In preparation for St. Patrick's day this coming Sunday, Ireland's embassy to the Holy See held a special celebration to commemorate this feast on March 17.
St. Patrick is the national patron saint of Ireland. Historically, he helped bring the faith to Ireland, famously using the three leaf clover to explain the Holy Trinity.
One of the many special guests in attendance for this event was Regina Doherty. She is the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection in Irish Government. For her, St. Patrick's Day in Rome is a great place to share the Irish culture.
REGINA DOHERTY
Irish Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Welfare
“It is such a beautiful city and it is steeped in its own heritage. To share what is our tradition, our music, our culture and our hopes and aspirations for society with the people who are living here; who are here, teaching spiritually and educationally, here in Rome on behalf of the Church.”
Ireland's Ambassador to the Holy See, Derek Hannon, also notes that although the number of practicing Catholics in Ireland may be low, St. Patrick is still held in high regards in Ireland; and is an occasion to bring people together from across the world.
DEREK HANNON
Ambassador of Ireland to the Holy See
“We are not seeing 90 percent of people going to Mass on Sundays as they did in the past. Perhaps what we are seeing today is a more honest representation of peoples' true faith. I think maybe a lot of it in the past was social convention. So it is an opportunity for us to reconnect with our huge diaspora.”
This year Ireland hopes to continue in promoting the multilaterism Pope Francis spoke about during his meeting with the diplomatic corps in January.
DEREK HANNON
Ambassador of Ireland to the Holy See
“This is very much the Irish focus as well, which is one of the reasons we are going for a seat on the UN Security Council for next year. So we are hoping to work with the Holy See on issues such as nuclear disarmament, in which we have a huge amount in common and human trafficking, which is a huge concern for the pope.”
As celebrations continue, they also hope people across the world will be able to share this important occasion with Ireland.
