Saint Patrick of Ireland
Feast Day March 17th
St Patrick of Ireland - lived during the 5th century (383-461 AD) and is considered the enlightener of Ireland. St Patrick is a very popular saint, beloved by so many throughout the world, so there are many traditions celebrated on his feast day. When I was searching for ideas to celebrate his feast day, I was overwhelmed with tons of secular ideas to celebrate his feast with leprechaun and shamrock crafts, but I was finding it difficult to find any meaningful faith-filled resources to learn about St Patrick, especially from an Orthodox Christian perspective. So this guide serves to fill in that gap so you can embrace his feast day with a few simple and easy resources to celebrate the feast of St Patrick - including feast day traditions, activity suggestions, book and video recommendations, and additional information so we can all grow to love him even more!
Scroll to learn more about St Patrick and find activity and reading and video links suggestions to celebrate this feast day!
Never miss a major feast with these one page liturgical printable for March, April and May:
First, let’s learn about the life of Saint Patrick:
Source: Blessed Mart
Saint Patrick - Born into a Christian family, son of an Orthodox Deacon and grandson of an Orthodox Priest. During his childhood, St Patrick writes that he regrets that he didn’t pay much attention to his faith in his early years. At the age of 16, he was captured by Irish marauders and taken from his native land of Britain. He lived for 6 years as a salve, charged to care for the sheep in the field. It is during this time that St Patrick repented and devoted himself entirely to the Lord, spending every waking moment in prayer. He would even wake up early in the morning just to spend more time with the Lord.
At the end of his life he wrote, "After I came to Ireland - every day I had to tend sheep, and many times a day I prayed - the love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. And my spirit was so moved that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many at night, and this even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountain; and I would rise for prayer before daylight, through snow, through frost, through rain, and I felt no harm."
One day he heard the voice of the Lord telling him to return to his homeland by ship. Although he was 200 miles away from the coast, he followed this command and walked over 200 miles to find the ship that would take him back home. During his time back home, he studied with St Germanus and was ordained as a Priest. He was then sent back to Ireland to spread the gospel to the people of Ireland. He converted many, established Churches and monasteries, and was eventually made Bishop. His labors bore so much fruit that within 7 years, three more bishops were sent to help him shepherd his flock, "my brethren and sons whom I have baptized in the Lord - so many thousands of people," he says in his Confession. His work was not accomplished without much "weariness and painfulness," long journeys through difficult country, and many perils; he says his very life was in danger twelve times. When he came to Ireland as its enlightener, it was a pagan country; when he ended his earthly life some thirty years later, about 461, the faith of Christ was established in every corner.
Check out our YouTube video vlog with Patristic Nectar Kids on St Patrick’s day traditions:
Food Traditions on St Patrick’s Day:
Irish Soda Bread - This is a simple and fun tradition to do on the feast of St Patrick’s day! Depending on the year, it may or may not fall during the lenten fast, so you’ll have to adjust your recipe accordingly.
Bake Celtic Knot Cookies - The Celtic knot can be dated back to the 3rd-4th century and represents the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), in one continuous thread representing eternity. Creating these cookies is a neat way to introduce Celtic Christianity to your kids!
Make Green Shamrock Cookies using Spirulina (natural green food coloring) - My friend made these for us and they were super yummy and delicious! And I especially love that they didn’t need any food dyes, since they had spirulina to make them green!
Have an Irish dinner - We have just entered into Lent, so finding non-meat/dairy foods is key! Try making some yummy lenten potatoes, cooked cabbage, or an Irish Soda Bread!
Book Recommendations:
Thankfully there are many books available about the life of St Patrick, as he is a popular and beloved saint! You can find some at your local Library, and there are a few Orthodox books on the market. I also am including books written for an older audience (teens and adults) to learn more as well:
Orthodox Children’s Books on the Life of St Patrick:
Islands of the Ocean - Published by NewRome Press, this beautifully illustrated picture book contains the stories of celtic saints Saint Patrick, Saint Melangell, Lan and the Druids, Saint Kevin, and Saint Gobnait. You can find it here.
March My Synaxarion: A Saint for Everyday - Published by Potamitis Publishing, the March Synaxarion for children is part of a 12 month collection, which includes St Patrick on March 17th. A saint for every day of the month- and two pages are dedicated to each one of the saints. Included in each story is an icon, the life of the saint (adapted for children), the Apolytikion or Kontakion of the saint, the summary with the key facts, a map, a timeline, and some fascinating biographical, historical, and geographic facts. Highly recommend this collection for every Orthodox family. You can purchase it here.
101 Orthodox Saints - Published by Ancient Faith, I am a big fan of resources that can help us learn about many saints all in one book! This is a wonderful addition to any Orthodox Library! You will find the life of St Patrick on page 89. You can purchase it here.
Library connection:
Patrick Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie dePaolo - is available for purchase on Amazon but check your local library for availability as well!
Stories of the Saints by Carey Wallace page 75 - Also check your local library to check out this book!
The Life of St. Patrick by Zachary Lynch
Paddy and the Wolves by Steve Nagel
Teens/Adult Books:
Confession of St Patrick of Ireland - by St Anthony Monastery
Confession of St Patrick - Free online version
YouTube Resources:
Patristix on YouTube is a wonderful resources to learn about the Orthodox Faith. I am a huge fan of their channel!
Ancient Faith Kids is another excellent resources to learn about the Orthodox Faith for kids.
Patristic Nectar Kids - One of my favorite resources for Orthodox kids (ok I may be biased here) and I already mentioned this one above, but had to mention it again here. I love the work that Patristic Nectar Kids is doing!
Simple activities:
Teach about the Holy Trinity with this Shamrock Suncatcher Craft - we made these with our Preschool kids at Church and they were a big hit. Takes a little prep work but they were a simple way to explain the Holy Trinity to the children (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). One God, 3 persons, undivided, of one essence.
Color an Icon of St Patrick - FREE coloring page by Draw Near Designs
For Older Kids - St Patrick taught the Pagans about the Holy Trinity using a simple example of the 3 leaf clover. Create your own example to explain the Holy Trinity to someone who has never heard of the One and Only God. Have them sketch it out using whatever example they come up with and present it.
Listen to the Life of St Patrick
Patristic Nectar App - My Favorite place to listen to the lives of the saints is on the Patristic Nectar App. They have the completed Synaxarion for the entire year, so you can download the app and listen to the lives of the saints every single day!
Saint of the Day - Listen to the life of St Patrick on Ancient Faith Radio
Snuggly Doll of St Patrick by Draw Near Design
Prayer - Breastplate of St Patrick
Famously written and used by Saint Patrick of Ireland, the Breastplate or Lorica or Deer's Cry prayer is loved by Christians all around the world!
I’ll leave you with a prayer from St Patrick:
May the strength of God pilot us, may the wisdom of God instruct us. May the hand of God protect us, may the word of God direct us. May thy Salvation, O Lord, be always ours this day and for evermore.
Amen.
