Happy St. Patrick's Day Columbus. 

The Columbus St. Patrick's Day parade and the Irish Family Reunion are today.  Both are sponsored by the Shamrock Club of Columbus.

Previously on Discover Columbus about St. Patrick's Day 2008.

It's Sunday... why not post about a religious controversy in Columbus?

Not all that big a controversy really... to celebrate St. Patrick's Day on St. Patrick's Day (March 17) or not this year.

CNN ... dateline Columbus Ohio (that's newspaper talk... I think... I think I remember that from journalism in high school... or maybe I remember it from some TV show, movie or book about a journalist...)  I never understood it.  Columbus Ohio is a place, not a date.... anyway the CNN story about the controversy in Columbus is dated February 20, 2008 (or updated February 20... ) Wednesday:

St. Patrick's Day causing Catholic dilemma 

The CNN story talks about how Savannah, New York City, Philadelphia, Boston and other cities have handled St. Patricks Day falling in Holy Week (the week before Easter for Christians) this year.  In Columbus Ohio it's a dilemma?  I don't know that it's really a dilemma.  My blog entry about the story of the Columbus Catholic Diocese / Shamrock Club controversy was:

Jan. 31, 2008 - Columbus - St. Patrick's Day Celebrations

I'm no journalist...  I just quoted Meredith Heagney's story in The Columbus Dispatch... about the freaky calendar that puts St. Patrick's Day the Monday of Holy Week.

Calendar throws St. Patrick's Day for loop

How the Columbus Archdiocese has dealt with St. Patricks Day 2008: 

No mass in honor of St. Patrick's Day in downtown Columbus this year.

Discouraging participation in celebrations on March 17, this year...???

They tried to get the Columbus St. Patrick's Day Parade moved up, so it would not fall in Holy Week. 

How the Shamrock Club in Columbus Ohio has decided to deal with St. Patricks Day 2008:   

The Columbus Ohio Parade must go on.   So will the Irish Family Reunion... at Vet's Memorial.

I love the words of  Mike Dempsey President of the Shamrock Club as quoted in the CNN :

"It's not a sin to celebrate your Irish culture," countered Mark Dempsey, the club's president.

"Actually, you're born Irish first," he said, "and then you're baptized Catholic."

How the Royal Hibernians in Central Ohio have decided with St. Patricks Day 2008: 

They will participate in the Dublin Ohio parade on Saturday March 15, 2008 instead of the Columbus (Shamrock Club's) St. Patrick's Day Parade.   They won't go to the Catholic mass in downtown Columbus because there won't be one this year...

How the average Columbus person of Irish ancestry will deal with St. Patricks Day 2008: 

Either they'll go to the Columbus St. Patricks Day Parade (and the Irish Family Reunion at Vets) ...or they won't.  Maybe it depends on their religion... or maybe not.  Most people in Columbus won't notice a difference... between St. Patricks Day 2008 and any other years. 

I think the CNN article says this won't happen again untl 2160 so maybe the Shamrock Club and the Columbus Catholic Diocese have time to work out a solution.  Thanks to Sandy Mattingly in New York City (The Loft Guy) for emailing me the link to the CNN story.

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