St. Patrick’s Day as we now know it is the product of the modern trend to make everything in life light and frivolous—even religion. The atmosphere in Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day is very different now from what it was ten or fifteen years ago. St. Patrick’s Day in Roman Catholic Ireland used to be a sacred religious observance. The island was a quiet sanctuary as Catholics started the day at Mass; bars and shops were closed and business stopped.
The Roman Catholic Church boasts that the “Church” in Ireland “survived the Reformation intact,” and there is a lot of truth in this boast. It must admit, however, that it has not survived the onslaught of secularism with the same resilience. In 1995 Dublin held its first St. Patrick’s Day Festival and throughout Ireland St. Patrick’s Day has become a family carnival of parades and pop concerts, and for some…
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Going and Growing 