Second Sunday of Lent, March 16, 2025
Brother James Gavin, who served at Saint John’s for many years and who is now deceased, did not like the way that Americans celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. Brother James was born and raised in Ireland. He was appalled that Americans mark Saint Patrick’s Day as a time for drinking and getting drunk. He did not like the caricature of Irish people that was behind the celebration and, even more, he did not like the way people celebrated the missionary who brought the faith to Ireland.
Outside of my office, I have a porcelain statue of Saint Patrick given to me by Brother James. The statue is a reminder of two great saints, Patrick and James (who was a saintly friar!).
Saint Patrick was born in the late fourth century in what is now Britain. His family was part of the last presence of the Roman Empire in Britain. The Empire was crumbling. According to Patrick’s autobiography, The Confession, he was captured at age 16 by Irish pirates and sold as a slave in Ireland. He served as an animal herder for six years. Alone in the wilderness every summer, he fell in love with God and came to believe that God wanted him to escape. After a harrowing escape from Ireland, he entered a monastery where he was happy until he received a revelation from God telling him to return to Ireland to convert his former slave owners. This was not his desire, but he did it because it was God’s call.
Patrick was ordained a bishop and traveled throughout Ireland. His preaching was persuasive and the Irish people embraced the Catholic faith.
Through the centuries the Irish people suffered oppression, but did not abandon the Catholic faith. In fact, Irish priests, sisters and religious brothers were among the best missionaries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Irish immigrants were a major factor in establishing the Catholic faith in the United States. The Irish have been a remarkable people and their Catholicity has been outstanding.
However, secularism is sweeping Ireland. There are still faithful Catholics in Ireland, but many Irish are drifting away from Catholic practice, just like people in our country.
Saint Patrick and many others through tremendous sacrifices built the Catholic Church of Ireland and took that faith to the ends of the earth. It is now time for another generation to sustain the faith and to pass it on again.
Here at Saint John’s, we are working hard to repair and save our church. Our church is a center of prayer and love in the midst of our busy city. Our ancestors in the faith sacrificed to build and sustain our church for more than 190 years. Now it is our time to do our part to preserve and pass on our faith by keeping our presence vibrant in Center City.
Saint Patrick pray for us!
