"God so loved the world that he gave his only Son" - John 3:16
We are two communities joined together from the parishes of St. George in Paterson, N.J and St. Brendan in Clifton, N.J.
St. Brendan Parish
Our patron saint, Brendan, was an Irish monk, born around 460 in Tralee, County Kerry. According to medieval legend, Brendan embarked on a seven-year voyage through the Atlantic in search of the Garden of Eden. Filled with amazing adventures, Brendan and his band of monks eventually discovered a brightly-lit land with a great river flowing through it. After wandering the land for 40 days in an unsuccessful search for the farthest shore, they filled their ships with precious gems and returned home. Brendan died soon afterward, but his fabulous island became a standard feature on maps for the next millennia.
Brendan founded a monastery in Galway called Cluain Fearta [Clonfert] and his name is associated with Brandon Head in southwest Ireland. Brendan died between 577 and 583. He is the patron saint of boatsmen, mariners, sailors, travelers, watermen, and whales.
Our parish crest bears the cross and boat, symbol of our patron saint, along with the words Cantate Domino [Sing to the Lord] of Psalm 96
St. George Parish
Pictures of St. George usually show him killing a dragon to rescue a beautiful lady. The dragon stands for wickedness. The lady stands for God's holy truth. St. George was a brave martyr who was victorious over the devil.
He was a soldier in the army of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, and he was one of the Emperor's favorite soldiers. Now Diocletian was a pagan and a bitter enemy to the Christians. He put to death every Christian he could find. George was a brave Christian, a real soldier of Christ. Without fear, he went to the Emperor and sternly scolded him for being so cruel. Then he gave up his position in the Roman army. For this he was tortured in many terrible ways and finally beheaded.
So boldly daring and so cheerful was St. George in declaring his Faith and in dying for it that Christians felt courage when they heard about it. Many songs and poems were written about this martyr. Soldiers, especially, have always been devoted to him.
We all have some "dragon" we have to conquer. It might be pride, or anger, or laziness, or greediness, or something else. Let us make sure we fight against these "dragons", with God's help. Then we can call ourselves real soldiers of Christ. .