The following article was written by my aunt about the little village in the United States where my great-great-great-grandparents settled.

The story of how an elaborate shrine came to be located in a tiny village in the middle of North America is a testament to one man's faith and perseverance.

The town of St Patrick was founded in 1833 by my great-great-grandparents, Richard and Rose Riney. The place had been known as North Santa Fe.

Then, in 1854, the local Catholic priest sold 10 acres of church land to settlers in an effort to create a town he wanted to call Marysville. But when he applied for a post office designation, he learned that the name was already taken.

So, the priest selected the name St Patrick, apparently because the saint had passed through the priest's home of County Donegal, Ireland, centuries ago.

In 1860, parishioners built a large brick church that replaced a log structure. Legend holds that local bricklayers wouldn't use the homemade bricks that had been made specifically for the church, saying they were too soft. So commercially made bricks were bought.

The homemade bricks were used instead to build the rectory -- which stood for nearly 100 years! By contrast, the church walls were crumbling by the turn of the century, spurring construction of a white frame church in 1903.

Later, in 1935, Father Francis O'Duignan came to St Patrick. He had long dreamed of building a shrine to St Patrick to thank Americans for caring for so many Irish immigrants. And what better place than St Patrick, Missouri?

Fr O'Duignan knew that building a shrine would be a difficult task for his small rural parish. So he started a modest fund-raising campaign based on the hope that people would want letters postmarked from St Patrick, Missouri on St Patrick's Day.

In 1936, he designed a green shamrock cachet, stamped it on 500 letters that explained his plan and mailed them, thus starting the postmark tradition.

Fr O'Duignan's plan worked. Frequently, the letters people sent to have postmarked from St Patrick were accompanied by donations.

And the postal tradition has grown over the decades. Last year, the St Patrick Post Office hand-stamped over 17,000 letters with a special St Patrick's Day postmark. That's quite remarkable when you consider that the little town has only 14 residents!

It took Fr O'Duignan more than 20 years to collect the $250,000 needed for the shrine -- no small accomplishment, considering that his first Sunday collection in 1935 was just $1.72!

The shrine is fashioned after the St Patrick's Memorial Church of Four Masters in Donegal. Its Celtic design features a semicircular recessed doorway, a central rose-shaped stained glass window, Celtic crosses, a round bell tower and 37 stained glass windows made in Dublin.

The shrine is clad in granite from Lannon, Wisconsin and the interior marble came from Italy and Spain. The stained glass rose window above the main doors is the most impressive feature. It portrays St Patrick in the center, surrounded by symbols of the four provinces of Ireland -- Ulster, Leinster, Munster and Connaught.

A flagstone from Ireland is embedded in the floor in front of the altar because Fr O'Duignan wanted to stand on a piece of Ireland when he said Mass. A relic of St Patrick is in the altar stone, and a museum honors the church's history.

The Shrine of St Patrick -- a little bit of Ireland in the northeast-Missouri hills -- is now known all over the world. It represents the fulfillment of an Irishman's dream and a living memorial to the faith of Irish immigrants.

You can order a specially designed envelope from the Shrine of St Patrick, with all proceeds going to the Shrine. For more information write to: Shrine of St Patrick, Box 34, St Patrick, Missouri 63466, USA. If you want the shamrock cachet on your envelope, please mail your request to the same address.

Stamped, self-addressed envelopes requesting the special pictorial cancellation may be sent to: Postmaster, St Patrick, MO 63466, USA. There is no charge for the cancellation.

Tours and visitors are welcome all year; gift items are also available with all proceeds going directly to the Shrine. For more information, directions, or free Shrine tours (by appt. only) write or call: Ellen Krueger (660) 754-6028. For information on Irish gift items, contact Bobbi of Touch of Ireland Gift and Craft at the same phone number.

St Patrick, Missouri, USA
Visit the official website for the village of St Patrick