Shrine of St. Patrick’s envelope to honor a town founder

The St. Patrick’s Day envelope and special postage cancellation have been a long-standing tradition for Shrine of St. Patrick parish and the small village of St. Patrick in northeastern Missouri.

This year’s specially-designed envelope honors one of the founders of St. Patrick, Rose Simpson Riney.

Many settlers in America moved westward from the East Coast to Kentucky, and that was the case in the Simpson and Riney families.

Settling in Washington County, Kentucky, in the 1780s, both families relocated to Sangamon County, Illinois, in 1829.

Richard Riney and Rose Simpson got married there July 19, 1830.

They moved to Clark County, Missouri, in 1833 and settled near a Native American village just south of St. Patrick.

They were the parents of eight children and lived there for the remainder of their lives.

Other settlers soon arrived, and a small log church was built around 1834 to accommodate the growing population.

Richard died on Dec. 18, 1858, and Rose died exactly 50 years later.

Their earthly remains are at rest in the St. Patrick parish cemetery.

Rose’s obituary states that she helped with the construction of the original log church by tying logs together with her own hands. It also notes that she was the great-niece to the famous frontiersman, Daniel Boone, on her mother’s side.

That relation has been difficult to document due to the fact that the County Courthouse in Kentucky was destroyed by fire, along with many marriage and birth records.

Postal cancellation

Shrine of St. Patrick parish, working in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Service, has been developing a special postmark for St. Patrick’s Day every year since 1979.

This year’s special cancellation replicates the Claddagh Ring, symbolizing love, loyalty and friendship.

The special cancellation postmark can be applied from March 1 through 31.

The St. Patrick envelope includes the envelope, special Postal cancellation, postage stamp, insert, and cachet stamping “St. Patrick, Mo. The Only One in the World,” for the cost of $2 each.

Please send your request for envelopes to the Shrine of St. Patrick, P.O. Box 34, St. Patrick, MO 63466. Include your check, along with your list of recipients, and the ladies from the Shrine of St. Patrick will address and mail on the date you require.

“Who doesn’t like receiving mail?” stated St. Patrick parishion