Shamrock Trinity Teaching Word Art

"3 in 1" stands for the Holy Trinity Teaching by St. Patrick to the Irish. God is three persons in One.

       Legend credits Patrick with teaching the Irish about the doctrine of the Holy Trinity by showing people the shamrock, a three-leafed plant, using it to illustrate the Christian teaching of three persons in one God. This story first appears in writing in 1726, though it may be older. The shamrock has since become a central symbol for Saint Patrick's Day.

       In pagan Ireland, three was a significant number and the Irish had many triple deities, a fact that may have aided Patrick in his evangelization efforts when he "held up a shamrock and discoursed on the Christian Trinity". Patricia Monaghan says there is no evidence that the shamrock was sacred to the pagan Irish. However, Jack Santino speculates that it may have represented the regenerative powers of nature, and was recast in a Christian context. Icons of St Patrick often depict the saint "with across in one hand and a sprig of shamrocks in the other". Roger Homan writes, "We can perhaps see St Patrick drawing upon the visual concept of the triskele when he uses the shamrock to explain the Trinity".

This craft is quick and easy to make. Above you can see the
faux wood paper and cardboard before the fence was assembled.

       For this word art wall hanging you will need the following supplies: scrap cardboard, cardboard letters, glue, green decorative papers, a faux wood paper and wire/string for hanging the word art in your doll's house.

       Cut up small pieces of cardboard to look like the individual boards on a fence. Wrap these with the faux wood paper. Line them up with a crack between each along one longer piece of cardboard and glue them down. 

       Now cover the numbers 3 and 1, plus the word "in" in bright green paper. Position the phrase "3 in 1" on top of the cardboard fence and glue the phrase down.

       Draw and cut little paper shamrocks using some more decorative green papers. Glue these around the fence in a pleasing design.
       Don't forget to add a string or wire to the backside so that you can hang it inside your dollhouse for St. Patrick's Day.

How did St. Patrick use the shamrock?