What a great Catholic bishop who was so helpful getting me "straightened out" as a new member of the Catholic Church. My trip to Ireland in late May 2002, only weeks after my confirmation at Easter Vigil made my new found Catholic faith feel "shiny and electric." Our trip to Catholic Ireland inspired us to start following all the rules. Hannah's conception happened days later and her due date was March 17th. We spent my whole pregnancy thanking St. Patrick and hoping that Hannah would get free green beers for life. (Instead, Hannah decided to stay put until March 26th.) All the same, Saint Patrick is Hannah's special saint and a dear friend of our family.
Christ shield me this day:
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every person
who thinks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.”
— “The Breastplate of St. Patrick”
