Embrace Irish culture one day each year

Unlike St. Valentine - whose vague history prompted the Catholic Church to drop his feast day from the Roman calendar in 1969 - St. Patrick bears a distinct legacy, one as pertinent and valuable to 21st century America as it was 1,500 years ago in Ireland.
Perhaps more so.


On Wednesday, his name raised cups and emptied kegs as flocks of festive folks shelled out green for their officially licensed green apparel. For one day each year, St. Patrick serves as the unofficial patron saint of barflies and hangovers, his feast day as secular as any in the canonized list of Catholic superstars.

On St. Patrick's Day, millions trace their respective roots, claiming an Irish-Catholic heritage shared with friends and colleagues.

It's a dream St. Patrick probably never foresaw when he set out on a mission to preach the Gospel to the Irish in the mid-400s.

St. Patrick set a goal to spread Catholicism to the Irish after having once spent six years on the island as a slave, according to americancatholic.org. At the time, the Catholic Church held little presence in pagan-saturated Ireland.

St. Patrick changed that, but not through standard Catholic missionary work.

Instead of challenging the pagan culture and preaching the good news by belittling Ireland's long-standing religious traditions, St. Patrick learned those traditions, incorporating them into the Catholic lessons he taught.

Because the Irish used fire to honor their gods, St. Patrick introduced a ritualistic bonfire to celebrate Easter, according to a history.com profile. He also designed the Celtic cross, blending the traditional Latin cross with a sun, a powerful symbol in Irish culture.

Today's world could learn from St. Patrick's unconventional methods. Cultural tolerance still feels out of place, especially among the world's religions.

Sure, St. Patrick endured criticism. "He suffered much opposition from pagan druids and was criticized in both England and Ireland for the way he conducted his mission," according to americancatholic.org.

But 1,500 years later, St. Patrick's mission, one of courage, perseverance and understanding, is honored and toasted every day by a large Irish-Catholic contingent.

It is also honored and toasted one day each year by millions of others from Catholic and secular backgrounds alike.

On March 17, people embrace St. Patrick's legacy, whether they realize it or not, honoring it in the most appropriate, if not unconventional, ways possible: They shed their backgrounds and forget their differences, blending together under the color green and the prospect of merriment (and a drink or two).

On this annual occasion, people share and adopt a heritage with less concern over alienating someone.

St. Patrick's Day, more than most other holidays, focuses on tolerating other cultures and customs, spreading ideas and promoting an understanding of civilizations' differences.

Sure, a lot of people enjoy St. Patrick's Day for the "luck o' the Irish" or to drown out a lack of luck in a tall, frosty mug of green ale.

A lot of people like the holiday's fashion, the chance to wear their $37 officially licensed New York Yankees personalized green T-shirt (yet Valentine's Day receives billing as the big, over-commercialized corporate holiday).

But everyone who raised a glass Wednesday, donned a green T-shirt, joined in a parade or searched for the pot of gold paid homage to a saint who revolutionized a country's tradition by understanding its nuances. St. Patrick's efforts transcended his religious mission, and his feast exemplifies the value of cultural give-and-take, the value of understanding others and respecting their customs.

His legacy continues to serve as a lesson one day each year.

e-mail: grossts@sbu.edu