St. Patrick of ... drinking?
Lisa Rush
Issue date: 3/17/10 Section: Religion
St. Patrick's Day is the celebration and feast day of-you guessed it-St. Patrick.
"The reason we celebrate his feast day is so we honor the life of a holy man who brought Christianity to Ireland," said Father Brian Nolan. "He is a saint and is certainly recognized in the Catholic Church as one."
The interesting thing about St. Patrick is that he wasn't even Irish; he was British and part of the Roman Empire in Britain. St. Patrick was captured by Irish pirates and was made a slave and shepherd. It was during this slavery that he went through a conversion.
The famous story about St. Patrick is the story about a dream he had about how and when to escape his slavery. After walking 200 miles through bogs and mountains, St. Patrick came to a ship that helped him to escape (the same ship as in his dream). Upon getting on the ship he sailed back to Britain. It was later that he went back to Ireland to spread the Gospel to the people and convert them from their traditional pagan culture.
St. Patrick's Day is indeed still considered a feast day. Though many people celebrate this day with shamrocks and green beer, Fr. Brian emphasizes that "It is a day of celebration, but always in moderation."
"I don't think St. Patrick, who was a bishop in Ireland, would be happy that people use him as an excuse to get drunk on green beer. Celebrate his day, yes, but in a way that honors God, His witness of goodness and doesn't celebrate the pagan culture that he saved Ireland from. That would be using St. Patrick's name in vain", said Fr. Brian. St. Patrick knows what it is like to be a slave before and he doesn't want us to be slaves to sin.
In the Gospels, Jesus said to the apostles that they would judge the nations. According to a legend, on the Day of Judgment, when Christ judges the nations, it is St. Patrick who would judge Ireland.
"The reason we celebrate his feast day is so we honor the life of a holy man who brought Christianity to Ireland," said Father Brian Nolan. "He is a saint and is certainly recognized in the Catholic Church as one."
The interesting thing about St. Patrick is that he wasn't even Irish; he was British and part of the Roman Empire in Britain. St. Patrick was captured by Irish pirates and was made a slave and shepherd. It was during this slavery that he went through a conversion.
The famous story about St. Patrick is the story about a dream he had about how and when to escape his slavery. After walking 200 miles through bogs and mountains, St. Patrick came to a ship that helped him to escape (the same ship as in his dream). Upon getting on the ship he sailed back to Britain. It was later that he went back to Ireland to spread the Gospel to the people and convert them from their traditional pagan culture.
St. Patrick's Day is indeed still considered a feast day. Though many people celebrate this day with shamrocks and green beer, Fr. Brian emphasizes that "It is a day of celebration, but always in moderation."
"I don't think St. Patrick, who was a bishop in Ireland, would be happy that people use him as an excuse to get drunk on green beer. Celebrate his day, yes, but in a way that honors God, His witness of goodness and doesn't celebrate the pagan culture that he saved Ireland from. That would be using St. Patrick's name in vain", said Fr. Brian. St. Patrick knows what it is like to be a slave before and he doesn't want us to be slaves to sin.
In the Gospels, Jesus said to the apostles that they would judge the nations. According to a legend, on the Day of Judgment, when Christ judges the nations, it is St. Patrick who would judge Ireland.
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