Rah rah, St. Patrick!

Yesterday, I broke  open the box that contained decorations for "Holidays other than Christmas" and placed a few statues of leprechauns around the room, some candles with shamrocks and similarly enhanced napkins and paper plates on the table, and then began hanging some strings of shamrocks on the beams of the porch. It was a beautiful sunshiny March 16, and I began singing what amounted to St. Patrick's Day carols.

"Hail glorious St. Patrick, dear saint of our Isle,
on your dear sweet children bestow a sweet smile..."

Something like that. I looked around and Phyllis was laughing at my antics, and I realized that her experience in catholic schools was way different from mine. She went to Immaculate Conception School, whereas I was  privileged to go to the school named after the greatest saint of all, Patrick.

St. Patrick rocks. He drove the snakes out of Ireland, he tamed the heathen by picking a shamrock and explaining the inexplicable doctrine of the Trinity. But he probably did his share of tippling at the pub, might have tossed refrigerators or microwaves out the window to get rid of those evils. He was our hero, head and shoulders above others. He inspired raucous songs that bring people together and help us unite in the wearing of the green. What a guy!

What can you do with Immaculate Conception, or if you were unlucky enough to go to St. Peter's, or Paul's, or any of the others? Maybe look with wonder and envy as the real saint is honored, and his revelers rejoice!

Rah! Rah! St. Patrick!

St. Patrick's Revisited

"Hibernia's champion saint all hail, this day your, glory sounds;
The offspring of your ardent zeal, this day your praise shall sound.
Great and glorious St. Patrick, pray for thy dear country.
Great and glorious St. Patrick, hearken to the prayers of your children."

We sang this with such gusto as we celebrated his day as children at St. Patrick's School in Troy. The Saint's likeness was and still is portrayed in stained glass above the altar of the church, and a larger than life sized statue graced the hall way at the entrance to the school auditorium.

Why did we really celebrate? St. Patrick was a hero for the many children of Ireland, and the millions who had come to America. We held him in high esteem as the greatest person ever from our heritage, a personal symbol of power, faith, and resurrection for a poor and down- trodden people.

Proudly, we embraced him and we celebrated his legendary accomplishments, and hoped for continued miracles in our day. I don't think we have been disappointed, but he (we) still has a lot of work to do.

And this is the first year that the songs will not be sung in St. Patrick's. The church was closed last June. It still was the place of worship for many, old and young. But the needs of the large suburban areas overcame the exigencies of the Catholic Church's presence in the inner city, and the parish was closed along with the others in the city. We are left with memories, a heritage, and the songs will be sung in places far and wide because of the universal presence of our favorite St. Patrick.