Annie's St Patricks Day Page

~St. Patrick's Day is celebrated around the world on March 17th~

Saint Patrick was a Christian Missionary to Ireland.

"Go into all the world and preach the good news."
~ Mark 16:15 ~

WHAT IS A MISSIONARY?
Webster's Dictionary Says: missionary noun 1: someone who attempts to convert others to a particular doctrine or program 2: someone sent on a mission--especially a religious or charitable mission to a foreign country

Missions Links:

The Bible says that we as Christians and Believers are saints:
"To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." ~Romans 1:7~

"And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." ~Romans 8:27~

"I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me." ~Romans 16:2~

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:" ~Ephesians 1:1~

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints," ~Ephesians 1:18~

To read all the references of SAINTS in the Bible click the word SAINTS here.

We as Christians are to:
"Study to show thyselves approved unto GOD, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of God". ~2 Timothy 2:15~

"Prove all things, hold fast that which is good" ~1 Thessalonians 5:12~

I am a Christian, I am not Catholic. Some Catholics are Christians and some Christians are Catholics. But one does not equal the other. Being a Baptist or Pentecostal does not necessarily mean that you are a Christian, for that matter being any denomination does not mean that you are a Christian.

I have included the links below for purely educational purposes. I personally found it very interesting to know how the Roman Catholic Church decides to make a person a Saint.

Related Links:
This is what the Catholic Church says about St Patrick & How does the Catholic Church choose Saints?
And a Chick Track about: Praying to Saints what does the Bible really say.
Billy Graham answers this question: What is a saint, in your opinion? I grew up thinking only a very
few people were entitled to be called saints, but a friend of mine says every Christian is a saint.

WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?

Webster's Dictionary Says: Christian \Chris"tian\, a. 1. Pertaining to Christ or his religion; as, Christian people. 2. Pertaining to the church; ecclesiastical; as, a Christian court. --Blackstone. 3. Characteristic of Christian people; civilized; kind; kindly; gentle; beneficent.

This is what the Bible says:

Acts 11:26 "and when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that even for a whole year they were gathered together with the church, and taught much people, and that the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."
Acts 26:28 "And Agrippa [said] unto Paul, With but little persuasion thou wouldest fain make me a Christian."
1 Peter 4:16 "but if [a man suffer] as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God in this name".

Easton's Bible Dictionary defines a Christian - the name given by the Greeks or Romans, probably in reproach, to the followers of Jesus. It was first used at Antioch. The names by which the disciples were known among themselves were "brethren," "the faithful," "elect," "saints," "believers." But as distinguishing them from the multitude without, the name "Christian" came into use, and was universally accepted. This name occurs but three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16).

Now that we know what a Christian is by definition let's look at how we can become a Christian:

"For by GRACE are you saved through faith, it is a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast" ~Ephesians 2:8-9~

It's as easy as ABC to give your heart to the Lord.

All you have to do is:
Admit you are a sinner. Romans 3:23
Believe Jesus died on the cross for you. Acts 16:31
Confess your sin to God and turn from it. Romans 10:9

All the "LUCK" in the world won't matter if you spend eternity in hell. Don't put it off......you don't know what tomorrow may bring. Do you know what you would say if you tomorrow you died, you got to heaven and they asked you "Why should we let you in?" Believe me a long laundry list of all the good things you did isn't enough. Because nothing of your own merit will get you to heaven.....the only way is by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Here is a link to "The Four Spiritual Laws" part of Campus Crusade for Christ. This page and site will follow up on your decision if you become a Christian and they have wonderful resources. You can click here and read my personal testimony at "Annie's Testimony Page".

One traditional icon of the day is the Shamrock.

And this stems from a more bona fide Irish tale that tells how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day. ~Excerpted from Compton's Encyclopedia ~

WHAT IS THE TRINITY?
Father ~ Son ~ Holy Spirit
The Apple is also another illustration of the Trinity. Core, Skin and the meat or fruit. Three separate parts that make up the apple.

Many Christians agree and others disagree with this "doctrine" of the Trinity. I am not saying I agree or disagree but I am trying to give you the information and then you can decide what you think.

Easton's Bible Dictionary defines the Trinity - a word not found in Scripture, but used to express the doctrine of the unity of God as subsisting in three distinct Persons. This word is derived from the Gr. trias, first used by Theophilus (A.D. 168-183), or from the Lat. trinitas, first used by Tertullian (A.D. 220), to express this doctrine. The propositions involved in the doctrine are these: 1. That God is one, and that there is but one God (Deut. 6:4; 1 Kings 8:60; Isa. 44:6; Mark 12:29, 32; John 10:30). 2. That the Father is a distinct divine Person (hypostasis, subsistentia, persona, suppositum intellectuale), distinct from the Son and the Holy Spirit. 3. That Jesus Christ was truly God, and yet was a Person distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. 4. That the Holy Spirit is also a distinct divine Person.

Doctrine of the Trinity:
Encarta Encyclopedia tells us that the Trinity, in Christian theology, doctrine that God exists as three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who are united in one substance or being. The concept of the Trinity developed in a series of debates on the nature of Christ. In the 4th century the doctrine was finally formulated, teaching the coequality of the persons of the Godhead. The influential work On the Trinity (400-416) by theologian Saint Augustine compared the three-in-oneness of God with analogous structures in the human mind. The stress on equality never detracted from the Father's primacy—from whom the other two persons derive.
The doctrine of the Trinity can be understood as a way of clarifying the word God in Christian discourse. At another level, the doctrine may describe Christian experience. On a third, speculative level of understanding, the doctrine reveals the dynamism of the Christian conception of God.

Look at the "shamrock" on the background of this page. Three leaves and all in one piece. Three in One. One of the Gospels, the Book of John helps us to understand the Trinity.

READ the first chapter of the Book of John

WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?
There are 545 mentions of "Christ" in the Bible. They are all in the New Testament. Click here to see all the references

From BibleGateway Matthew 1:17 "So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations."
Footnote: Or Messiah. "The Christ" (Greek) and "the Messiah" (Hebrew) both mean "the Anointed One"

Notice what Jesus himself says in these verses:

"When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." ~ Matthew 16:13-17~

Easton's Bible Dictionary defines Christ - anointed, the Greek translation of the Hebrew word rendered "Messiah" (q.v.), the official title of our Lord, occurring five hundred and fourteen times in the New Testament. It denotes that he was anointed or consecrated to his great redemptive work as Prophet, Priest, and King of his people. He is Jesus the Christ (Acts 17:3; 18:5; Matt. 22:42), the Anointed One. He is thus spoken of by Isaiah (61:1), and by Daniel (9:24-26), who styles him "Messiah the Prince." To believe that "Jesus is the Christ" is to believe that he is the Anointed, the Messiah of the prophets, the Saviour sent of God, that he was, in a word, what he claimed to be. This is to believe the gospel, by the faith of which alone men can be brought unto God. That Jesus is the Christ is the testimony of God, and the faith of this constitutes a Christian (1 Cor. 12:3; 1 John 5:1).

Some Information about St Patrick:

Patrick predates the Roman Catholic Church, and was considered a "saint" before the Roman church created its canon (list) of saints (and added him to it).
St. Patrick was not Irish
He used the Shamrock as an analogy to explain the Trinity
Patrick was a missionary to Ireland from Britain
Because the Shamrock is green and connected to St Patrick we wear green on St. Patrick's Day
celebrated on March 17
he was made a patron saint of Ireland by the Roman Catholic Church
The Irish wear a shamrock or anything green on this day

Who is St Patrick anyway?
What the World Book Encyclopedia Says about Saint Patrick, Saint (about 389-461), is the patron
saint of Ireland. Patrick was chiefly responsible for converting the Irish people to Christianity. He became known as the Apostle to the Irish. His name in Latin is Patricius.

His life. Patrick was born in Britain. His father was a wealthy alderman and a Christian. When Patrick was 16 years old, pirates captured him during a raid and sold him as a slave in Ireland. He served as a shepherd of an Irish chieftain in Ulster. During his captivity, Patrick dedicated himself to religion. He escaped after six years of slavery and returned to his home in Britain.

As a result of his experiences in Ireland, Patrick became driven by the idea of converting the Irish to Christianity. To prepare himself for that task, he studied in the monastery of Lerins, on an island off the southeast coast of France. Patrick also went to Auxerre, France, and studied religion under Saint Germanus, a French bishop. Partly because Patrick's earlier education was inadequate, his religious superiors were reluctant to let him return to Ireland as a missionary. But Palladius, the first Irish missionary bishop, died in 431. Pope Celestine I then sent Patrick to Ireland.

Patrick began his work in northern and western Ireland, where no one had ever preached Christianity. He gained the trust and friendship of several tribal leaders and soon made many converts. Patrick is said to have founded more than 300 churches and baptized more than 120,000 people.

Patrick brought clergymen from England and France for his new churches. He succeeded in his mission in Ireland, even though many British clergymen opposed him and the way he organized his churches. Patrick preached in Ireland for the rest of his life.

His writings serve as the most important sources of information about Patrick's life and work. During his later years, he wrote Confession, an account of his spiritual development. Patrick wrote this book to justify his mission to Ireland. In the book, Patrick expressed his humility and thankfulness that God called him to serve the Irish. Patrick also wrote Letter to Coroticus. In this letter, he criticized a raid on Ireland conducted by Coroticus, a British chieftain. Several of Patrick's converts were killed during the raid. The letter also shows Patrick's resentment of the scornful attitude of British clergymen and nobility toward the Irish.

Legends about Patrick. Many stories about Patrick are based only on legend. One of the best-known tales tells how he charmed the snakes of Ireland into the sea so they were drowned. According to another legend, Patrick used a three-leaf shamrock to illustrate the idea of the Trinity. Many people believe the shamrock came to be the traditional symbol of Ireland as a result of this legend. Today, Irish Catholics throughout the world celebrate Saint Patrick's Day on his feast day, March 17

Saint Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland in the A.D. 400's. Saint Patrick was born in Britain and was taken to Ireland as a slave in the early 400's. After six years of slavery, he escaped to France, where he studied for the priesthood. He returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary in 432. The Irish accepted Christianity and came to regard Patrick as their patron (guardian) saint. Today, his feast day, March 17, is celebrated as a national holiday.

Saint Patrick also introduced the Roman alphabet and Latin literature into Ireland. After his death, about 461, Irish monasteries flourished as centers of learning.
~Excerpted from World Book Encyclopedia~

Compton's Encyclopedia Adds this information:
Patrick was born to a Romanized family in Britain probably in the first half of the 5th century. The young boy was sustained by his faith during his six years working as a herdsman. When Patrick escaped and returned to Britain, he had a vision of the Irish beseeching him to return to Ireland to spread his faith. Patrick recorded this call to his vocation in the 'Confessio', his spiritual autobiography and one of his two short writings that have survived.

Despite a constant threat to his life, Patrick traveled widely, baptizing, confirming, and preaching and building churches, schools, and monasteries. Patrick succeeded in converting almost the entire population of the island. His 'Epistola' pleads the case of the Christian Irish at the hands of their British conquerors. Patrick's writings have come to be appreciated for their simplicity and humility.
~Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia~

Wasn't Ireland always a Christian Country?
Irelands Christian History: Christianity had been established in Ireland by the beginning of the 5th century, before the arrival of the bishop Palladius from Gaul in 431 and the later arrival of St. Patrick. The monasteries established by St. Patrick and other missionaries enabled a world of classical learning to be introduced on the island, and this learning was later carried to many parts of Europe. ~Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia~

Do the Irish Jig!!!

St. Patrick's Day the Holiday
From World Book Encyclopia on St Patrick's Day: Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th,
the feast day of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick was a missionary to Ireland
in the A.D. 400's who converted the Irish to Christianity. St. Patrick's Day is a national holiday in
Ireland. It also is celebrated outside of Ireland in cities with a large number of people
of Irish descent.

In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is primarily a religious holiday. People honor Saint Patrick by attending
special religious services, enjoying family and community gatherings, and wearing shamrocks. According
to legend, Saint Patrick used a shamrock to explain the idea of the Trinity to the Irish.

In the United States, St. Patrick's Day is primarily a secular (nonreligious) holiday. Many people wear
green clothing, and they hold parties and march in parades. The first St. Patrick's Day celebration
in the United States was held in Boston in 1737. Today, more than 100 cities hold parades.
The St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City is the largest.
~Excerpted from World Book Encyclopedia~

Let's take from St Patrick his zeal and desire to share the love of Jesus Christ with others. He is a real example of a missionary and Christian for us to follow.

"Go and do likewise"
~Luke 10:37~

You can send a St Patrick's Day Greeting
from Annie's Card Shop.

Just click the Basket above or
Click here to send a St. Patrick's Day Card