Faith Lessons For St. Patrick’s Day

Posted on May 14, 2021December 24, 2021 by Elenie

Faith Lessons For St. Patrick’s Day

Even if you are not catholic, buckets of gold and leprechauns will floor your life in March. These modern day trinkets, have nothing to do with St. Patrick. No matter what denomination you are, powerful christian lessons can be found in this holiday.

God can turn curses into blessings.

Before becoming a saint, Patrick did not have an easy life. He was stolen from his Christian home and brought to Ireland as a slave. Before being kidnapped, Patrick was not a devout man, but hardship brought him close to God.

He began to pray. As a slave, Patrick prayed every day, whenever he could. After many hard years, God spoke to Patrick.

Listening to God, Patrick escaped and found a boat that brought him home. Later in life, Patrick began spreading the Gospel and returned to Ireland.

Patrick spread the Holy Word throughout Ireland, and even converted his former slave master. They worked together bringing God’s message to the country.

God is always listening, even during your darkest days.

Patrick accepted God into his heart while he was a slave. In Patrick’s hardest times, God guided him. And in our hardest times, we must remember to run towards God.

Do not run away from faith. Make an urgent prayer request and God will hear you, because God is with us every step of the way.

The bucket of gold at the end of the rainbow is your relationship with God.

We, The Salvation Garden, offer you the chance to send your urgent prayer requests for any reason. Allow us to pray for you! Send your Urgent Prayer Requests now.

Our dedicated team members will personally take your urgent prayer requests to a Church of your choice in the Holy Land and then offer them to our Lord. After we bring your prayer requests to your chosen Holy Church, we will send you videos or pictures to assure you.

What is St. Patrick’s Day?

Posted on April 28, 2020December 25, 2021 by Elenie

What is St. Patrick’s Day?

Whether you love wearing green and believe that St. Patrick’s Day gives you the perfect opportunity to literally “go green”, or your keen ear for Irish music and taste for Irish food and drinks brings you out on the streets to celebrate, there is much more to the day than just great food and revelry. You maybe Irish at heart or join the colorful and grand parade every year, but have you ever wondered about its origins and the meaning of the symbols associated with this day? And what is the religious significance associated with this day? Let’s explore this uniquely Irish day of celebration.

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th to commemorate the death anniversary of the revered patron saint of Ireland. From the early 13th century, St. Patrick’s Purgatory is commonly associated with spiritual healing and penance; the place is significant as it is here that St. Patrick had a vision assuring believers that whoever visited the sanctuary in faith and penitence would have their sins pardoned. Hence, the site draws scores of believers who pay homage to the patron, particularly on St. Patrick’s Day. But if planning a pilgrimage is not on your cards for personal reasons, a prayer request to the holy land could go a long way in providing you with spiritual succor. A prayer request can bring inner peace by strengthening your belief and faith.

Who is St. Patrick?

St. Patrick was born in Banna Venta Berniae, a small town in Roman Britain, towards the end of the fourth century. Although his real name was Maewyn Succat, he chose to be called Patricius. There are many monikers associated with him, such as Moagonus, Succetus, and Cothirthiacus. During his lifetime, St. Patrick worked relentlessly in Ireland to spread Christianity throughout the region. He is believed to have baptized several thousands of people, guided women to nunhood, converted the princes in the region, ordained new priests, and helped in the formation and establishment of more than 300 churches.

Although Patrick was never canonized by the Catholic Church as there was no formal canonization process in place during the first millennium, he was proclaimed a saint by popular acclaim due to his work as a priest and helping to spread Christianity all over Ireland. St. Patrick preached the Gospel for more than 40 years and many believe that he may be responsible for popularizing the Shamrock, the three-leafed clover plant signifying the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Symbols of St. Patrick’s Day

The Shamrock is the most common symbol associated with St. Patrick’s Day. Many people can be seen wearing green attire as the color has found favor over time. There are many religious symbols that have gained significance, including serpents, snakes and the Celtic Cross. St. Patrick added the Sun onto the Christian Cross as it was a powerful Irish symbol and created a Celtic Cross. There are also other symbols related to Ireland seen on St. Patrick’s Day, like the harp; it was used in Ireland for centuries. Symbols like the Leprechaun, a mythological creature, as well as a pot of gold that the leprechaun keeps hidden, are also associated with this day.

Why March 17?

Although there has been much debate over when and where St. Patrick died, it is widely believed that he died in Saul at Downpatrick on March 17. Hence, the date has been marked to commemorate his death.

In the 17th century, St. Paddy’s Day was started as a religious celebration to mark the arrival of Christianity in Ireland as well as venerate the life of St. Patrick. This day was always celebrated on the anniversary of St. Patrick’s death, popularly believed to be March 17, 461 AD. As time passed and more Irish crossed the Atlantic, the Feast Day celebration gradually gained popularity. In the early 1600s, the Feast Day was officially recognized and placed on the Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar due to the efforts of Irish Franciscan friar and historian Luke Wadding. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in a Spanish colony in Boston in 1737.

Why the color green?

If you ever wondered why green is the color of choice when celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, you need to go back in time. The color associated with Feast Day and St. Patrick was blue until the Irish soldiers wore green when they fought against the British during the Irish Rebellion. In 1978, the song The Wearing of the Green, sung by the Irish soldiers during the war made green the new color associated with St. Patrick’s Day. Also the color of shamrocks, green emerged as Ireland’s mainstay color.

How to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

Posted on March 30, 2020December 25, 2021 by Elenie

HOW TO CELEBRATE ST. PATRICK’S DAY

You must’ve eaten those green clover-shaped cookies, crooned to the songs being played during the spectacular parades, or simply soaked in the spirit as a spectator during celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day. But have you ever wondered about what makes this an important date on the calendar? Or why is the day associated with penitence and faith? For those of you who are searching for answers to your questions on the importance of the day and why you could go on a penitential pilgrimage, read on to find out more about the religious significance of this day. But what if you are unable to make a pilgrimage to St. Patrick’s Purgatory but still seek deliverance from your sins? A prayer request to the Holy Land could help you find solace and strengthen your belief. You do not have to walk the fine line to find the right balance between your family/ work and your pursuit of divine deliverance. A prayer request can lead you down the path of penitence without you having to worry about finding the time and the resources required to undertake any journey.

First Celebration of St. Patrick’s Day

The Roman Catholics started observing Feast Day of St. Patrick on March 17 way back in the 9th or 10th century. The day was celebrated to commemorate the death anniversary of St. Patrick in the fifth century. Surprisingly, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was not held in Ireland but the USA. According to records, the first parade was organized and held in a Spanish Colony in St. Augustine, Florida, on March 17, 1601. A year earlier, the Spanish Colony’s Irish vicar, Ricardo Artur, had organized St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and a parade.

Initially, the color associated with St. Patrick’s Day celebration was blue because St. Patrick did not wear green. The ancient Irish flags featured the color blue; it was also featured as the color of the Royal Court. During the Irish Rebellion against the British in the late 18th century, the color green became synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day. It received an official stamp of recognition in 1798.

St. Patrick’s Day & Lent

Typically, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated during the Lenten season but the tradition of fasting and prohibitions against the eating of meat are waived. People feast on a traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage. The bacon was substituted with corned beef by Irish immigrants to the USA as affordability was a prime concern. Interestingly, there is no usage of corn in the traditional meal of cabbage and corned beef prepared on St. Patrick’s Day. Historically, the name “corned beef” refers to the large grains of salt used to cure meat; these grains were known as corn. The alcohol consumed on this day was known as Pota Phadraig or St. Patrick’s Pot. The tradition came to be known as “Drowning the Shamrock” as it involved raising a toast to St. Patrick and tossing a shamrock over the shoulder; people believed that doing so would bring them good luck.

The Significance of the Shamrock

Homes and public places are decorated with the shamrock – or three-leaf clovers – on St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick is believed to have popularized the shamrock to represent the Holy Trinity — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. He taught the Irish that there was only One God. The shamrock emerged as the symbol of the Holy Trinity as well as the Irish and not just a mere representation of good luck. According to legend, each leaf of the clover represents faith, hope, love, and luck.

St. Patrick’s Purgatory

This is a renowned pilgrimage site located at Station Island. Although Modernists do not believe in Purgatory and have raised doubts over its doctrine, St. Patrick’s Purgatory is a much-visited place by pilgrims. It is believed that during the 5th century, Christ showed a cave on Station Island to St. Patrick. This is said to be the entrance to the Purgatory. It is believed by many to be the answer to St. Patrick’s prayers to Christ as a considerable number of Irish people were reluctant to believe the doctrine of the Church without any substantial proof. From that time onwards, people flocked to St. Patrick’s Purgatory as a pilgrimage site.

Previously, pilgrims arrived with letters of permission issued by a Bishop. They spent 15 days fasting and praying before coming to Station Island by boat. Each pilgrim would go to Confession, receive Holy Communion, and undergo several rituals. Subsequently, a pilgrim would be locked in a cave for 24 hours. The following day, the pilgrim would start praying and fasting for another 15 days, if he was able to endure the hardship and remain alive.

Since 1632, pilgrims cannot enter the cave as it has been closed and locked. But pilgrims can still visit St. Patrick’s Purgatory. They walk barefoot and spend three days in fasting, prayer, and penance.

We, The Salvation Garden, offer you the chance to send your urgent prayer requests for any reason. Allow us to pray for you! Send your Urgent Prayer Requests now.

Tag: St. Patrick’s Day