St. Brigid
There's Room for All Under St. Brigid's Cloak

In 2023, the Irish Government started celebrating St. Brigid’s Day as a national holiday, promoting equity with St. Patrick’s Day and highlighting women’s concerns and accomplishments. In response, the Friends of St. Brigid focused on introducing St. Brigid's story to the Old St. Patrick's community and creating an annual faith-based celebration of St. Brigid. The story of this church leader broadens Catholics’ understanding of their traditions of service, hospitality, inclusivity, and equity. As the saying goes, “There is room for everyone under St. Brigid’s cloak.”

Old St. Patrick's hosted festivities....

St. BRIGID’S FESTIVAL OF SERVICE & STORIES
February 2 | 12:15 pm | Click Here to Register
Assemble care packages to further Old St. Patrick's outreach to migrant families, weave St. Brigid’s crosses, explore art featuring St. Brigid, and share stories. 

ANNUAL ST. BRIGID’S DAY TALK
February 12 | 7 pm | Click Here to Register
Join us via Zoom as a panel of feminist theologians discuss what hope the recent Synod on Synodality offers women in the Catholic Church, featuring Dr. Maureen O'Connell (Professor of Christian Ethics, La Salle University), Ellen Romer Niemiec (Director of Enrollment Management, Catholic Theological Union), and Dr. Annie Selak (Director, Women's Center, Georgetown University). O'Connell, Romer Niemiec, and Selak each accompanied students to Rome during the 2024 meeting of the Synod and will discuss their experiences meeting with delegates and experiencing synodality with young adults. 

TAKING UP ST. BRIGID’S MANTLE | A DAY OF REFLECTION
March 8 | 8 am | Click Here to Register
On Your Lenten Journey, at the Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL | Facilitators: Kate DeVries, Eileen Durkin, and Tara Oosterbaan.

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Old St. Patrick’s celebrates 1,500th anniversary of Ireland’s ‘matron’

Quick, name a saint — not Patrick — whose feast day is a national holiday in Ireland. Need a hint? This saint is often depicted with a shepherd’s staff, or depending on how you look at it, a bishop’s crozier. As well as a cow, and a plain book.

St. Brigid of Kildare — also known as St. Bridget or St. Brid — has taken a back seat in public awareness of church history in the Irish diaspora, and now, about 1,500 years after her death, Old St. Patrick’s is hoping to change that.

Read the full article here

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