COMMENTARY: The true meaning of St. Patrick’s Day

Photo credit: www.moodycatholic.com

For most people St. Patrick’s Day is a day of parades, parties, leprechauns and green beer. But just as Christmas is about more than commercialized fun, so too does St. Patrick’s Day have a deeper meaning.

St. Patrick’s Day began as a religious holiday honoring St. Patrick  – a  holy bishop sent to Ireland in 433 A.D. by Pope Celestine I  to draw its people into the fold of Christ’s universal church. Upon his arrival at Ireland’s shores  St. Patrick  encountered many setbacks and persecutions by the superstitious Druids, who had employed magicians to maintain their sway over the Irish race. Despite several  trials, St. Patrick was able to convert all of Ireland and conquer paganism. He  is thus credited with driving the Celtic “snakes” out of Ireland.

St. Patrick is credited with many miracles and is responsible for the building of  several Catholic schools, monasteries and churches throughout Ireland. He is known for his powerful expositions of the principles of the Catholic faith. He even employed the ordinary, little, three-leaved shamrock plant to teach people about the Blessed Trinity. He was called to his heavenly  reward on March 17, 461.

St. 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.

– Paul Kokoski

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9 Comments

  1. rassulfur
    March 17, 2010

    Teach I About Haile Selasie, Menelick, Makonen, Aesops< Shaka Zulu, Jomo kenyatta, phillip emaeagwali and the long long list of great africans and not about so me BB cath…. priests.

  2. Barrel
    March 17, 2010

    I will always tell my people,,, it is time for us to stop thinking in a barrel and allow the mountains to clog our minds. Historic information,,, truthful… learn and accept nuh!

  3. teach us
    March 16, 2010

    teach us about King Jesus this saint is dead and gone.
    Jesus lives.

    • lol
      March 16, 2010

      U mean we cannot take a little bit of truth? people,,,,, The works of this man is SURELY in favor with God. So think long and hard…… remember he is just one of many. Further… read and research on the life of the Saints.. U will never regret it.

    • Pinch of Salt
      March 17, 2010

      when i read my bible, the early christians referred to each other and the living followers of christ as saints. I have a problem with how the church canonizes people…the beatification process? Come on now.

      I always feel that roman mythology and christianity got mixed up into what we call the roman catholic church, the church has so many parallels with roman mythologic religion, even the concept of purgatory….which is mentioned nowhere in the bible, is very prominent in roman myth. And the emperor constantine (A powerful figure in the Catholic church history) whilst professing christianity also worshipped and paid homage to his roman Gods.

      Catholics don’t like to hear that, but if you do some research, you will be surprised at the parallels between roman pagan religion and catholicism , at the end of the day I urge all bible believing christians to be guided by the word of God as opposed to rules and canons of man.

  4. mike
    March 16, 2010

    now what the hell does that have to do with dominica we dont celebrate that in dca wha we want to know about it for

    • zooloo
      March 16, 2010

      thats y y’all will always stay ignorant…..If it has nothing to do with Dominica u dont wanna know….den when allu go out there allu like papy show

  5. Dominican lover
    March 16, 2010

    Now we Irish. Let us celebrate a Dominican saint. when are we going to free the people from all this.

  6. March 16, 2010

    Thak u for the knowledge because I think it was a guy festival like how they celebrate it today..

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