17 March 2022
Optional Memorial of Saint Patrick, bishop
Traditionally, today is the day the Irish marched in a parade. Parades historically were shows of strength and power as demonstrated by the military parade. The Irish used this image of a parade to show their strength, marching against the stereotypes of sloth, drunkenness, and violence. During the late 19th century scientists had discovered the idea of germ theory as the cause of sickness and very quickly this image of germs invading the body of the nation became synonymous with the “infection” of Catholic and Irish immigration. The Irish marched to show their strength and to remind a city like New York or Boston that their contributions created a healthy society not a diseased one. One need not have looked far down a New York Street to see a hospital for the poor or a school for the illiterate immigrant run by the good Irish Sisters of Mercy. As we celebrate the day, it would be an odd thing indeed if we attributed to the Irish people vices that were considered a calumny a century earlier. Why should the Irish accept drunkenness as an attribute noting that if such a designation were given to any other group there would be a national outcry and any number of workshops organized and committees formed for its detection and removal. Ireland holds to the values of its faith, the family, its music and literature, and the ability of standing firm in the face of persecution. These are the strengths of the sons of St. Patrick and the daughters of St. Brigid. These are the strengths and values that we should hold higher than a glass of green beer.