St. Patrick's Day

• File:Kilbennan St. Benin's Church Window St. Patrick Detail 2010 09 
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• From Wikipedia: 
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• Saint Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and Bishop in Ireland. Much of what is known about Saint Patrick comes from the Declaration, which was allegedly written by Patrick himself. It is believed that he was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century, into a wealthy Romano-British family. His father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest in the Christian church. According to the Declaration, at the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Gaelic Ireland.^[19] It says that he spent six years there working as a shepherd and that during this time he found God. The Declaration says that God told Patrick to flee to the coast, where a ship would be waiting to take him home. After making his way home, Patrick went on to become a priest.^[20]

  According to tradition, Patrick returned to Ireland to convert the pagan Irish to Christianity. The Declaration says that he spent many years evangelizing in the northern half of Ireland and converted thousands.

  Patrick's efforts were eventually turned into an allegory in which he drove "snakes", heathen practices, out of Ireland, despite the fact that actual snakes were not known to inhabit the region.^[21]

  Tradition holds that he died on 17 March and was buried at Downpatrick. Over the following centuries, many legends grew up around Patrick and he became Ireland's foremost saint.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 

 

                                                      

Content is taken From Yahoo Life 

                                                        Erin Cavoto

Leprechaun Puns:

• The leprechauns made me do it.
• I kissed a leprechaun and I liked it.
• What's a leprechaun's favorite music? Sham-rock and roll.
• Keep calm and leprechaun.
• Today I be-leaf in leprechauns.

Irish Soda Bread Recipe:

https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/a35291993/irish-soda-bread/

INGREDIENTS

• Canola oil, for pan

• 2 1/2 c. 

  buttermilk, plus more for brushing

• 1 

  large egg

• 1 1/2 c. 

  dried currants

• 3 c. 

  all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

• 1 c. 

  whole wheat flour, spooned and leveled

• 1/4 c. 

  wheat germ

• 3 tbsp. 

  sugar

• 2 tsp. 

  baking soda

• 2 tsp. 

  kosher salt

• 6 tbsp. 

  cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for serving

• DIRECTIONS

  • 1. Step 1Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a 9-inch cast-iron skillet or cake pan. Whisk together buttermilk and egg in a bowl. Add currants and stir to combine.
    2. Step 2Whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a second bowl. Using your finger-tips, rub butter into flour mixture until small pebbles form. Create a well in center of flour mixture. Add buttermilk mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon in one direction and gradually incorporating, until combined (dough will be sticky).
    3. Step 3Using slightly wet hands, shape dough into a ball; transfer to prepared pan. Let rest 10 minutes. Brush with buttermilk. Cut a large “X” about 1 inch deep in top of loaf, wiping blade with a damp cloth between cuts. Bake until golden brown and internal temperature registers 195°F to 200°F on an instant read thermometer, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool completely. Serve with butter.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day (Erin Go Bragh) ~ Dave Gunderson

What Happens when St. Patrick's Day falls on a Friday?

  

Corned Beef and Cabbage are banned by the Catholics.

Well at least the corned beef. 

The two occasions meet this year. March 17 marks the celebration of St. Patrick -- known as the Apostle of Ireland 

for his years of missionary work there -- and it also is a celebration of all things Irish and even green. This March 17, since it falls on a Friday in Lenten, also is a time of penitence.

However, many bishops advised Catholics over age 14, who are required to abstain from meat on Friday, to do an extra act of charity or penance in exchange for eating meat.

So its like getting a "out of jail card".

Cause the Irish like to Celebrate !!!

People all over the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, especially places with large Irish-American communities. Feasting on the day features traditional Irish food, including corned beef, corned cabbage, coffee, soda bread, potatoes, and shepherd’s pie. Many celebrations also hold an Irish breakfast of sausage, black and white pudding, fried eggs, and fried tomatoes. Common traditions include:

• Parades – This event is most often associated with the holiday. Cities that hold large parades include Boston, New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Savannah, and other cities worldwide.
• Drinking – Since many Catholics are Irish-American, some may be required to fast from drinking during Lent. However, they are allowed to break this fast during the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. This is one cause for the day’s association with drinking heavily.
• Dying water or beer green – Chicago dies its river green for the festivities, and many bars serve green-dyed beer. The White House fountain is also dyed green.
• Other incorporations of green – In Seattle, the parade routes are painted in green. Observers are supposed to wear green or else risk being pinched. Parade floats and decorations will feature the color green.
• Religious services – Those who celebrate the holiday in a religious context may also hold a feast. Outside of this context, overindulgence tends to revolve around drinking.
• Pea planting – In the Northeast, many celebrate by planting peas. This is largely due to the color and time of year (prime pea-planting conditions.

Happy St. Patrick's Day ~ Submitted by Dave and Kathryn Gunderson

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to One and All

March 17, 2015

The 17^th of March, or the “wearing of the green”, as it is often called, has come around again with its promise of the return of spring. It seems appropriate to me, that the coming of spring should be heralded by a festival whose symbolic color is green.

My first experience with St. Patrick’s Day was in my kindergarten year and it was not pleasant a pleasant one. My mom got me all ready for school that morning, but forgot to give me something green to wear.

           

When I got to school that day, the mean kids that knew about St. Patrick’s Day rushed at me from every side; pinching me as hard as they could.

I was incensed and just getting ready to teach them that they couldn’t treat me that way, when the   teacher came to the rescue. She made me a shamrock, out of green paper, that I wear for protection for that day.

     

 The teacher also told great stories about St. Patrick’s Day, especially of Leprechauns, often called the little people, and their stunts. She also told how we could get their troves of Gold coins by theft. Those stories made me feel differently about St. Patrice’s Day, and I have loved it “ever since”.

I have often thought about the pinching custom and how out of harmony it is with the spirit of love and forgiveness shown in the life of St. Patrick himself.

I have also wonde-red how “stealing”, the life savings of a poor little old fellow could be justified.

 My next memorable encounter with St. Patrick’s Day was when I was interviewing with Bell Labs. I had a free day in Manhattan on Saturday March 16, 1967, (the day St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated that year) and my friends and I decided to go to the famous St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  I recall, there was a freshly painted green line down the middle of the 5^th avenue and that platoon after platoon of Irish American Mounted Police and band after band from the local Irish American Catholic high schools marched down the Avenue. 

I also recall that, there were policeman stationed at about 10 foot intervals all along 5^th Avenue to “keep the peace” and that Macys & Gimbals had changed their names to O’Macys & O’Gimbals. Some people had dressed up as Leprechauns and every bar & restaurant in town advertised that green beer was available. Nearly everyone had a badge that read “Kiss Me I’m Irish”.

The flower shops in the subway stations were all selling little cups of live shamrocks. (I was surprised to see that shamrocks were really small clover. I had imagined them to be about 2 inches wide and about 2½ inches tall, like the one my kindergarten teacher had made for me). In any case, everyone assured me that on St. Patrick’s Day everyone is Irish.

One of my good friends at the Labs always wore Orange on St. Patrick’s Day, because his family heritage was from Northern Ireland. He was never harassed about this. People at the Labs seemed to think that “each should be left to their own”.

After moving to New Jersey, I was assigned to make monthly visits to several Mormon Irish American families. I was often invited to enjoy “corned beef and cabbage dinners” with them on the “Great Day”. I always looked forward to this each year.

One of the families I visited even decorated with strings of shamrock shaped lights, (like Christmas lights). They also had bunches of living or stained glass shamrocks decorating their home. Truly it was an occasion to be remembered.

The true story of St. Patrick is a bit vague but it seems that he was born near the west coast of Britain, just across from the Isle of Mann, between 380 & 390 AD; at about the time the Roman Empire was collapsing.

At about age of 16, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and sold into slavery. He remained as a slave for about 6 years, before he could   escape. One account said that he felt that he had committed some sort of sin in his youth, for which his slavery was a just punishment. (I can’t help wondering what kind of sin would have justified 6 years of slavery.)

His father and grandfather were both Christian clerics and after his escape, he also decided to become a priest, and carry the Christian message back to Ireland. After several years of study he was ordained a Bishop and returned to the place, where he had been held as a slave, to bring the great message of Jesus, the message of love, equality and forgiveness.

One of the great stories of his ministry is how he used the tiny shamrock to explain the Trinity.

March 17 461 AD is accepted as the date of his death. His life spanned some 75 years and it was full of service. Since his birth date is unknown, his death date is used to commemorate his great life and service.

So Erin Go Bragh (Ireland Forever) to everyone, wither they are Irish, or only Irish for the day. Let the great message of St. Patrick, the message of love and forgiveness, truly last forever for all of us.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

to all, to the Irish and

to those who are only 

Irish for the Day,  

David & Kathryn Ann  O’Gunderson

P. S. I think that it is ironic that Ireland’s most
             famous son was actually born in Britain.