QUOTE]
Say whaaat???
2005-03-17 18:13 | User Profile
I'll have a pint o' ale tonight at the local pub. :cheers: And a nice cigar too! (if the bar allows it) :smoke:
2005-03-17 22:03 | User Profile
Happy St. Patrick's Day :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
2005-03-18 00:49 | User Profile
[img]http://www.iband.com/clipart_holidays/shamrock_small.gif[/img]Happy St. Patrick's Day![img]http://www.iband.com/clipart_holidays/shamrock_small.gif[/img]
Here a funny Irish joke I heard and will try to re-construct (hopefully you haven't heard it before).
Sean O'Leary would always have his three beers at the local Irish pub every day. Even though the three O'Leary brothers had moved apart they agreed to have a beer in the other brother's absence. So every day Sean would order his three beers. One day O'Leary comes into the bar, sits down, and orders two beers. The whole pub gets quiet. One by one they go over to O'Leary and take off their hats. "Sean", one of the pub regulars begins, "we noticed that today you only ordered the two beers, and, well, we all very sorry for your loss." O'Leary looks puzzled, then it dawns on him, "Oh, no, no" he laughs, "my other two brothers are just fine, it's me, I've decided to quit drinking."
:beer:
[img]http://www.iband.com/clipart_holidays/shamrock_large.gif[/img]