Saint Patrick's Breastplate

I've always loved anything related to Ireland. I grew up watching Riverdance (and seeing them a few weeks ago confirmed that I did, in fact, miss my calling to be an Irish dancer). A trip to Ireland only deepened my admiration and fascination with the Emerald Isle, especially after reading "How the Irish Saved Civilization." And I'm not embarrassed to say that I listen to Irish music on the regular. I do my best house cleaning to Irish sea shanties and drinking songs.

But while my love of Ireland goes deep, it has only been in the last couple of years that I've learned more about its patron saint-- Saint Patrick. And I have the most profound, thought-provoking, masterful documentary to thank for this. It's called "VeggieTales," and I just happened to sit down and watch this gripping short film with my kids a few years ago (in between cleaning the house to my sea shanties).

Born in Britain in the late 300s, Saint Patrick (then named Maewyn Succat) was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland when he was 16 years old. He worked as a shepherd for 6 years, and he turned to his Christian faith during his time in captivity. He fled Ireland and returned to Britain where he trained as a Christian cleric and eventually became a bishop. But he later felt called by God to return to Ireland- this time as a missionary. Saint Patrick established churches, schools, and monasteries and helped convert much of Ireland to Christianity. And legend has it that he used the three-leaf clover to demonstrate the Trinity: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being three in one.

Honestly, the VeggieTales clip does a much better job of telling his story.

Saint Patrick is also attributed to writing a prayer that is now referred to as "Saint Patrick's Breastplate." This is a prayer of protection that calls upon Christ's presence in every direction and circumstance. My daughter started memorizing this prayer at school, and while I was familiar with it, I was struck anew by the power and beauty of its words. It was actually her idea to write some of the phrases on paper and stick them around the house. I came up with these shield designs and we placed them above doorways, on the walls, and even in the fridge. It's too early to see if this will become a tradition in our home, but I do know that we can always use reminders of the power of Christ and His ever present help.

Below you'll find a PDF link with the shields that you can print out and cut yourself. I've also included some of my favorite songs that are adaptations of St. Patrick's Breastplate. Sea shanties not included ;)

I hope you find these helpful!

Saint Patrick's Breastplate PDF