I Arise Today
Lenten Meditation for Saint Patrick's Day, 2026
Today is the Feast of Saint Patrick, as you probably know. Today I’d like to talk about two things— first, a few reflections on Saint Patrick’s Day and the role of Saint Patrick in our world and in America in particular. Second, I want to look at the lorica of Saint Patrick, the prayer attributed to him.
Saint Patrick’s Day in America
The earliest Saint Patrick’s Day celebration in the American colonies took place in 1737, in Boston. A group of Irish residents held a celebration in honor of Saint Patrick, and formed the Charitable Irish Society, in order to help their struggling co-ethnics in the city. Note that at this time nearly all of these Irish were Presbyterians who had emigrated from Northern Ireland. From our point of view, we should see this event as establishing the power of Saint Patrick in America, with the center of his power in Boston.
Some decades later, the Continental Army, led by George Washington, found itself freezing through a long, cold winter in camp in Morristown, New Jersey. The army had been battered by no fewer than 28 snowstorms, and their commander felt that his men could use a day off. It happened that a quarter of the men in Washington’s army were Irish, despite the Irish composing less than 10% of the American population at the time, and a dozen of his commanders had been born in Ireland or in America to Irish parents. And so the Feast of Saint Patrick seemed like a perfect opportunity for the general both to give his men some much-needed recreation and to express solidarity with the struggle of the Irish under British rule. His order reads, in part, as follows:
The general congratulates the army on the very interesting proceedings of the parliament of Ireland and the inhabitants of that country which have been lately communicated; not only as they appear calculated to remove those heavy and tyrannical oppressions on their trade but to restore to a brave and generous people their ancient rights and freedom and by their operations to promote the cause of America.
Desirous of impressing upon the minds of the army, transactions so important in their nature, the general directs that all fatigue and working parties cease for tomorrow the seventeenth, a day held in particular regard by the people of the nation. At the same time that he orders this, he persuades himself that the celebration of the day will not be attended with the least rioting or disorder, the officers to be at their quarters in camp and the troops of the state line to keep within their own encampment.
Here in America the popularity of his feast day seems to grow year by year, despite Irish-Americans number less than 10% of the population, as they did in colonial times. It is easy to be cynical about such things, and to dismiss all the shamrocks and leprechauns and dyed-green beer as so many marketing gimmicks. To do so, however, is to miss the point. There is a reason that Saint Patrick came to be the patron of the month of March in America, and not one of the many other fine saints who have their feasts at this time, like David or Ciaran or Brendan or Joseph of Arimathea. Saint Patrick’s cult was established in this country— and in particular— in the Northeast, at a very early date (in American terms.) It would be a fine thing, however, if some of the other Celtic saints of March were honored at this time as well.
The Lorica
Lorica Sancti Patricii means “Saint Patrick’s Breastplate.” A lorica prayer is a type of prayer of protection popular in the Celtic monastic tradition. Saint Patrick’s lorica reads as follows:
1
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.
2
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.
3
I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
4
I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.
5
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 way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s hosts to save me
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.
6
I summon today all these powers between me and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.
Christ shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that reward may come to me in abundance.
7
Christ be with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
8
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation
This is a powerful prayer of protection, as it invokes the entirety of God’s creation, starting from the Trinity and extending downward through the ranks of angels and saints and into the elements of the material creation, and binds the one who prays to all of these. It can be recited in its entirety, of course, but I’ve broken it into numbered sections here as each of these parts has its own peculiar use. Section 4, for example, can be used to connect with the powers of the natural world, while Section 7 is very useful for healing relationships and averting the evil eye.
Today, in addition to drinking Guinness or green beer, it might be worth taking a moment to invoke Saint Patrick, whether you happen to be of Irish descent or not, and say the prayer attributed to him. The story of Saint Patrick driving the snakes from Ireland is one of his best known myths: as you pray, you might imagine that he is driving the snakes of envy, hatred, wrath, and obsession from your own mind and your aura, and from the energetic body of your family, or your town, or your nation.
Saint Patrick, be with us; Saint Patrick, pray for us; Saint Patrick, watch over the descendants of Ireland wherever in the world they may be.