St. Patrick: "Bless you, Father O'Malley!"

By Ken Canedo

Lent is a time of prayer, penance, and prayerful reflection; the somber music and purple vestments of the liturgy certainly put us in a serious mood as we prepare for Easter. But we Catholics are a celebrative people and the church gives us three gifts to help lift our spirits during the Lenten season: the Feast of St. Patrick (March 17), the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19), and the Solemnity of the Annunciation (March 25).

The Annunciation is Christmas in March (!) and I want to recommend Sarah Hart's thoughtful reflection on the Daughters of God song "Beautiful Mother" in next week's Song of the Week feature. St. Joseph's Day is an important celebration for the Italian community. If your parish has a large Italian-American membership be sure to look for their famous St. Joseph Table, a delightful culinary feast with pasta, fish, homemade bread, and so many other delicious treats. But what I really want to focus on in this Spirit Spot is St. Patrick.

Before we get into the saint himself I want to pay tribute to the Irish clergy in America. There was a time in the early 20th century when Ireland was bursting with priestly vocations. The Emerald Isle had more priests than it could use, so the hierarchy there agreed to allow their newly ordained to come to America, where there was a great need. Cities such as New York, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles had become huge magnets for the Irish-American community, who welcomed their homeland clergy with open arms. Indeed, looking at the roster of priests in America from 1920 to 1960, one is struck by the dominance of Irish surnames. It seemed like every diocese had a Father McNulty, a Father O'Malley, or a Msgr. O'Sullivan.

The Irish clergy have been stereotyped over the years and criticized for being overly strict in their approach to parish life. I suppose there might be an element of truth in that, but the Irish priests that I grew up with were also dedicated to their ministries, with a deep love for God and God's people. They took their priesthood seriously, yet their quick wit and dry humor also brought laughter into our lives. The impression that stays with me about the Irish clergy is that they were always there for us in the great and small times of life, no matter what time of day or night. I will never forget how much our Irish pastor gave of himself to my family during times of crisis. Thank you, Father!

The influence of the Irish clergy has waned as their numbers have decreased, and younger Catholics might wonder what it was like. I highly recommend the 1944 movie Going My Way, starring Bing Crosby as Father "Chuck" O'Malley. The Oscar-winning film is a venerable time capsule of the mid-20th century American Catholic church, perfectly capturing the dynamics of parish life back then. It's also intriguing to notice the kind of respect that Catholics used to give to their priests, and to see the Mass in Latin. Two thumbs up!

The dedication of the Irish clergy was deeply rooted in the spirituality of St. Patrick, who in the 5th century was kidnapped as a boy from his family in northern Wales and forced into slavery by Irish raiders. After a spiritual conversion, young Patrick escaped to France and studied for the priesthood, making it his life mission to preach the Good News to pagan Ireland. He became bishop of Ireland at age 43 and set about on his goal, suffering much opposition from the pagan Druids. But Bishop Patrick persevered and saw his dream of a Catholic Ireland come true.

As with any great saint, there are legends: how he drove the snakes from the island nation; how he used the three-leaf shamrock as a means to teach his people the mystery of the Blessed Trinity. Whether or not these stories are true, what is certain is the spirit behind them: St. Patrick was a humble and courageous man of God who accepted suffering and success with equal measure in his mission to convert Ireland. I see his sheer determination in the Irish priests I grew up with, and I give thanks for that.

St. Patrick is considered the author of the prayer bearing his name, the Breastplate of St. Patrick, which Sarah Hart and Bob Halligan, Jr. so beautifully set to music. This simple prayer goes to the heart of what it means to give one's life to Christ:

Christ with me and before me;
Christ behind me and within me;
Christ to the right of me and to the left of me;
Christ above me and beneath me;
I bind myself to the virtue of Christ!

For more information on this saint go to this link: ST. PATRICK