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We live in a time of the anti-hero. Too often, the good guys are the bad guys and vice versa. Celebrities are often held up as heroes, until we learn too much about them. But to see a true hero, look at the real St. Patrick, who has a day dedicated in his honor. Unfortunately, many people only observe his holiday, March 17, by drinking themselves silly, which is totally contrary to the spirit of the man who Christianized Ireland. In fact, Patrick shows what God can do through someone who is committed fully to Him. Thomas Cahill, author of...

The death of Ireland’s High King during the famous bloody battle of Clontarf almost exactly 1,000 years ago will be remembered with a special service in his burial county of Armagh next month. Brian Boru (Bóraime) may have been born in County Clare but, as the well-known theme song ‘The Boys from the County Armagh’ notes, his ashes lie in the city, at the Church of Ireland Cathedral. The legendary leader had requested to be buried in Armagh, possibly due to its religious links to St Patrick, and it is said he was brought to the city by the clergy...

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is going against the grain yet again. The newly elected mayor says that he will not take part in this year’s largest St. Patrick’s Day parade because organizers won’t allow participants to carry gay pride signs, CBS New York reports.

Clever work from the folks over at Lutheran Satire. Despite its title, it's not anti-Saint Patrick. Watch till the end.

Kids at Soule Road School in Wilbraham, MA ate green veggies and wore green today but, begorra, under no circumstances were they celebrating St. Patrick’s Day! Instead, it was “Happy O’Green Day.” “Inclusive and diverse,” and to “ease any discomfort that may go along with celebrating St. Patrick’s Day” was the (non) reasoning behind the name change, according to principal Lisa Curtain. “Not so,” says the more diplomatic school superintendent, M. Michael O’Shea who undoubtedly has his share of Irish ancestry.

Kids at Soule Road School in Wilbraham, MA ate green veggies and wore green today but, begorra, under no circumstances were they celebrating St. Patrick’s Day! Instead, it was “Happy O’Green Day.” “Inclusive and diverse,” and to “ease any discomfort that may go along with celebrating St. Patrick’s Day” was the (non) reasoning behind the name change, according to principal Lisa Curtain. “Not so,” says the more diplomatic school superintendent, M. Michael O’Shea who undoubtedly has his share of Irish ancestry. “Soule Road has not changed the name of St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick’s Day is on the Soule Road...

My family name was originally O’Driscoll until it was changed a few generations ago by relatives hoping to more fully assimilate into American culture after immigrating from Ireland. Though I was raised Irish Catholic, I knew virtually nothing about Saint Patrick other than the green beer, parades, shamrocks, leprechauns, and drunken Red Sox fans that celebrated in his honor every March 17th. Technically, Saint Patrick is not even a saint, as he was never canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. Additionally, Patrick was not even Irish. Rather, he was a Roman-Britain who spoke Latin and a bit of Welsh. Patrick...

The source for this record is a 1952 tract, published by the Calvary Radio Ministry, New York City, New York. It was part of the library of the late Elder Jarrel E. Huffman, pastor of the Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, Duncan, Oklahoma from 1978 until 1997. Every attempt has been made to preserve the style and structure of the original tract, although some formatting concessions were made to facilitate this medium. ~ August, 1997 A word about the message: The sermon, "St. Patrick was a Baptist," was delivered to a thronged congregation at the Calvary Baptist Church of New York...

If you ask people who Saint Patrick was, you're likely to hear that he was an Irishman who chased the snakes out of Ireland. It may surprise you to learn that the real Saint Patrick was not actually Irish—yet his robust faith changed the Emerald Isle forever. Patrick was born in Roman Britain to a middle-class family in about A.D. 390. When Patrick was a teenager, marauding Irish raiders attacked his home. Patrick was captured, taken to Ireland, and sold to an Irish king, who put him to work as a shepherd. In his excellent book, How the Irish Saved...

What comes to mind when you see or hear about the Holiday known as St. Patrick’s Day? Let me guess; Leprechauns, green clothing, four leaf clovers (Shamrocks), corned beef and cabbage, cheap beer at the bar, Irish (celtic) music, and (for me anyway) Mc Donalds’ delicious, minty Shamrock shakes. But have you ever wondered about the actual history about the man whom the holiday is dedicated to honor? The man behind all of the “green” is far more intriguing, and in this article, we will look at a man who by divine direction transformed the nation of Ireland. Patrick was...

Fáilte O’BamaIt’s President Barack Obama! And a green toilet plunger! On Saint Patrick’s Day! Obama, a Tea Partier, and an Irishman, are out walking along the beach together one day. They come across a lantern and a Genie pops out of it. "I will give you each one wish, that's three wishes in total", says the Genie. The Irishman says, "I am a fisherman, my Dad's a fisherman, his Dad was a fisherman and my son will be one too. I want all the oceans full of fish for all eternity." So, with a blink of the Genie's eye...

With bare feet, they shuffle around the island muttering prayers; pain and suffering writ on their faces and a rainstorm breaking over them. An ancient pilgrimage set in what medieval Christians called “the ends of the world” is undergoing a revival in Ireland as economic woes prompt a spiritual reawakening. St Patrick’s Purgatory, on Station Island, a rocky islet in the midst of Lough Derg, was once Christendom’s premier pilgrimage. Its renown was based on the belief that it was a gateway to the next world and a place where penance could be matched to any sin. Now that the...

The city's new archbishop gave the city's oldest Catholic cathedral a surprise gift for its 200th birthday. Archbishop Timothy Dolan will ask the Pope to bestow the title of basilica on Little Italy's St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, which began its bicentennial celebration on Sunday. The venerable Mott St. church would be the first in the Archdiocese of New York to get the prestigious designation, given only to churches of the highest historic and spiritual significance. "I just think it deserves it," said Dolan, who made the surprise announcement from the altar while celebrating a bicentennial Mass yesterday. "I'm so proud...

A friend sent me a flyer his employer had sent employees. Included in it was a description of "St. Patrick's Day" intended for a diverse and, apparently an under-10, audience. "He is the patron saint of Ireland -- he became a priest and taught the Irish about God -- we parade and dance and sing -- we decorate with shamrocks and green -- there's a legend about snakes." What could be written for non-Catholic or non-Irish audiences about reasons they might respect him as more than an Easter bunny? Here's my attempt: The Saint Patrick honored on March 17 was...

Move over, St. Patrick, and make way for the Messiah . . . Mary McAleese, the President of Ireland, used quasi-religious terms to discuss Pres. Obama in an interview with Meredith Vieira broadcast on this morning’s Today. Watch as McAleese’s face lights up at the mere mention of his name. MEREDITH VIEIRA: Barack Obama, our new president. I understand much loved here, in part because he’s a native son. MARY MCALEESE: Absolutely, from Moneygall, County Offaly. VIEIRA: So he’s an Irish boy, in your book. MCALEESE: For sure. For sure. I mean, even if he wasn’t, I think we would...

Breastplate of Saint Patrick [This prayer is often called "St. Patrick's Breastplate" because of those parts of it which seek God's protection. It is also sometimes called "The Deer's Cry" or "The Lorica".] I bind to myself today The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity: I believe the Trinity in the Unity The Creator of the Universe. I bind to myself today The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism, The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial, The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension, The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day. I...

Apostle of Ireland, born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387; died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, 17 March, 493. [Some sources say 460 or 461. --Ed.] He had for his parents Calphurnius and Conchessa. The former belonged to a Roman family of high rank and held the office of decurio in Gaul or Britain. Conchessa was a near relative of the great patron of Gaul, St. Martin of Tours. Kilpatrick still retains many memorials of Saint Patrick, and frequent pilgrimages continued far into the Middle Ages to perpetuate there the fame of his sanctity and miracles.

The publisher of a local Irish newspaper is calling on the organizers of the city's annual St. Patrick's Day parade to begin overhauling the event's image by inviting Northern Ireland's Protestant leader to be a leader of next year's procession.Irish Voice publisher Niall O'Dowd said in interviews Tuesday and in an editorial to be published Wednesday that the parade could "symbolize a new era for hope" if it were led next March by Ian Paisley and his Catholic partner in the territory's new power-sharing government, the Sinn Fein deputy leader Martin McGuinness.The parade typically draws about 2 million spectators.Paisley, head...

Worldwide celebrations for St Patrick's Day could face disruption after the Catholic Church decided to move the Irish patron saint's feast day.Bishops were left with sore heads after they discovered the traditional March 17th festivities will clash next year with the second day of Holy Week.Under the Church's rules, the General Norms for the Liturgical Year and Calendar, the saint's feast day does not rank as high as the Monday before Easter and has to be moved.After much deliberation, Rome gave Irish authorities the green light to shift the official religious celebrations two days back to March 15th, which falls...

Almighty God, who in thy providence didst choose thy servant Patrick to be the Apostle of the Irish people, to bring those who were wandering in darkness and error to the true light and knowledge of thee: Grant us so to walk in that light that we may come at last to the light of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost ever, one God, world without end. Amen. Patrick was born into a Christian family somewhere on the northwest coast of Britain in about 390. His grandfather had been...