Happy St. Patrick's Day to one & all

Hey Everyone & Happy St. Patty's Day to all, I thought this would be of interest for everyone on the board. I did e mail it the very few of you who I have your e mail address here at work. I never really gave it any thought as to who Patrick was or how he bacame a saint. So here's a little history lesson for all of you. The person who was to become St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Wales about 385 A.D. His given name was Maewyn. Far from being a saint, until age 16, he considered himself a pagan. He was sold into slavery by a group of Irish marauders that raided his village. During his captivity, he became closer to God. After six years, he escaped and went to Gaul where he studied in the monastery under St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre, for twelve years. It was during this training time that he became aware of his calling to convert the pagans to Christianity. He returned to Ireland with a newly adopted name of Patrick and was then appointed as second bishop to Ireland. Being quite successful at winning converts upset the Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time. He traveled thoughtout Ireland establishing monasteries and setting up schools and churches which would aid him in his conversion of the Irish country to Christianity. Some folklore believed that Patrick raised people from the dead. He also is said to have given a sermon from a hilltop that drove all snakes from Ireland. Of course, no snakes were ever native to Ireland, and some think this is a metaphor for the conversion of the pagans. One traditional icon of the day is the shamrock (three leaf clover). The Irish tell of how Patrick used it to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day. His mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down where he died on March 17th in 461 A.D. Ever since then, that day has become known as St. Patrick's Day and the custom of celebrating came to America in 1737 and was first publicly celebrated in Boston. Lots of Love Kathy

Kathy, Thanks for sharing this history of St. Patrick's day with all of us. How are you doing?? One more month of doctor-supervised diet, right?!?! I know you must be having a mounting excitement in anticipation of the "end." Take care and hope to see you on the first Thursday of April!! Hugs, Tammy