Éire go Brách
Roughly translated, that means, “Ireland forever.”
And this St. Patrick’s day, whether you have Irish roots or not, why not consider being Irish not just for today but for the summer?
St. Patrick’s Day (in Irish, “Lá Fhéile Pádraig”) isn’t just about wearing green, eating green gelatin dessert, or decorating with shamrocks. Patrick was a real person, who was born in Britain when it was part of the Roman Empire:
Little is known of Patrick’s early life, though it is known that he was born in Roman Britain in the 4th century, into a wealthy Romano-British family. His father and grandfather were deacons in the Church. – Wikipedia, Saint Patrick’s Day
When he was about 16, he was captured from Britain by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. After entering the Church, he returned to Ireland as an ordained bishop in the north and west of the island, but little is known about the places where he worked. By the seventh century, he had come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland. – Wikipedia, Saint Patrick
Could you imagine at that age being kidnapped, life as you knew it interrupted by slavery? Could you imagine going back?
What if you truly celebrated the life of St. Patrick, not just for a day, but for three weeks? What if you really got into the spirit of the holiday by being a missionary in Ireland?
Don’t worry – you’ll still be crossing cultures, despite the similarity in language.
Click here to catch a glimpse of what ministry would look like in the Emerald Isle and to apply.
Photo credits: top, Jenny Brown, bottom, Michelle Noble
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