Feast of Saint Patrick, the Enlightener of Ireland

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America ^

[Kolokotronis]

Apolytikion in the Third Tone

O Holy Hierarch, equal of the Apostles, Saint Patrick, wonderworker and enlightener of Ireland: Intercede with the merciful God that He grant unto our souls forgiveness of offences.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone

The Master revealed thee as a skillful fisher of men; and casting forth nets of Gospel preaching, thou drewest up the heathen to piety. Those who were the children of idolatrous darkness thou didst render sons of day through holy Baptism. O Patrick, intercede for us who honour thy memory.

A Hymn of Praise to Our Saint

All praise to Saint Patrick, who brought to our mountains The gift of God's faith, the sweet light of His love. All praise to the Shepherd who showed us the fountains That rise in the Heart of the Saviour above. For hundreds of years, In smiles and in tears, Our Saint hath been with us, our shield and our stay; All else may have gone, Saint Patrick alone. He hath been to us light, when earth's lights were all set, For the glories of faith they can never decay, And the best of our glories is bright with us yet, in the faith and the feast of Saint Patrick's day.

There is not a Saint in the bright courts of heaven, More faithful than he to the land of his choice; Oh well may the nation to whom he was given, In the feast of their Sire and apostle rejoice. In Glory above True to his love, He keeps the false faith from his children away. The dark false faith Far worse than death. Oh he drives it far off from the green sunny shore, Like the reptiles that fled from his curse in dismay, And Erin when error's proud triumph is o'er, Will still be found keeping Saint Patrick's day.

Then what shall we do for the heaven sent father? What shall the proof of our loyalty be? By all that is dear to our hearts we would rather Be martyred sweet Saint, than bring shame upon thee. But oh, he will take The promise we make, So to live that our lives by God's help, may display The light that he bore To Erin's shore. Oh Yes Father of Ireland! no child wilt thou own Whose life is not lighted by grace on its way; For they are true Irish, ah yes, they alone, Whose hearts are all true on Saint Patrick's day.

[Kolokotronis]

Saint Patrick, the Apostle of the Irish, was seized from his native Britain by Irish marauders when he was sixteen years old. Though the son of a deacon and a grandson of a priest, it was not until his captivity that he sought out the Lord with his whole heart. In his Confession, the testament he wrote towards the end of his life, he says, "After I came to Ireland - every day I had to tend sheep, and many times a day I prayed - the love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. And my spirit was so moved that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many at night, and this even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountain; and I would rise for prayer before daylight, through snow, through frost, through rain, and I felt no harm." After six years of slavery in Ireland, he was guided by God to make his escape, and afterwards struggled in the monastic life at Auxerre in Gaul, under the guidance of the holy Bishop Germanus. Many years later he was ordained bishop and sent to Ireland once again, about the year 432, to convert the Irish to Christ. His arduous labours bore so much fruit that within seven years, three bishops were sent from Gaul to help him shepherd his flock, "my brethren and sons whom I have baptized in the Lord - so many thousands of people," he says in his Confession. His apostolic work was not accomplished without much "weariness and painfulness," long journeys through difficult country, and many perils; he says his very life was in danger twelve times. When he came to Ireland as its enlightener, it was a pagan country; when he ended his earthly life some thirty years later, about 461, the Faith of Christ was established in every corner.

[Kolokotronis]

St. Paddy’s ping!

[Professional Engineer]

[sionnsar]

I wonder if we'll be singing St. Patrick's Breastplate and the Deirdre at Solemn Evensong (with incense*) tomorrow evening.

(*No bells on the thurible...)

[sionnsar]

Huh?

[Kolokotronis]

(*No bells on the thurible...)”

It doesn’t count without bells, ya know!

[sionnsar]

Who's countin'? We're smokin'!

And I will probably be asked to be Thurifer: *\;-) ----------()<|

[JohnLongIsland]

The Archbishop has given a special dispensation for us Orthodox Christians on Tuesday to enjoy a CB on rye w/mustard, a pint ‘o Guinness ,and a wee dram of Jamesons.
;) ;) ;)

[Young Werther]

My Grandson is Declan!

He converted the people of the Decies, an ancient principality of southern Ireland, to Christianity. There he founded the monastic settlement of Ardmore. Although Ardmore is no longer the seat of a diocese, the local Catholic parish bears Declan's name. His Life is preserved in both a Latin and Irish version; the latter was translated into English by Rev. P. Power in 1914.

There was much controversy involving which Saint was to become the Patron Saint of Ireland. Since St. Patrick was not of Irish heritage many of the Irish people believed that St. Declan should instead become the country's Patron Saint.

I guess St Patrick had the better publicist.

[Lancey Howard]

[Professional Engineer]

Saint Patrick was an Engineer

[Honorary Serb]

Well, we all had an Orthodox St. David’s day (Enlightener of Wales) on March 1, and we’ll have an Orthodox St. Patrick’s day tomorrow.

You gotta love those Western Orthodox saints (including my own patron saint)!!!!

But my other favorite saint, whom I pray to daily, is St. Sava of Serbia, whom I believe prayed me into Orthodoxy. So I get the best of both East and West.

[Kolokotronis]

“The Archbishop has given a special dispensation for us Orthodox Christians on Tuesday to enjoy a CB on rye w/mustard, a pint ‘o Guinness ,and a wee dram of Jamesons.
;) ;) ;)”

Up here we figure the local RC Ordinary has jurisdiction and we all know the Latins don’t fast on +Patrick’s Day...so its corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and Guinness tomorrow night. I think the priest and family are coming over! :)

[Tax-chick]

San Saba is popular in Spain and Mexico, why I don’t know. I’ll have to look it up!

I guess I’d better get batty Pat some macaroni and cheese tomorrow.

[Volunteer]

How many of us could go back and minister to those who treated us as a slave?

Saint Patrick's example is a good one for all of us to remember.

[Obamageddon]

St. Patrick (real name Maewyn Succat) was a late comer to Ireland.

I celebrate St. Palladius, the real first Bishop of the Irish Christians.

Happy St Paldy's!

[Salvation]

[Zero Sum]

Evidently St. Patrick is the patron saint of engineers.

Why? Because engineering studnents at the University of Missouri said so.

So there! :)