This was how my grandmother answered her phone every March 17th for years. There's not enough time to explain how the O'Pagliarullo clan came to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The short version is if you live in Savannah, you are Irish even if your not on March 17. Some of my favorite memories from childhood and even as a parent with my own children are centered around this fabled day. Do people celebrate with too much Guinness or Jameson or Bushmills or some other alcoholic beverage? Yes, some do. Do people go crazy and forget that they have responsibilities the next day? Yes, some do. The parade, the floats, the people wearing a sea of green, the corned beef and cabbage, the green bread, green doughnuts, green grits, and just about everything else bring a smile to the faces of young and old. The tradition, the celebration, the friends, the family, and the recounting of what the weather was like for the last few years and where we watched the parade that year are all things that we will miss this year. No bumping into friends you haven't seen in years as you snake your way through the crowds to find that perfect spot to observe. No meeting up with others at their spot, in that square or that house to celebrate the day. This year, 2020, there will be no Mass, no parade, no party on the corner of 40th Street or an alternate location.
Perhaps in the midst of the chaos that is Covid-19 pandemic, remembering Patrick, the man, the missionary, the faithful member of the body of Christ is what we need most this year. Patrick simply did what he felt called by God to do with his life. In his Confessions he writes, "It was not really I but Christ the Lord who commanded me to come here and to stay with them for the rest of my life." Patrick practiced contextualization in ministry before that was a popular concept. May we all be like Patrick and commit to do life and ministry in the context we find ourselves in this March 17 and each day. Patrick is a faith hero to me, because he was willing to obey God with his whole life...may I be as faithful, may we all be as faithful to the One who called us to follow him.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!!
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