St. Pat's difficulties

**auld argonian** · 21st February 08, 11:38 AM

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/c...,3321788.story

chicagotribune.com

Nation CLASH OF THE HOLIDAYS

St. Patrick feeling the squeeze

Tribune news services and Tribune reporter Margaret Ramirez

February 21, 2008

For the first time since 1940, St. Patrick's Day will fall during Holy Week, the sacred seven days preceding Easter. Because of the overlap, some U.S. cities are holding St. Pat's festivities before March 17. In Ohio, Roman Catholic leaders and event planners are feuding over the schedule.

Floating Easter

Yes, Easter is arriving early -- March 23. World Book Online explains: "Most Christians observe Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Thus, the festival can occur on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25." In the Eastern Orthodox churches, Easter may take place later.

No mass

The feast day of St. Patrick will not be commemorated liturgically this year in the vast majority of U.S. dioceses -- including the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Chicago's plans

The city's parade will be held on March 15, the Saturday preceding St. Patrick's Day. That date falls outside Holy Week, which starts with Palm Sunday on March 16. The South Side Irish Parade has been moved up a week to March 9 to avoid conflict with Palm Sunday, according to a parade Web site.

Savannah's shift

Savannah, Ga., has one of the nation's largest St. Patrick's celebrations, with more than half a million revelers. Bishop J. Kevin Boland of the Diocese of Savannah wrote to practically every agency in his city, saying the diocese was changing the date of its celebration this year. In response, the citywide Irish festival was moved to Friday, March 14, when schools will close. Bars will be open March 17, but no organized events will be held then.

Columbus' clash

In Ohio, the Shamrock Club is going ahead with its March 17 parade in Columbus, drawing protests from the local bishop. A handful of Irish-American politicians have refused to march in the parade. Members of the local chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish Catholic organization, will skip the parade and join the March 15 parade in Dublin, a Columbus suburb. But the Shamrock Club is sticking with March 17. "Actually, you're born Irish first, and then you're baptized Catholic," said Mark Dempsey, the club's president.

Church and state

In New York and Boston, bishops are taking a hands-off approach, saying the church has no part in planning civic celebrations. The New York parade will be Monday, March 17. Boston's parade remains on Sunday, March 16, which is Palm Sunday.

No hassle next year

Holy Week won't clash with St. Patrick's Day again until 2160.
Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune

Best

AA

**McClef** · 21st February 08, 01:33 PM

I remember that last year several US cities held them early...

Will it affect the main NYC celebration is the question.

**Galician** · 21st February 08, 02:08 PM

No, that parade is scheduled to be held on Monday, the 17th. Since the Cardinal declares that this parade is a "civic" celebration, the Archdiocese is accomodating the parade. It seems that there will even be the usual pre-parade Mass for the Feast of St. Patrick [btw, this is in total violation of Church law

].

I have my own opinions as to the Archdiocese's declared stand as to the parade's being a "civil" celebration, since the parade organizers have denied participation to gay and other non-mainstream Irish groups by defining themselves as a religous organization, subject to the authority of the Church.

I stand corrected, as I have learned. The service held prior to the parade will be the one appropriate to the day.

**Maclachlan** · 21st February 08, 02:38 PM

Does that mean they're not going to dye the Chicago River green this year?

**Maclachlan** · 21st February 08, 02:40 PM

Whew! Answered my own question... Chicago's St Patrick's Day Ides of March!

**auld argonian** · 21st February 08, 02:46 PM

The river is dyed green by the Plumbers' Union.

As Dave Barry often says: I am not making this up.

Since the parade will be held on the Saturday before Holy Week, I expect that those prolific pipefitters will be out there in their speedboat dumping that magical orange stuff (it turns green when it hits the water) into the majestic Chicago River.

http://www.greenchicagoriver.com/

You may say, "I don't understand why they do this."

All I can do is quote Kevin Costner as Elliot Ness in that great made-in-Chicago (and my dad is in it!) motion picture, The Untouchables...

"Yeah...well, you're not from Chicago."

Best

AA

**sharpdressedscot** · 21st February 08, 04:27 PM

Hm, my band teacher was speaking of this today. I don't really see of it as a big deal, we just moved the celebration earlier than the actual date.

**McClef** · 21st February 08, 04:37 PM

Clearly it would be in breach of the rules to discuss the actions of Cardinal Egan v Church law in these forums.

Many fixed date festivals can be celebrated with a degree of flexibility for convenience and to avoid clashes. Saints days have a greater significance than the purely religious ones when they have a national and cultural aspect and I don't know of a bigger one in the US than St Patrick's for this. Last year different cities had celebrations on different days in any case even though there wasn't a clash with Easter!

I am sure that people will have a good time whenever they celebrate it and that's surely the main thing.