Celebrating Saint Patrick's Day

Last Sunday my husband and I hosted both sides of our immediate family for St. Patrick's Day. 

It was a fun way to gather all of our siblings together, as they get along pretty well and are close in age. A few of them had never been to our home before so it was great to show them a little bit more of our lives. (I didn't take any pictures so enjoy the photos from my Ireland pilgrimage in 2017. Above is Croagh Patrick, the mountain I halfway climbed since we ran out of time..)

I found an excellent corned beef and cabbage recipe linked here. My only regret is that I didn't take a picture of it!! Everyone seemed to like it, even the ones who weren't a fan of corned beef originally. We asked that our siblings all brought a dish to share which included Guiness mac & cheese, salad, soda, beer, and green frosted cookies! 

It honestly was a simple affair with easy cleanup. I used green disposable plates, cups, and napkins. The disposable utensils were from our wedding. My sweet husband gave a little speech, said a prayer to St. Patrick and then we began the night. We played cornhole and chatted outside before dinner and then a few of the siblings did karaoke later in the evening. 

This got me thinking about celebrating feast days. You see, it's very easy to host a casual get together with family and friends. Just text out an Evite, clean up the house, and make something to share! I remember when some of our friends invited us over on the first Sunday of Advent in a similar fashion. It was casual, the man of the house said a few words on community and celebrating important liturgical days, we ate and talked, and left feeling fulfilled. 

I think it would be good for us to do more of this as Catholics. It's funny how even secular people celebrate St. Patrick and sometimes St. Joseph on the 19th. Imagine if we got them to make Sunday a day of recreation and community? It starts in our households. I like to think that when we invited our siblings over, we witnessed to the younger ones who may not be honoring each saint on his feast day or give much thought to liturgical living. 

We definitely want to do this again next year, this time with our parents too. And next time I will definitely take pictures!!