Fr Paul Gooley reads from the Gospel of Luke 5: 1-11 in which Jesus asks Simon to place his boat into deep water and let down the nets to catch fish for the people. Afterwards, he shares a little about the life of St. Patrick, whose memorial we celebrate today.

Fr Paul says Patrick was born in Roman Britain around the end of the 4th century, and died in Ireland about the middle of the 5th century. As a missionary bishop, he endured many hardships and faced opposition even from his friends and fellow Christians. Nevertheless, he worked hard to conciliate, to evangelize, and to educate local chieftains and their families. He is remembered for his simplicity and pastoral care, for his humble trust in God, and for his fearless preaching of the gospel to the very people who had enslaved him in his youth.

Today, Fr Paul invites us to ask, ‘St Patrick…Pray for us.’