"Probably the clearest example of the survival of an early goddess into Christian times is Brigid, the great triple goddess of the Celtic Irish. Bridget took religious vows...and was canonized after her death by her adoptive church, which allowed the saint a curious list of attributes, coincidentally identical to those of the earlier goddess." - Excerpt from Goddess & Heroines by Patricia Monaghan
"Brigit is a goddess who survived the onslaught of Christianity. So great was the love of the Irish people for this deity, that they retained all Her characteristics as a Christian saint! They would have none of Christianity if they couldn't keep Brigit. So the Catholic church had no choice but to make her a saint. She is a triple Goddess.This triple aspect of the Goddess is where Christians got the idea of the Trinity." - Brigit, the Goddess Who Would Not Die by Joan Lansberry
"The three-leaf shamrock was originally of "The Three Mothers," as well as the three phases of the moon being her symbols. She shares some attributes with the ancient Greek triple Goddess Hecate. Into the 18th Century, her sacred flame was tended, at first, by priestesses, and later by nuns, when the shrine became a convent, at Kildare, Ireland."- Brigit, the Goddess Who Would Not Die by Joan Lansberry
"Although the Christian religion is monotheistic and all replies to prayers are said to come from the grace of Jehovah, in practice, prayers to Jesus and the Holy Spirit...and prayers to The Virgin Mary have a long history of popular usage dating back to pre-Christian European Goddess-centered paganism." - PATRON SAINTS for various OCCUPATIONS and CONDITIONS compiled by Catherine Yronwode from Catholic Church and Folk Sources
"As in most religions, the honoured dead of Christianity -- real or fictitious men and women known for their piety -- are referred to as "saints." In what some scholars believe was an attempt to appeal to pagans who worshipped various polytheistic pantheons." - PATRON SAINTS for various OCCUPATIONS and CONDITIONS compiled by Catherine Yronwode from Catholic Church and Folk Sources
"Many Catholics address the Virgin Mary with direct prayers and do not ask her to intercede on their behalf with Jehovah, but although this is a common practice, technically speaking, Mary is not a deity..." - PATRON SAINTS for various OCCUPATIONS and CONDITIONS compiled by Catherine Yronwode from Catholic Church and Folk Sources …