... I am polish. So why not celebrate St. Sarkander today?
I have a lot of love for the irish!!! (my wife is Irish, she'd punch me if I didn't say that, or her mom would). I especially love their Smithwick's beer. Heck, I am even wearing green today (just so I don't get punched or pinched... and it might induce a kiss or two from the wife!) But Saint Patrick seems like a rather, dare I say, typical saint? Read his story from
Catholic.org:
As a boy of fourteen or so, he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep.[Do sheep bite?] Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans. He learned the language and practices of the people who held him.
During his captivity, he turned to God in prayer. Patrick's captivity lasted until he was twenty, when he escaped after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast.[Tight security!] There he found some sailors who took him back to Britian, where he reunited with his family.
He began his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained by St. Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre, whom he had studied under for years.
Later, Patrick was ordained a bishop, and was sent to take the Gospel to Ireland. He arrived in Ireland March 25, 433, at Slane. One legend says that he met a chieftain of one of the tribes, who tried to kill Patrick. Patrick converted Dichu (the chieftain) after he was unable to move his arm until he became friendly to Patrick.
Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland for 40 years. He worked many miracles and wrote of his love for God in Confessions. After years of living in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering he died March 17, 461.[Suffering... like watching sheep?]
OK, some pretty cool stuff, I will grant you that. But in the GRAND scheme of things, it is a pretty typical story. I mean, captivity for 6 years... punished by sitting in a field looking at sheep all day?? Not necessarily diggin' out his eyes were they? (See:
Saint Lucy) Not only that, but he wasn't even BORN in Ireland. He was a Scott! He didn't die a martyr, so as I said, a relatively middle of the road Saint.
Now, let us look at ANOTHER Saint that has their feast day today:
Saint Jan (John) Sarkander - A Polish Saint:
Martyred foe of the Hussites. He was born on December 20 at Skotschau, in Austrian Silesia, and educated at Prague. He was ordained in 1607 and served in various parishes, defending the faith against the Hussites. In 1618, at the start of the Thirty Years’ War, the Protestants seized the local government. Two years later, Jan was taken prisoner at Olmutz and was tried by the Hussites. He was racked and tortured and died on March 17. He was canonized in 1995 by Pope John Paul II.
Ok... so you say not born in Poland right? Wrong. Skotschau or Skczow is in Poland, just at the TIME it was part of Austrian Silesia, in other words 'controlled by.' He defended the faith against
HUSSITES, (which were a little more formidable than pagans). He then was part of the
Thirty Years War and taken prisoner. [
A little more extreme than battling some snakes eh?] He was then tried by the Hussites,
racked and tortured to death.
THE RACK. A Martyr.
So... Happy Saint Patrick's Day or Sarkander's Day (whichever you choose to celebrate)!!! We can have a St. Patrick vs. St. Sarkander show down: you attack me with shots of whiskey and pints of Guiness, I get to put you on the RACK... I'll even let you go first :)
-Posted by: Joe
