Celebrating St. Patrick

To be fair, we’ve done our share of green days and leprechaun traps from preschool at our house; made our green milk and looked for clover before eating corned beef.

So, I share the resources we’ve also used as a family to learn about St. Patrick the man humbly, with space held for fun and for learning about stories of faith to inspire us.

Here are a few ways we’ve done brief learning about the real St. Patrick at the Weaver house (since Daddy is named Patrick, its an opportunity too good to miss!):

Silly but a great overview of some of the highlights of Patrick’s life in a flannel graph format. Sometimes the voices are a little hard to understand, so it’s good to talk about it after as a family.

Our whole family enjoyed this short film that’s quick and witty, but also serves as a good starting point to discuss forgiveness and courage. I realize that all history is complicated and nuanced, and I’m sure some of how the church worked in Ireland reeked of control and power, but I do love introducing my children to the idea that someone would be so radically changed by God’s love that he would return to those who had hurt him.

This article is a quick and easy read good for older kids and adults, reminding us of St. Patrick’s passion and evangelism and this one introduces some of Patrick’s failings and self-doubts. I think it’s worth a conversation with youth and adults about how we go about mission today vs. historically and how stories might be more complicated than we originally believe (like how were the Druids treated and their conversions at times violent). I like the idea of spiral learning: introducing historical figures and church leaders and then each time adding a bit more (including more critical analysis).

Last year, we did this simple coloring page and talked about the idea of the Trinity. I love using the icon The Trinity by Andrei Rublev along with it to talk about different ways we can think about God as a constant interchange of love and honor and joy that we are invited into as God’s children. I also like using Meredith Anne Miller’s concept of “Is that easy or hard to believe? Why? Me too.” when discussing any attribute of God. I believe that introducing our kids to even flawed explanations of who God is opens up the door to understand that God’s people have always wrestled with how to explain a mystery. It helps them to understand that theology is ongoing and participatory and maybe even fun. How would they explain to friends what God is like? What has helped you as a parent or teacher or friend to understand and share about God?

Finally, I think St. Patrick’s day is a really cool opportunity to talk to our kids about mission workers who have gone to places far away to share about and encourage others who teach about Jesus and his kingdom on earth (like our friends Steve and Bethany in Thailand). Talk as a family about the joys and challenges of living in a new land, the ways mission workers have to creatively adapt and put the good news in their contexts, and how the changes can be slow but have ripple effects on generations. Take a moment to pray for mission workers you know and maybe even write a card or email note to encourage them or their families as a way to honor St. Patrick beyond just wearing green.

How do you celebrate St. Patrick’s day? How do you wrestle with the lives of saints and heroes of the faith? What have you found helpful in explaining who God is to your children or friends? Who do you know who is bravely sharing good news in new homes and how can you support them in March and beyond?