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"The Lorica" by Saint Patrick

The country could be called "The Isle of Poets"

God changed St. Patrick into a deer.
God changed St. Patrick into a deer.
  • I arise today

  • Through the strength of the love of cherubim,

  • In the obedience of angels,

  • In the service of archangels,

  • In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,

  • In the prayers of patriarchs,

  • In the predictions of prophets,

  • In the preaching of apostles,

  • In the faith of confessors,

  • In the innocence of holy virgins,

  • In the deeds of righteous men.
  • I arise today, through

  • The strength of heaven,

  • The light of the sun,

  • The radiance of the moon,

  • The splendor of fire,

  • The speed of lightning,

  • The swiftness of wind,

  • The depth of the sea,

  • The stability of the earth,

  • The firmness of rock.
  • I arise today, through

  • God’s strength to pilot me,

  • God’s might to uphold me,

  • God’s wisdom to guide me,

  • God’s eye to look before me,

  • God’s ear to hear me,

  • God’s word to speak for me,

  • God’s hand to guard me,

  • God’s shield to protect me,

  • God’s host to save me

  • From snares of devils,

  • From temptation of vices,

  • From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.

St. Patrick (circa 5th Century) was the Apostle of Ireland, the first to bring the Catholic faith to the Emerald Isle and the man whose name has forevermore been associated with the “Isle of Saints.” While most likely not written by the saint, “St. Patrick’s Breastplate” is a poem-prayer recalling the protection that God gave St. Patrick and his followers, turning them into deer so that they might pass unharmed through an ambush set by their pagan enemies. Whether it is original to St. Patrick, the Lorica (Latin for “breastplate”) captures both the faith and the poetry of a country that could just as well be called the “Isle of Poets.”

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God changed St. Patrick into a deer.
God changed St. Patrick into a deer.
  • I arise today

  • Through the strength of the love of cherubim,

  • In the obedience of angels,

  • In the service of archangels,

  • In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,

  • In the prayers of patriarchs,

  • In the predictions of prophets,

  • In the preaching of apostles,

  • In the faith of confessors,

  • In the innocence of holy virgins,

  • In the deeds of righteous men.
  • I arise today, through

  • The strength of heaven,

  • The light of the sun,

  • The radiance of the moon,

  • The splendor of fire,

  • The speed of lightning,

  • The swiftness of wind,

  • The depth of the sea,

  • The stability of the earth,

  • The firmness of rock.
  • I arise today, through

  • God’s strength to pilot me,

  • God’s might to uphold me,

  • God’s wisdom to guide me,

  • God’s eye to look before me,

  • God’s ear to hear me,

  • God’s word to speak for me,

  • God’s hand to guard me,

  • God’s shield to protect me,

  • God’s host to save me

  • From snares of devils,

  • From temptation of vices,

  • From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.

St. Patrick (circa 5th Century) was the Apostle of Ireland, the first to bring the Catholic faith to the Emerald Isle and the man whose name has forevermore been associated with the “Isle of Saints.” While most likely not written by the saint, “St. Patrick’s Breastplate” is a poem-prayer recalling the protection that God gave St. Patrick and his followers, turning them into deer so that they might pass unharmed through an ambush set by their pagan enemies. Whether it is original to St. Patrick, the Lorica (Latin for “breastplate”) captures both the faith and the poetry of a country that could just as well be called the “Isle of Poets.”

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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