College students: Celebrate OCF’s “Real” St. Patrick’s Day March 17!

St. Patrick's Day

“Have you ever wondered why we honor one of our great missionary saints Saint Patrick with a day of partying?” asks the national office of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship [OCF]. “We have!”

And that is why the pan-Orthodox campus ministry has developed a way for OCF chapters, Orthodox Christian college students, and parish young adult groups to mark the day with alternatives to the collegiate “norm” of partying and revelry.

Saint Patrick was known for his outreach to the poor and for bringing thousands of souls to Christ. And OCF maintains that there are many ways to emulate his example on Saturday, March 17.

To that end, OCF has provided a wealth of resources on its web site that can inspire action by college students—as well as every Orthodox Christian individual, family and parish.

  • Learn about the Real St. Patrick Day offers an account of the evangelizer’s life, accompanied by a wealth of ministries that can be put into action with little or no expense or advance planning.
  • Downloadable Resources in PDF format include a “How-To Guide to Real St. Patrick’s Day,” “The Lorica of St. Patrick,” “The Supplication Service to St. Patrick,” “Real St. Patrick Day Recipes,” and a downloadable, high-res icon of the saint.

Orthodox Christian Fellowship is a ministry of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America. Its mission is to support fellowships on college campuses, whose members experience and witness to the Orthodox Christian Church through community life, prayer, service to others and study of the Faith.