City of Providence | St. Patrick Day Celebration

That's a long microphone. Can everyone hear? Thank you all. I'm Providence Councilwoman Joanne Ryan. It is my distinct honor and pleasure to welcome you to the mayor's Saint Patrick's Day celebration.

We have a wonderful program today on but first, I would like to welcome formally welcome our friends from our new twin city in Ireland Ireland. The mayor Vincent McCormick from the moat mayor of Athlone, Moat District, and his distinguished delegations from Athlone, Ireland. They've been here for a few days. They came in Wednesday, and they've enjoyed touring our city. So thank you very much for making the trek on.

And without further ado, I would like to, invite Bernie excuse me. Reverend Bernie O'Reilly, pastor emeritus of Saint Patrick Parish, up to the podium. And if you could kindly a a friend of providence,

if you

could give us the invocation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Joanne. And again, happy belated Saint Patrick's Day, not forgetting Saint Joseph as well. Alright, my friends. It's almost sixteen hundred years ago. A young boy of the tender age of 16 years was called by god to undertake an extraordinary mission.

He was to return to a land that held him captive for six long years, tending sheep on what is now Schlievmich in County Antrim. The divine summons must have caused him severe internal conflict at having to face his captors again. Nevertheless, having been ordained priest and bishop, he willingly accepted the call, and, ultimately, it will change his life and that of an entire nation. Patrick expressed his understanding of god in very earthly terms in ways that the people could understand him. He said, our god is the god of all people and all things.

He is the god of of heaven and earth, the god of the sea, the god of rivers, the god of sun, moon, and stars, the god of high mountains and deep valleys. Our god dwells in heaven, on earth, and in the sea. He gives life and breath to all. He is father, son, and holy spirit undivided. He he also explained the life of the trinity using the familiar symbol of the shamrock, the tree

leaf

shamrock, which with its three leaves representing the father, the son, and the holy ghost. And his legacy made Ireland ultimately synonymous with Catholicism. Today, our celebration must include a renewal of that faith that Patrick made part of our very being. So let us now, for a brief moment, close our eyes and focus on his personal union with Christ expressed very clearly and beautifully in what is known as the breastpace of Patrick. It reads, Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ under me, Christ over me, Christ at my right, Christ to my left, Christ in my lying, my sitting, and my rising.

Christ in my lying and my sitting. Christ in the heart of those who think of me. And now let us conclude the prayer in the very language of Patrick himself. Those who are visitors will probably understand this. Very briefly, it says, Christ in my thinking, my speaking, my seeing, my listening, my speaking, my looking, and my my my listening, to all.

Friends, today, our relationship must include that kind of personal faith. It really has guided the Irish people. And as you can see and understand, this blessing today and this celebration today is indeed a celebration of that very faith. So May the blessing of God be with all of you in the name of the father, son, and holy spirit. Amen.

I'm sure people, you don't need my encouragement to celebrate this great gift that Patrick has left us. Enjoy it.

So before I introduce the great mayor of the city of Providence, I'd like to take just a moment because father reminded me of our dear friend sister Anne. Many of you know sister Anne Keefe. She was a dear friend and a vital member of our community. And John Henson reminded me just the other evening when we were chatting. She used to always say, don't forget to be Irish.

And it's a sentiment encouraging the preservation of Irish culture, values and identity, emphasizing warmth, wit, storytelling, and resilience. It is a call to maintain pride in Irish heritage, celebrating camaraderie and community. With that, I'd like to introduce the leader of our community, mayor Brett Smiley.

Thank you, councilwoman. Thank you, councilwoman, and welcome everyone to Providence City Hall. To all of our visitors and guests, this is the the people's house and the public's house. And so we're so glad that you've walked through those doors, We hope you feel at home. Special thank you to council president Rachel Miller for opening up her chamber to all of us.

Thank you councilwoman. Very pleased to be joined along with councilwoman Mary Kay Harris. Councilman Pedro Espinal is here in the back there. Representative Scott Slater. Thank you, Scotty.

Many members of Providence Public Safety is here. I think the most senior ranking proud Irishman today, commander Tim O'Hara, the deputy chief of the Providence Police Department. We have councilman Zaikam Zavoorvong from the city of Newport joining us. Thank you, councilman. And today, most importantly to our visitors, mayor McCormick, the rest of the council, the young people who've joined us today, we are so thrilled that you're here.

It has been a real delight to spend the last day together and having gotten to know many of you on a previous trip. It is we are becoming fast friends and hopefully you feel like this is starting to become a home away from home because we are thrilled that you're here. The councilwoman and leaders in our local community, especially Patrick Griffin, have worked really hard to build this relationship, and and I think the seeds that we've planted are gonna bear fruit for some time to come. And we're very, very grateful for that. For for those of you who have not yet, had a chance to get to know our new friends from Athlone, just think for a moment about a growing city halfway between two of the largest and thriving economies in the country, boasting a higher quality of life than maybe the bigger cities and, a city defined by a river and all that can come with it.

And you maybe think I'm talking about Providence, Rhode Island between New York and Boston and the Providence River, but that is in fact the city of Athlone. And and what we have in common as as we get to know one another turns out to be deeper and deeper than I think we even originally knew. And so it is what we hope to be a very bright future ahead for both of our communities. And here in Providence, it is always an exciting and joyous occasion to be able to celebrate the Irish American heritage that we have in our city, the incredible deep roots that have marked this city's evolution. And so whether it is through culinary destinations, the built environment built with Irish labor, the, incredible leadership that we see today in government or academia or law enforcement, in business and in the arts, indeed, there are Irish fingerprints all over what we see around us here in our capital city, and we are so proud of that.

And at this moment where many of our Irish friends came here a generation or two ago, it is important for us to reflect upon how much stronger we are as a community because of their contributions and remember that spirit as we continue to welcome other newcomers into our community today to recognize that a generation or two from now, they will be the village elders and the leaders of our community. And Providence is and will remain a welcoming community to all. And so perhaps to to paraphrase a bit of an Irish expression, I just want to remind everyone that as we gather for this celebration and tomorrow for our parade and with the the warmest possible welcome with our friends from Ireland, I'm reminded of this simple truth. There are no strangers, only friends we have not yet met. And so we hope that your time with us is filled with warmth, laughter, and a true connection.

And may the roads here in Rhode Island rise to meet you wherever it takes you next. Thank you very much.

I would also like to take the opportunity to recognize some former council people that are in our, chamber, tonight. Mike Kelly, warm welcome. Former councilman and former grand marshal, and we have Dave Dillon, former councilman. Dave held the distinction of serving as the finance chair, so he and I share a lot of chats. We have former grand marshal Jimmy Riley with us this evening.

Okay. With that, I'd like to introduce our newest bishop of the city of Providence, the most reverend Bruce Lewandowski.

Very happy to be with you here on such a wonderful occasion. I think we know, much about Saint Patrick, but I'm not sure everyone understands that Saint Patrick was a miracle worker and that he had the ability, it seemed, as if by magic, but we know it was by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to work wonders, giving sight to the blind, healing the sick. It's even told that he raised the dead. Perhaps one of the most amazing miracles I find is that when Patrick and his band of missionaries in Ireland were on the run being chased by king's soldiers. The king wanted Patrick dead.

He had a price on his head because Patrick was so effective in bringing people together and building up the church that he actually had a price on his head, and they wanted him killed. So one day, they're in the forest, Patrick and his his band of missionaries, and they realize that the king's soldiers are about to attack. And at that moment, Patrick does what no one would do. Instead of hiding in the underbrush and being silent, he calls the missionaries together and they begin to sing and chant as loud as they can. Well, you think that would attract the attention of the soldiers, but through the prayer and the chanting, when the soldiers looked at Patrick and the other missionaries, all they saw was a herd of deer grazing in the field.

The power of the song, the power of the prayer, and the power of their unity together brought a kind of shape shifting, miracle where they became were seen as grazing deer, or we might call it spiritual camouflage. It's the power of being together, of trusting in God, the the power of faith. And I I I think it's much much more than the power of positive thinking, but knowing that with God and together all things are possible, that we're capable of miracles ourselves. And I don't think we think about that. But if you look in the room here today, there are not just Irishmen and women here, you know, people of tremendous beautiful Irish heritage.

My family's all Polish. We have folks from the Latino community, from other, heritage of Asia, Africa, and Europe. And the miracle of being together on a day like this well, it's Saint Patrick's Day, and it's a Saint Patrick celebration, But all of us come together to celebrate what? The the miracle of what it is just to be and to breathe free and to be able to express ourselves and be who we are and how we are, where we are right here and right now. We shouldn't take that for granted.

Freedom. Freedom to to live in peace, love, justice, and harmony. I'm grateful for your presence here. Coming all the way from Ireland, what a beautiful beautiful gift you are to us here in Providence, and I'm grateful to mayor Smiley for the invitation to be able to be with you here today. Really thrilled.

And now what you're all waiting for if you're Catholic. This is this is the real reason I'm here. It's Friday and it's Lent. And we know what that means. A Friday in Lent, there's no corned beef or hot dogs or hamburgers or pepperoni or prosciutto or anything else.

But today, there is a dispensation. For all of us here who are Catholic, feel free to eat as much as you would like and enjoy and enjoy this wonderful, wonderful celebration that brings us together as community and reminds us of the best that we all are, brothers and sisters in the great family of humanity. Brothers and sisters, really, it's wonderful to be with you. So enjoy have a wonderful day. Enjoy the parade tomorrow, and may God bless us and continue to watch over us and keep us always in his care.

I just said to the council president that that was gonna be a tough act to follow. He got a I think the loudest applause I've ever heard in this chamber. But with that, I would like to honor, and recognize the the head of our council, council president Rachel Miller. Could you please say a few words?

Thank you so much councilwoman Ryan and mayor and bishop and all of our honored guests who are here today from Athlone, from around the city. It is always an honor to welcome you into the city council chambers, behalf of myself and my colleagues. It celebrating Irish American cultural traditions here in Providence is a unique honor as well. We have for more than a century, right, Irish Americans literally built the city with their hands and shaped the cultural traditions with their their words and deeds. For me, it is particularly personal and so indulge me on a little bit of my own storytelling.

When I was a child, my mom took me out of school every year so that I could be with my grandmother who is from Cork, was from Cork, and we could watch Irish dancing. And so what I said to councilwoman Ryan, first time I came to one of the celebrations that you created was it brought me exactly back. I'm running from my day job to come over here. It's a it's a little bit of bringing me back to that celebration. Just wanna point out, councilman Ryan has done an incredible job of bringing Ireland here to city hall year after year for twelve years, and so thank you.

I was raised so my grandmother on my father's side spoke Yiddish. Her family came from Russia, which is now Poland in the eighteen eighties. My grandmother on my Irish side lived with us from Cork. And so I grew she was our childcare. My childcare was saying the rosary with my grandmother and singing Irish songs and that was it, pretty much.

And one of those songs was The Wearing of the Green. And I don't know, I don't remember when I asked about it, but at some point I was like, why is this a thing? Right? What what are we talking about here? And when I heard from my grandmother, really from both sides of my family, and I think maybe there's not You know, having a Russian, Jewish, and Irish family is part of our joint immigrant experience.

But what I heard from my grandmother and what I find so What I am so profoundly proud of when I think of my own Irish heritage is it is a story of a yearning for freedom. When the bishop was speaking, was I was thinking that we were on the same wavelength this morning. It is a story of a community yearning for freedom as so many immigrant communities do when they come to this country. It it That yearning stays with us. It is vibrant.

It is alive. It is celebrated in the culture that we celebrate today and tomorrow and every day. And, it is with us throughout our days and our actions and I'm just so proud to wish you all in that spirit of freedom and community wide liberation. Happy Saint Patrick's Day. Thank you.

Thank you, council president. She reminds me this is actually my twelfth year. I am term limited. I've served three years, three four three terms, four years each. And this is my last year as councilwoman and I've had the distinct honor of, emceeing and, hosting on the Providence Saint Patrick's Day events at City Hall.

It has been a labor of love for sure. But with that, I'm most excited about establishing an agreement with Athlone to be our twin city. And we did that a year ago. The documents are actually outside the hall. You can take a look at that if you like.

And it is signed by, the mayor, province city council, president, Rachel Miller. So we had a unanimous decision of the council and that doesn't happen often. Unanimous decision to twin with Athlone. I thank, council president for her leadership, and I thank my colleagues for joining me and signing that. Most of all, I thank the mayor for allowing us to do that.

But on we took a leap of faith after many many years of trying to twin. The effort was started back in 2013. It depends who you talk to. It could be 12, could be 13. But the president of the Providence Saint Patrick's Day Parade, our dear friend, Patrick Griffin, who owns the The proprietor of our favorite pub in Providence had the brilliant idea of inviting a dear friend from Athlone, John Henson, to come.

To bring a group of military police officers.

There are

also a few who are here with us today. Can't see where they are. There you are. They're shy. There's more than just two.

It was a whole contingent that marched in the Providence Saint Patrick's Day Parade put on by our fabulous parade committee, and many members are here, and I thank you for that effort. It's been how many years, Patrick, have we had the Saint Patrick's Day Parade?

Thirty two years.

Wow. Anyway, that ask of his friend in Ireland of of John brought folks over here on and that was the fruit.