I arise today, through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the threeness, through confession of the oneness, of the Creator of Creation.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
This Prayer to St. Patrick is St. Patrick’s Breastplate, the ancient Irish prayer traditionally ascribed to him, beginning “I arise today” and including the beloved “Christ with me” verse. The traditional Collect of his feast follows.
St. Patrick, stained glass by Harry Clarke (1925), detail. Public domain.
O God, who didst deign to send blessed Patrick, Thy Confessor and Bishop, to preach Thy glory to the nations, grant through his merits and intercession, that those commands which Thou dost set before us we may by Thy mercy be able to fulfill. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
Pray the Breastplate on March 17, his feast, at the start of the day, before a journey or a difficult task, or whenever you need to remember that Christ is with you. The opening is Kuno Meyer’s translation, as printed by Catholic Culture; the “Christ with me” verse is from the Rural Life Prayerbook (1956), as printed by EWTN; the Collect is from the traditional Roman Missal (extraordinaryform.org).
Patrick was born in Roman Britain, taken to Ireland as a slave at sixteen, escaped, and returned as a bishop to preach the Gospel to the Irish in the fifth century. His own Confession tells his story. EWTN’s account gives more.
The Breastplate, or “Deer’s Cry,” is a lorica, a prayer of protection, binding the one who prays to the Holy Trinity and to Christ on every side. Tradition ascribes it to Patrick; the Irish text as we have it dates from the early Middle Ages.
March 17, the traditional day of his death. It is kept as a solemnity in Ireland and a feast in many dioceses, and is a day to pray for the Church in Ireland and for all who carry the faith to others.
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