A Note From Our Pastor: March 8, 2026

Soon approaching is one of the great American holidays: St. Patrick’s Day! I’m joking, because it is one of those holidays that has taken on a life of its own in our culture. As I understand it, a St. Patrick’s Day parade was celebrated in the United States before it took place in Ireland. I can’t imagine those who originally heralded Patrick’s legacy could ever have imagined St. Patrick’s legacy would ever result in the robust flow of beer and the requirement to wear green clothing!

I’m resisting the impulse to bemoan how our celebration of St. Patrick’s Day seems to have little to do with listening to God’s voice, courageously escaping oppression, finding the capacity for forgiveness and evangelization—just some of the things that I love about Patrick’s life.

That the holiday is so widely celebrated, says a lot about things we enjoy of the heritage of the Irish. Further, the origins of this holiday, here in America, undoubtedly have much to do with a fondness, held in the hearts of the Irish, of an ancestral home so far away. But also, St. Patrick’s Day surely has some association with the solidarity that arose from the hardship the Irish people faced in this nation.

You might be aware of the story of the St. Patrick’s Battalion, a unit of soldiers, largely of Irish descent, fighting in the Mexican-American War (1846-48). The battalion also included immigrants or descendants from other parts of Europe, but what they held in common, is that most were fighting as soldiers of the U.S., even if they weren’t actual citizens. But also, that they were Catholic. I won’t spoil the story for you, but if you have a few minutes, you might find it interesting, and perhaps challenging. Here’s a link to one such article: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/mexican-american-war-irish-immigrants-deserted-us-army-fight-against-america-180971713/

In any case, elements of Irish culture remain as part of our nation’s larger culture, and descendants of those to whom St. Patrick evangelized, are part of the fabric of our population—among so many others of other continents, languages, and heritages.

But even if the real person, Patrick—a man born in 375 AD in Great Britain, born with the name Maewyn Succat—even if the amazing truth of his life (in contrast to some tales that are more legend) is overlooked, and even if it's not quite experienced as a religious feast, there’s something about this holiday that has broad appeal. As I understand it, a St. Patrick’s Day parade is celebrated in Russia, Japan, Norway, and New Zealand—a gift to the world from the Irish (or Irish-Americans, at least).

Consider praying (not merely reading!) St. Patrick’s Breastplate. He is truly a great saint!

Yours in Christ,

Father Todd O. Strange