Put St. Patrick Back In St. Patrick's Day!

Thursday, March 17^th, is Saint Patrick’s Day; one of two Catholic Saints whose feast day appear on all secular calendars (St. Valentine is the other).  In Ireland, celebrations of St. Patrick’s life date back over a thousand years.  The Church officially recognized March 17^th as St. Patrick’s feast day in the early 1600s.

The St. Patrick's Day custom came to America in 1737, with the city of Boston hosting the first public celebration.  However, New York City claims that Boston’s celebration did not count because it lacked a parade; New York hosted the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 1762 (have those two cities ever liked each other).  

Over time, St. Patrick’s Day has become less about the man and more about a celebration of Irish culture with people wearing green, displaying shamrocks, and eating cornbeef.

This St. Patrick’s Day let’s stop for a minute and remember what we are celebrating on March 17^th – a man, a priest, a missionary – St. Patrick.

Here is a link to an article about why we should Put St. Patrick Back In St. Patrick's Day!

For Mr. Foley’s class, there is a short reflection at the end; it is due Wednesday, March 23rd (FYI: the Vatican Council II assignment is a couple blogposts down).