St. Brigid, Ireland's Patron Saint, is Celebrated in Greater Boston this Week
Photo Courtesy of Brigid of Kildare
Saint Brigid, Ireland's beloved patron saint, is honored each winter in Ireland and in Catholic communities around the world. She was born in Ireland circa 450 A.D., the child of an enslaved woman and a king in the province of Leinster.
Her feast day is February 1, which falls halfway between winter solstice and spring equinox and coincides with a Gaelic traditional festival called Imbolc. On the Christian side, Brigid was venerated as “Mary of the Gael,” a saint for women, shepherds, beggars, refugees and those in childbirth, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
“Like many of Ireland’s other Christian feast days, Brigid predates Christianity – her roots lie in the Celtic festival of Imbolc, the feast of the goddess Brigid, celebrated at least five millennia ago. In old Irish, Imbolc means "in the belly", a reference to lambing and the renewal spring promises,” according to the Embassy of Ireland, USA.
Here are three local St. Brigid events taking place in the Boston area in the coming days.
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Massachusetts has three Roman Catholic churches named in the Irish saint's honor: St. Brigid of Kildare Church in South Boston, dating to 1908; St. Brigid in Lexington, dating back to 1886; and St. Brigid in Amherst, dating to 1871.
For year round details on Irish cultural activities in Boston, Massachusetts and New England, visit IrishBoston.org.
“Like many of Ireland’s other Christian feast days, Brigid predates Christianity – her roots lie in the Celtic festival of Imbolc, the feast of the goddess Brigid, celebrated at least five millennia ago. In old Irish, Imbolc means "in the belly", a reference to lambing and the renewal spring promises,” according to the Embassy of Ireland, USA.
Here are three local St. Brigid events taking place in the Boston area in the coming days.
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On January 26, “Echoes of Brigid: Voices of the Feminine Spirit of Ireland,” is presented by Here Comes Everybody, a Boston Irish theater troupe. The event takes place at the Burren Pub in Davis Square, Somerville at 3:30 p.m. and features poetry, prose, drama and music. Purchase tix here.
On Friday, January 31, the Irish Pastoral Centre annual Lá Fhéile BrÃde/ St. Brigid’s Day celebration at 11 a.m. at its headquarters in Adams Village, Dorchester. The event features an afternoon or prayer, followed by a light lunch and tea/coffee.
On Monday, February 3, the Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston, along with the Irish Consulate Office, holds its annual Lá Fhéile BrÃde/ St. Brigid’s Day celebration at the U. Mass Club in Boston. It's a special celebration that highlights the role of women in Irish culture, folklore, and the arts.
On Friday, January 31, the Irish Pastoral Centre annual Lá Fhéile BrÃde/ St. Brigid’s Day celebration at 11 a.m. at its headquarters in Adams Village, Dorchester. The event features an afternoon or prayer, followed by a light lunch and tea/coffee.
On Monday, February 3, the Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston, along with the Irish Consulate Office, holds its annual Lá Fhéile BrÃde/ St. Brigid’s Day celebration at the U. Mass Club in Boston. It's a special celebration that highlights the role of women in Irish culture, folklore, and the arts.
St. Brigid, Lexington, MA
Massachusetts has three Roman Catholic churches named in the Irish saint's honor: St. Brigid of Kildare Church in South Boston, dating to 1908; St. Brigid in Lexington, dating back to 1886; and St. Brigid in Amherst, dating to 1871.
For year round details on Irish cultural activities in Boston, Massachusetts and New England, visit IrishBoston.org.
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