Saint Patrick’s Day in History (FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS)
St. Patrick’s Day, an Irish and IrishAmerican holiday commemorating the death, as legend has it, of Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, on March 17, circa 492. It is also the occasion, in many American cities, for celebrating Irish heritage with a parade. Among the most renowned of these festival traditions are the New York City parade, which officially dates to March 17, 1766 (an unofficial march was held in 1762); the Boston parade, which may date as far back as 1775; and the Savannah, Georgia parade, 1824.
When St. Patrick’s Cathedral was completed in New York City in 1879, the parade was extended up Fifth Avenue in order to allow the archbishop and clergy to review the festivities while standing in front of the church.
The Irish presence in America increased dramatically in the 1840s as a consequence of Ireland’s potato famine of 1845-49, which left more than a million people dead from starvation and disease. Most of the Irish who immigrated to the U.S. during this period arrived with
St. Patrick – continued on page 3
March is National Social Work Month: Meet our social work designee, Valerie Eades
It’s National Social Work Month and we couldn’t be luckier to have Valerie Eades working here at Rolla Presbyterian Manor!
Valerie says she didn’t plan a career in social work. In fact, it was the furthest thing from her mind at one point in her life.
“I spent a lot of years raising my family and then did factory work,” she recalled. “It wasn’t until I learned about Presbyterian Manors at a job fair that I even considered a career in healthcare.”
That job fair led to a career as a CNA at Rolla Presbyterian Manor.
“They paid for my CNA training and my CMT licensing,” she said.
“Eventually, my fellow nursing coworkers urged me to pursue social work.”
As the community’s social work designee, Eads says she does a bit of everything.
“I love my job and I love my people,” she said. “Every day is different.”
Let’s all offer a big ‘thank you’ to Valerie Eades for all she does to make Rolla Presbyterian Manor great! u
St. Patrick– continued from page 1
little education and few material possessions. They encountered systematic economic discrimination, and the longstanding prejudice of many members of the Anglo-Saxon Protestant majority toward both the Irish and Catholicism.
The Civil War provided an occasion for recent Irish immigrants to prove their mettle as U.S. citizens. During
the fall and winter of 1861-62, Thomas Meagher, an Irish Revolutionary who had immigrated to New York City after escaping from a British prison in 1852, organized the Irish Brigade.
“More than the abstract principles of saving the Union,” historian Phillip Thomas Tucker writes, “these Celtic soldiers were fighting most of all for their own future and an America which did not segregate, persecute,
and discriminate against the Irish people and their Catholicism, Irish culture, and distinctive Celtic heritage like the hated English in the old country”. The brigade, earned a reputation for bravery and sacrifice in some of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, including the First Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Antietam, the first Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. u
Entry call continues for Rolla Presbyterian Manor’s 2023 Art is Ageless®
Rolla Presbyterian Manor is seeking artists aged 65 and older for the annual Art is Ageless® juried exhibit March 20-30, 2023. This year the exhibit will be at The Centre, 1200 N. Holloway, Rolla, MO.
Entries of artistic works will be accepted from any area artist who is 65 years of age or older to exhibit and/or compete for an opportunity to be featured in the 2024 Art is Ageless calendar.
Artists may choose to enter works for exhibit only. For the competition, the artist must have been 65 at the time of creation and have completed the work in the past five years (since January 2018). There are nine categories, as well as designations of amateur or professional. Works to be entered for judging need to be at The Centre by 5 p.m. March 20.
Entry forms and information can be obtained by contacting Lorri Waldron at 573-364-7336 or lwaldron@pmma.org, or accessed online at ArtIsAgeless.org. u
