| Sunday, March 17, 2024
Perhaps nowhere else, in what was once Christendom, can an entire nation and its vast diaspora of descendants trace their Catholic Faith and culture — and their hope of eternal salvation — to the evangelism of a single saint. Our debt of gratitude to Saint Patrick is beyond measure.
Saint Patrick (+461) is the Apostle of Ireland and was the first bishop and archbishop of Armagh. He is also the principal patron saint of the Archdiocese of Boston.
Sent by Pope Saint Celestine I, Patrick, in a single lifetime, transformed the people of Ireland from bondsmen of death dealing Druids to disciples of the Author of Life.
As a consequence, a small island upon whose soil no Roman Legionary ever trod, would help form the character of Christendom by its leadership in the two great civilizational movements of the early Middle Ages—the preservation of the learning of Classical Antiquity, and the evangelization of Europe, known to history as the Conversion of the Barbarians.
The feast of Saint Patrick is not “a municipal festival,” as Judge Hiller B. Zobel erroneously asserted during the Saint Patrick’s Day parade case thirty-two years ago. Nor is it merely a communal celebration of ethnic pride, as one low wattage, nominally Catholic, ex-state senator once tried to tell us.
We commemorate the feast of our patron saint because he brought the Catholic Faith to Ireland, delivering that nation, and us, from the darkness of paganism, and showing us the fountains “that rise in the heart of Our Savior above.”
Only two Catholic organizations in Massachusetts in the last three decades, the Immaculate Heart of Mary School and the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, have publicly defended the venerable name of our patron saint from sacrilegious exploitation and coarse trivialization by the enemies of Catholicity.
The silence of our bishops, priests, deacons, and religious is a terrible betrayal, which speaks to cowardice, the loss of Faith, the desire for human respect, and the malign influence of effeminacy in the ranks of the Church.
As the contemporary forces of paganism continue their assault against the Christian character of March 17th, and attempt to deform and de-Christianize our feast day, let us never forget that Saint Patrick’s Day is a Catholic holy day in honor of a Catholic Saint.
Sancte Patrice, Ora pro nobis.
O God, You deigned to send Blessed Patrick, Your Confessor and Bishop, to preach Your glory to the Gentiles; grant by his merits and intercession, that those things which You command us to do, we may be enabled to accomplish by Your mercy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
Collect of the Feast of Saint Patrick from the Missal and Breviary of Saint Pius V
There are only two writings of Saint Patrick extant. The first is his
Confession, while the other is his Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus. The latter bears a prophetic relevance to the modern crisis of abortion.
In it, our patron saint exhorts Catholics to avoid all fraternization with those who participate in the willful murder of the innocent: “Therefore I ask most of all that all the holy and humble of heart should not fawn on such people, nor even share food or drink with them, nor accept their alms, until such time as they make satisfaction to God in severe penance and shedding of tears…” He goes on to warn that “The Most High does not accept the gifts of evildoers.”
When you see our modern priests, prelates, and Catholic schools giving, unlawfully, awards, honors or platforms to politicians who promote the mass killing of the unborn, please remind them of the words of Saint Patrick!
Sadly, the name of our patron saint was misappropriated by partisans of the Culture of Death when they gathered this morning, for the so-called “Saint Patrick’s Day Breakfast” in South Boston. Those enemies of the Cross included U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, U.S. Representatives Stephen Lynch and Ayanna Pressley, Lieutenant Governor Kimberley Driscoll, State Senate President Karen Spilka and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
All are in favor of child killing, sodomy, the corruption of minors and the homosexualization of the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade. Warren is now leading the authoritarian campaign to deprive pro-life Catholics of their constitutional rights.
Sadly and repulsively, a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston, Father Joe White, was present to devalue their evil and enable their treachery by giving an affirming, non-challenging invocation—which never mentioned Our Savior or included the Sign of the Cross—for this gathering of blood stained destroyers of the unborn and persecutors of the faithful.
Father White applauded them for “celebrating Irish culture” and “other cultures.” Ironically, given the character of the event, it was probably appropriate that he omitted any mention of Saint Patrick in his “blessing.”
Neither Scripture, nor Tradition, nor secular history record instances of the Apostles Peter and Paul, in Rome, blessing, consorting with, or engaging in amicable social intercourse with Nero.
The City of Worcester has already had its Saint Patrick’s Day Parade. Among those marching, ostensibly to honor Saint Patrick, was Mayor Joe Petty, who cast a tie breaking vote in the City Council, to pass an ordinance that would force crisis pregnancy centers to commit or make referrals for abortions.
Also marching was Congressman Jim McGovern, a co-sponsor of the so-called Equality Act, which would compel Catholic physicians to perform abortions.
What a surfeit of hypocrisy it must require for all of these apostates to participate in the celebration of a Catholic saint!
Once again, we are happy to present the good Sisters of Immaculate Heart of Mary School, who lightheartedly memorialized their departure from the South Boston parade with this melody to the air of “The Leaving of Liverpool”
entitled “The Leaving of Boston.”
|
A good article. Some of the Boston news outlets frequently describe St. Patrick’s Day as a drinking fest. Rather than interview people with a knowledge of St. Patrick and Irish or Irish-American history, they interview frat boys and girls waiting in line at a bar. Insulting. The Irish-American organizations and clubs around here are more concerned with keeping the costs down at the club bar or the annual golf outing than anything Irish.
The government of the Republic of Ireland is of little inspiration to the huge Irish diaspora. Despite being a wealthy nation, Ireland has a serious homeless problem. Six of its counties are still controlled by British colonialism. Yet, the Dublin government spends most of its efforts in concerning itself with Ukraine and Gaza. Crime from those claiming to seek asylum from foreign lands is a growing problem in Ireland. The Dublin government pays more effort to housing these people and ignores the Irish homeless. Ireland is a beautiful nation, its current leadership is not so great.