St. Patrick --Jen Norton
In name of the Holy Spirit of grace,
In name of the Father of the City of peace,
In name of Jesus who took death off us,
Oh! in name of the Three who shield us in every need,
If well thou hast found us to-night,
Seven times better mayest thou leave us without harm,
Thou bright white Moon of the seasons,
Bright white Moon of the seasons.
Celtic Prayer from the Carmina Gadelica
Our younger daughter and her husband who live in deepest, darkest Toronto, were with us for what was an enjoyable weekend visit. They were looking forward to visiting a favourite Irish pub after work this afternoon for a pint of Guiness and some St. Paddy's Day revelry. The proprietor and all the staff are Irish ex-pats (pun intended) and it sounds as though there is a bit of a Cheers vibe about the place, with a lilting accent thrown in.
Being a dad and religious I innocently asked whether the team knows much about St. Patrick and they had no idea, given that this isn't exactly the goal of today's events. I didn't press them on what knowledge they have of one of the three patron saints of the Emerald Isle, along with Brigid and Columcille.
Much of what is claimed for Patrick may be legend anyway, but as some readers will know, I have deep respect for what is considered the Earth-honouring aspect of Celtic Christianity. Patrick and the array of Irish saints took a "if you can't beat 'em, respect 'em" approach to evangelism of the Druids who were a nature loving crowd. Rather that imposing and conquering, Patrick and the others found common ground, figuratively and literally.
While the church based in Rome eventually subsumed the more egalitarian and earthy Christianity of the Celts, aspects of the Celtic way have survived. I have a couple of volumes of the Carmina Gadelica, a compendium of prayers, hymns, charms, incantations, blessings collected by a Scot (have mercy) Alexander Carmichael, who wrote them down while travelling as a government official in the 19th century.
I hope that the legend of St. Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland is false but I appreciate so much of the rest of the tradition. There are several Celtic blessings and hymns in Voices United, if you snoop around, including #318
1 Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me.
2 Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I wonder if there is a Celtic charm to ward off hangovers?
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