It's nearly St. Patrick's Day! Are you ready to celebrate this annual holiday? It is the feast day of Ireland's patron saint, Patrick.
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in Ireland and all over the world by people of Irish heritage . Today it is as much a celebration of Irish culture as it is of St. Patrick himself.
On March 17th many people wear the colour green and shamrocks. You will also see people dressed as leprechauns!
Did you know that each year during St. Patrick's Day, the city of Chicago dyes the Chicago river green and the fountain on the front lawn of the White House gets dyed green too?
This year 2020 will be a quieter celebration due to the Corona virus, Corvid-19 causing chaos all over the world but I'm writing this post to encourage you to have fun at home while celebrating a Christ-Centered St. Patrick's Day.
I have prepared a craft with a shamrock and a sweet poem to help you teach your children about the Holy Trinity- just like how St. Patrick taught the Irish people long ago!
You will find the template for this shamrock craft and a printable copy of this wonderful story about St. Patrick right here or click on the shamrock below.
Do you know the story of St. Patrick?
Patrick was born in Great Britain in 387 AD. When he was 16 years old he was kidnapped by raiders from Ireland and taken to live on a farm in Ireland as a slave.
He was forced to work as a shepherd and he spent many lonely hours attending the sheep out in the fields. He was both lonely and afraid. So he began to think about God. The people in Ireland didn't know who God was but Patrick had heard about God when he was a child in Great Britain. So he prayed and prayed.
One night he had a dream from God giving him instructions on how to escape Ireland. So Patrick followed those instructions and he managed to get to the coast. He persuaded a fisherman to take him across the sea back to his home in Great Britain.
After a while when he was back home with his family, he had a dream in which the people of Ireland were calling to him-"we beg you to come walk among us once more." So Patrick went off to France to study to become a priest and then he returned to Ireland as a missionary.
There are many stories about St. Patrick. One of them is how he used the green shamrock that grows all over Ireland to explain the Trinity. St. Patrick would explain, " The shamrock has three leaves and yet it is one. In the same way, God is one, yet He is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
For 40 years Patrick traveled all over Ireland telling the people about God. Many Irish people became Christians after listening to him. During Patrick's time in Ireland, he established monasteries, churches, and schools.
St. Patrick died on March 17th 461 AD. This day has been celebrated as St. Patrick's Day ever since.
Instructions for making this craft:
Color the shamrock and cut it out. Cut out the words and put one on each leaf of the shamrock. Cut out the poem and glue it to the back of the shamrock. You could thread a ribbon through the top of the shamrock to hang it up or tape a paper straw to the back of it, so your child can hold it.
I wonder what other ideas you could come up with on how to use this craft?!
I would love to see photos of your craft when you have finished it. You could email them to karen@scripturalgrace.com or post them on our Facebook page.
The story is so good that I created a copy for you to download or print out. It would make it easier for you to read from it to your child. Come get it from The Resource Library HERE
I hope you enjoy this craft. Is your hart prepared for Easter? If you would like to be prepared, go read this post on scriptures for Lent and Easter HERE
If the current world events are leaving you anxious, you might enjoy reading How to pray Psalm 23 For An Anxious Heart HERE.
We also have daily devotionals in our Restoring Beauty For Ashes Facebook Group, you are very welcome to join us there.
Let's talk again soon
xx Karen.