St Patrick's Day

There is an article in this morning about Trappatoni, the Italian manager of the Irish soccer team for the World Cup. Everything has been going well for him and Irealnd so far. His birthday is St Patrick's Day.

We had a very enjoyable celebration for St Patrick's Day on March 17th. Chavagnes, no doubt is the place to be to celebrate feast days. St David's Day, St Andrew's Day, St Geroge's Day, St Cecilia's Day (the Patroness of music) are just some of the celebrations which are celebrated by a party with music, concert, party games etc as appropriate for the feast.

On St Patrick's Day, the dining room and tables had plenty of green, Irish flags etc. Hail Glorious St Patrick, the Breasplate of St patrick, and numerous Irish songs resounded around the college with the usual joy and pride found throughout Ireland and the English-speaking world on that day. "The Wild Colonial Boy", an Australian Irish song, was one of the songs which rent the air.

My father was Irish and I am very proud of having dual citizenship. You know year after year the weather on St patrick's Day, to the very best of my memory, has been glorious wherever I have been and has matched my joy on this wonderful day.

I love many things about St Patrick and I have always felt very close to him, the saint whose name I took at Confirmation. One of the great reasons I love him is because of his great love for souls. He wanted to work and pray to save souls, and dedicated his life to doing so. He was kidnapped from probably Wales as a boy of about 12, These Irish pirates sold him into a life of slavery. The souls of the people who were responsible for this cruelty were so appreciated by him, he escaped, was ordained bishop returned to Ireland. He recognised the value of each soul and left no stone unturned to save as many souls as he could there with wonderful results which have lasted, not only in Ireland, right up to the present day.

St Patrick thank you and please please for Ireland and for souls throughout the world. Please say a special prayer for Chavagnes International College