How to Attend Mass on St. Patrick's Day

While a lot of people associate St. Patrick's Day with dressing in green and taking to the streets to watch local parades, the day was originally a religious holiday. If you want to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, you can integrate attending mass into the celebration of your day.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Call your local church to see whether it offers mass on St. Patrick's Day. The dates of the actual celebration may be changed by the church to avoid conflict with other religious holidays, such as Palm Sunday. If the celebration is held on St. Patrick's Day (March 17), confirm the time and the number of seats available.

2. Wear something green to show your holiday spirit, but keep it formal. Avoid overly showy outfits or accessories, including hats, jewelry or large joke pins. Instead, stick to using green in a dress shirt or vest, or in various accessories, such as a scarf or hair pin.

3. Find out about celebrations or activities immediately following St. Patrick's Day mass. Many churches expect followers to attend and participate in lunches, parties or get-togethers after the sermon. Whether there is a party may affect your choice of clothing.

4. Arrive early. Churches often limit the number of people who can attend St. Patrick's Day mass inside the building. However, a later blessing may be offered to those who couldn't get a seat and had to stand outside. If you want a guaranteed spot, get to church at least 30 minutes before the scheduled time for mass and wait nearby for the church to open its doors.

5. Attend mass with your family. The sermon on St. Patrick's Day is often short and geared to match the festive spirit of the day. Most churches also have special activities for children immediately following mass.

Tips & Warnings

• If you bring small children along, sit near the back of the church, so you can step outside if they get overly anxious or tired.