Last year, not teaching on 17th March, I raced them straight to Slemish after school for a picnic and stroll with the other pilgrims. The sun was streaming over grass and snowdrops, so he must have turned the stone just for us!
I teach in a Protestant secondary school. So, unlike the grammars, we don't get a half-day for the rugby final of the Schools' Cup. Not even today when the town's Academy chased off all the usual suspects to face the city's Academy- and indeed they won! Well done, the outsiders!
So, no family celebrations for us at all today. I feel quite bereft. Thankfully we had a day at the St Patrick's Centre on Saturday, rounded off with a mini pilgrimage to Saul and (one of) the first reputed churches of Patrick! Tonight we had our annual reading of Tomie dePaola's brilliantly researched and gorgeously illustrated "Patrick", and I'm off now to think about our latest missionaries... (Irish missionaries all wear green wraps!) I hope you've had some Guinness!
3 comments:
Tomie dePaola is such a brilliant artist. I've never seen that book though! It's nice to "see" you!
I am enormously fond of the 'real' St Patrick - what a boy, what a man of God! The early Irish church was an incredible movement, too. However, thanks but no thanks for your offer of green Guiness on my blog! Hard to think of anything worse?
My dad's mum was Irish BTW, from Cork, so I have a blood connection to St P and Ireland, if not so much of an emotional one.
It's interesting that St P is percieved as so 'Catholic' when in fact the church he founded became disassociated from Rome. I agree it's a real pity that your children didn't get to celebrate.
i went to a little catholic school where Saint Patrick was much loved and adored. have got a fair bit of celtic blood a lot of green in my veins. i love your poetic line of the sun streaming over the grass and snowdrops, such a beautiful image xxx
Post a Comment