As I sat in Mass over the weekend, I realized how little I truly know about St. Patrick. For it being a holiday I claim to love to celebrate, I have failed to get to know the saint behind the celebration. In fact, I’ve done more research on St. Brigid than I have St. Patrick! Shame on me. I’ve even visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City countless times for Mass and a quick stop-in for prayer. I never visit NYC without going as it’s one of my favorite churches in the world!
This weekend, my Irish Monsignor pastor preached about the real St. Patrick. Not the secular drinking holiday, but rather on the heart and soul of a man whom we should truly admire for so many reasons. After realizing this was going to be one of those really good homilies, I reached into my purse and grabbed my pen and Moleskine notebook to vigorously take notes on what Msgr. Frank was saying about this man. So much of what Msgr. said about the life and faith of St. Patrick resonated with my deepest thoughts and feelings.