“Christ with me. Christ before me. Christ behind me. Christ in me.” That is the prayer of St. Patrick. March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day and although the traditional celebration will be different this year it is still a good time reflect on Patrick’s ability to forgive and to keep God in his heart.

By Mary O’KEEFE

Wednesday is St. Patrick’s Day and for the second consecutive year there will not be traditional commemorations because large gatherings are still not allowed in the County of Los Angeles. Some churches will be holding virtual services but, for the most part, it will be another quieter St. Patrick’s Day.

As for the celebrations at pubs, those will look a lot different as well. Restaurants are open with outside dining for limited numbers of patrons but it will not look similar to years past.

St. Patrick was born Maewyn Succat; he took the name of Patrick later. According to his writings, Patrick was born in Britain but was actually Roman and at the age of 16 was taken prisoner by Irish raiders who attacked his family estate. During his servitude he worked as a shepherd. It was during this time of isolation that he turned to God.

Patrick was able to escape his captors and return to Britain. He continued his religious training and once ordained as a priest was sent to Ireland.

Patrick approached the Irish and Christianity differently than others. He knew their language and traditional rituals. For example, according to historical reports he used a bonfire during the celebration of Easter since this was a traditional way the Irish honored their gods – with fire. He also superimposed the Sun, an Irish traditional symbol, onto the Christian cross creating what is now known as the Celtic cross.

St. Patrick’s Day celebrations of drinking beer and dying lakes and rivers green are actually American traditions. In Ireland on March 17, the date of Patrick’s death, the day is recognized as a religious holiday but America took a completely different turn that was born from the longing for the old sod by those who had immigrated to America. Boston is best known for the first St. Patrick’s Day celebration in 1827 when a group of Irish Presbyterians formed the Charitable Irish Society to help other Irish immigrants. There is some evidence that in 1762 Irish-born British soldiers serving in the British Army held a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast.

Early celebrations were not always welcomed by others since there was a lot of hatred toward Irish Catholic immigrants. The party atmosphere evolved into what it is today after the mass immigration of Irish to America in 1845. Many of these immigrants left Ireland because they were starving during the Great Hunger, the potato famine. Though they may have physically left Ireland many kept a piece of their homeland in their hearts. St. Patrick’s Day was a time to share their culture and their traditions.

And the traditional corned beef and cabbage? Well, that’s American, too. In Ireland, ham-and-cabbage was a traditional meal but for the many impoverished Irish immigrants, corned beef was a much cheaper choice.

Until the early 1960s, St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland was a quiet day with pubs not allowed to open but once television and movies showed the party atmosphere of the day in America, Ireland joined in.

So maybe instead of saying “We are all Irish” on St. Patrick’s Day it would be more appropriate to say, “We are all American Irish.”