The weather was warm and so were the smiles last week when various local officials, residents and students got together for a St. Partick’s Day flag-raising ceremony in the park next to the senior citizens’ residence on Palisade Avenue, across from City Hall.
Union City Mayor Brian P. Stack, commissioners Christopher Irizarry and Michael Leggiero, and the local 2002 and 2003 Irish-Americans of the Year turned out. Irish-flavored entertainment was provided by bagpiper John Nisbet of Kearny.
Said Stack, who is of Irish ancestry, in his opening remarks, “The culture of Ireland is reflective in their origins. Many of our city’s structures, such as City Hall, were built by Irish people. Most of them have left the area but some remain and we are proud to have them.”
Union City’s 2003 Irish-American of the year, Evelyn Joan McAleer Tripi, was on hand to raise the Irish flag and accept a proclamation from the Union City commissioners. Commissioner Michael Leggiero read the proclamation and ended by stating, “We wish to express our appreciation for all she has done for Union City.” Tripi was nominated for the Irish-American of the Year post by her best friend and 2002 Irish-American of the Year, Kay Gilmore. Gilmore nominated Tripi because of her generosity and because “she’s always there for people,” according to Gilmore.
Before the ceremony, Tripi spoke of her view of a holiday that has come to be seen by many in our society as an excuse to wear green and drink excessively. Said Tripi, “St. Patrick’s Day is a religious holiday. People seem to forget that. I went to church this morning, for instance. It’s a day to get together with family and friends. I thank God for that good family and those good friends.”
2002 Irish-American of the Year recipient Kay Gilmore reminisced about the “Emerald Isle.” Said Gilmore, “My mother came from Ireland, and all she talked about was the green hills. It made a great impression on me. It really is a beautiful land.”
Gilmore echoed her best friend’s view of the holiday when she stated, “It’s not supposed to be a festive day, it’s religious.” However, Gilmore quickly added, “That’s not to say we don’t ‘tip a few back’ in the evening.”
After receiving the proclamation, Evelyn Joan McAleer Tripi thanked the assembled crowd and stated, “In my whole 68 years in this town, these guys are the best,” gesturing at Mayor Stack and the other commissioners. She then thanked and kissed each one.
Mayor Stack drew some laughs when he told the crowd that as the bagpiper played “Oh Danny Boy,” commissioner Christopher Irizarry, who was holding the floral bouquet to be given to Tripi, leaned over to the mayor and whispered, “I guess I really missed out, I never had an Irish girlfriend.” Added the mayor, “And he’s getting married in August!”
Mayor Stack added, “As I said before, the Irish were involved in the building of our city. They have contributed much to the city and have paved the way for other immigrants in this city.”
Union City resident and proud Irishman John J. McMahon read two poems: one, an ode to his wife and another entitled “An Irish Prayer:”
“May every stranger be a friend/May your lust for freedom never end/May your love for God and country never cease/And your whole being strive for peace/May the land be forever pure and clean/And the shamrock forever bloom in the field of green.”
Will the real St. Patrick please stand up?
The real story of St. Patrick is not a widely- known tale, at least in the United States. Much more than a holiday of festivities, St. Patrick’s Day is meant to celebrate an ancient man and Christian missionary who, in his early life, had no time for God and was inadvertently sold into slavery in approximately 430 A.D. During his time in captivity, the young man began to talk to God and became a fervent believer in the power of faith.
According to www.joyfulheart.com, St. Patrick stated in a confession, “Many times a day I prayed. The love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. In a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many in the night. I used to get up for prayer before daylight whatever the weather – snow, frost, rain – without suffering any ill effects. The spirit within me was fervent.”
Ireland, at that time, was a pagan land. Christianity had not yet made its mark on the land. When Patrick made his way back to Ireland, his first intention was to see the king that had imprisoned him, Miliucc, and show him the ways of God and Jesus. But when the king heard that Patrick was on his way to see him, he opted to burn his castle to the ground in a great funeral pyre in fear of Patrick.
Patrick became a master at arousing the ire of many of the pagan rulers of the time. Many wanted him dead from challenging their entrenched beliefs and power. Said Patrick at one point, “Daily I expect murder, fraud, or captivity, but I fear none of these things because of the promises of heaven. I have cast myself into the hands of God Almighty who rules everywhere.”
St. Patrick died on March 17, about 460 A.D.