While many associate Saint Patrick’s Day with revelry and drinking Irish beer, the day was mostly a religious celebration until about 40 years ago, when Irish-Americans and non-Irish alike began to see the day to celebrate all things Irish. 

So who was Saint Patrick?  According to the Church of Ireland (Protestant), “St Patrick’s Day is marked annually in Ireland and around the world on 17th March. For the Church of Ireland, this day first and foremost celebrates St Patrick’s mission in bringing the Gospel to our island.  The subsequent growth of the Church in Ireland sustained a continued witness for Jesus in Europe through the early Middle Ages.  Irish missionaries shared the Gospel from there to Britain and across the continent. The Church of Ireland traces its history back to St Patrick’s arrival (around 432 AD) and the early Celtic Church”.

March 17th does not celebrate the birth of Saint Patrick of Ireland, but is the day that he is believed to have died.  The day is a day of obligation in the Church of Ireland and in the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland.

While Saint Patrick is recognized by Catholics and Protestants alike in Ireland, the Roman Catholic Church has never officially recognized – or “canonized” – him as a saint.  Many Protestants in Ireland believe that Saint Patrick identified as a Celtic Christian more than as a Roman Catholic.

Here in the United States, Irish immigrants began to celebrate the day as a symbol of their native pride.  Over the years, the day has came to be associated with Irish-themed parades and parties and the drinking of Irish beer.

The Georgia State Patrol last week issued a statement advising those who will be drinking today, to be sure to have a designated driver and to drink responsibility.