“St. Patrick, Pray For Us!” – Fr. Timothy Scott’s, CSB Reflection On St. Patrick – Montréal, QC.

St. Patrick’s Day is one of those liturgical feasts that has entered comfortably into popular North American culture. The fact that we know relatively little about this fifth-century Irish saint makes the feast day particularly apt for the kind of secular liturgy we are all too familiar with: The parades and shamrocks, the green beer and Irish stew all served on the “17 ^th of Ireland”.

Many of the stories about Patrick are legendary, but the Confessio and his letter to Coroticus decrying the mistreatment of Irish Christians are important historical witnesses to the faith of the patristic era. And while a Church feast may be taken over by the broader public culture (think Halloween or Valentine’s Day) I wonder if it doesn’t invite at least a conversation about faith and culture. Amid the ashes of a largely forgotten cycle of liturgical feasts and seasons, perhaps there are the embers of a faith that is still capable of moving mountains.

– Fr. Timothy Scott, CSB

On this day, we pray:

O God, on this St. Patrick’s Day, we thank you for the legacy of faith left by Saint Patrick. May his courage inspire us to share your love with others, and may his prayers guide us in our journey of faith. Bless us with strength and grace. Amen.

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