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Oklahoma City
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Every little leprechaun born on St. Patrick’s Day at Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City will be dressed for the occasion.
Newborns arriving March 17 will receive a green onesie that celebrates Mercy’s Irish roots.
“They’re sized a little large to make sure our biggest newborns can wear them and littler newborns can grow into them,” said Carol Beecher, Mercy manager of mother-baby services and women’s education. “But either way, parents and visitors will have to wait a day to pinch those little baby legs. The green protects them on St. Patrick’s Day.”
The design includes a shamrock and reads, “Born at Mercy on St. Paddy’s Day.” Catherine McAuley, Mercy’s foundress, opened the first House of Mercy in Dublin in 1827, making the 1,500-year-old holiday celebrating Ireland’s patron saint a special one at Mercy hospitals.
Mercy’s downloadable pregnancy guides have everything expecting parents need to know to prepare for their own little lucky charm.
Mercy and St. Patrick
The Sisters of Mercy came to the United States from Ireland in 1843. They arrived in St. Louis in 1871 and eventually established hospitals throughout the Midwest.
Catholicism is deeply intertwined with Irish history. As he ministered to early Christians in Ireland, St. Patrick is credited with using the three-leaf shamrock as a symbol for the Holy Trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The clover’s three leaves are also associated with faith, hope and love.
“Joy has always been an intrinsic part of the Sisters of Mercy’s work, and it’s no different in our hospital,” said Beecher. “These fun onesies are an extension of that joy, and they allow us to share our Irish heritage with the new parents and their newborns who will always cherish March 17 from now on.”
St. Patrick Facts
- Not Originally Green: The holiday was originally associated with the color blue in medieval times but later shifted to green, possibly influenced by Ireland’s nickname as the “Emerald Isle,” the country’s lush green landscapes, the green shamrock and the green in the Irish flag.
- St. Patrick Wasn’t Irish: Although he’s Ireland’s patron saint, he was born in Britain.
- Global Celebration: Despite its Irish origin, the day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival and on every continent.
- Lenten Reprieve: The holiday falls during Lent, a 40-day period of spiritual reflection between Ash Wednesday and Easter, but Lenten dietary restrictions are traditionally lifted for the day.
- Largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade: New York City’s parade attracts millions of participants and spectators each year.
- Irish Ancestry: Irish roots are the second-most commonly reported in the U.S. (after German) with some 35 million Americans claiming Irish heritage.
- Patty or Paddy? Either is correct, but St. Paddy’s Day is more popular and came from shortening the Irish spelling of Patrick, which is Pádraig.
Read more about St. Patrick from St. Patrick Catholic Church in Wentzville, Missouri, a parish in the Archdiocese of St. Louis where Mercy is headquartered today.
