St. PATRICK DAY IS COMING!

Who is he?
Saint Patrick, Apostle and Patron of Ireland were born in Scotland in 387. In his sixteenth year, he was kidnapping by the Irish marauders and was sold as a slave in Ireland. He considered himself a pagan. And Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans.

For six years he herd and tended sheep. During his captivity, he became closer to God. In 411, he escaped from his captivity and went to Gaul (France) by boat. 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 by Pope Saint Celestine to take the Gospel to Ireland.

He travelled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries across the country. He also set up schools and churches which would aid him in his conversion of the Irish country to Christianity. In the thirty-three years of his apostolate, he succeeded in converting the whole country. He was arrested several times, but escaped each time.

Some of this lore includes the belief that Patrick raised people from the dead. He also is said to have given a sermon from a hilltop that drove all the snakes from Ireland. Of course, no snakes were ever native to Ireland, and some people think this is a metaphor for the conversion of the pagans.

Though originally a Catholic holy day, St. Patrick's Day has evolved into more of a secular holiday. One traditional icon of the day is the shamrock. They say Patrick used with ability the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.

For the "drunk beer tradition", I guess Irish like good food and beer. And because of it's the whole country feast, they have taken advantage of this to drink more beer. But, there is no connexion with the life of Saint Patrick. Green colour because Spring is beginning.

So “the drunk beer day” is coming somebody says. Sure! But don’t forget. Saint Patrick fought to bring back those who didn’t believe in God. Reminder and tell about what you see in your Church this “Holyday”.