From Claddagh, Ireland to Florence, AL - A Covenant Journey Part 1

On the western coast of the Emerald Isle there was a small fishing village known as Claddagh. It was nestled where the crystal clear waters of the River Corrib meet Galway Bay. It is said to be the original fishing village of this area and the Claddagh symbol was said to be the symbol of the “Fishing Kings of Claddagh.” Both my family and my husband’s family have roots in Ireland. Jessie’s mother’s maiden name is McCormack and my maiden name is Looney. Both find their origin in Ireland.

As our first born, Jessica, came closer and closer to her adolescent years, the whole betrothal, courtship and purity movement more and more intrigued me. Jessie and I had already determined that dating wasn’t an option for our children and with the coming of Jessica’s move into her adolescent years I felt it was time to make this decision more official.

Purity is clearly a Biblical concept. I wanted there to be a clear and concise agreement between each of our children and us when they reached their adolescent years to maintain their purity.

We all know the importance of covenants in the Bible and I wanted this agreement to be paramount to a covenant. The next logical step would be a Purity Covenant between Jessica, her earthly father and her heavenly Father.

Since I am a definitions type person I decided to look up the definition of purity in the Webster’s 1828 Dictionary on-line. It is no longer available! I could kick myself for putting off that one purchase that I had determined to make last year! Anyway, I searched several other dictionaries that are available on-line and here are the definitions that I found most interesting.

WordNet Vocabulary Helper (Notre Dame) as: sinlessness, innocence, (the state of being free from sin or moral wrong; lacking knowledge of evil).

Freedom from guilt or the defilement of sin; innocence; chastity; as, purity of heart or of life. Freedom from any sinister or improper motives or views. Freedom from foreign idioms, or from barbarous or improper words or phrases; as, purity of style.

I delight in taking definitions apart and applying them to my current subject so let’s just dive right into the first one. Knowing that we are all born into sin, the sinlessness would definitely be out of reach except through the blood of Jesus. Jessica became a Christian at the tender age of six so that is already taken care of, let’s move on to the next word.

A state of innocence is something that we are all born into. What mother hasn’t taken immense delight in looking into the eyes of her newborn, innocent baby? The hard part comes along when you try to maintain that innocence in their eyes as they grow. I grew to know and dread that look of guilt in my tiny child’s eyes when she knew she had been caught doing something wrong. Oh my, it begins so young!

The most important part of this innocence is the “lacking knowledge of evil” part. That is so difficult to maintain in our world. If you have a TV in your home, if you listen to news on the radio, if your family interacts with others – whether it be during routine shopping trips or at church, your children have been exposed to the knowledge of evil. We can’t maintain that “lacking knowledge of evil” but through the matchless grace of God we can combat that knowledge with the Word of God. The depravity of man is a reality but the cleansing blood of Jesus is a cure.

I included Webster’s definition because it seems to elaborate on the one from WordNet. It really drives the point home. This is the definition that all Christian parents are striving for in their children. This really puts into words the desire of our hearts. The only thing lacking in this definition is the power of the Holy Spirit. This definition is totally impossible when applied to a sinful human without the Holy Spirit.

We need that deposit of guarantee in our lives to help us attain this pure state of perfection. This is the only way that we can ever even hope to maintain purity in our children, in their hearts, minds or bodies. We must disciple them to keep their eyes on the cross and protect them from outside influences that would lead them astray before they are fully trained for the battle that awaits them. The book of Psalms talks about our children being arrows in the hand of a warrior. Don’t send your arrows out to do battle before they are fully prepared!

I had heard and read about Purity Covenants and knew that this was something that answered the need in our family. I wanted to design a Purity Covenant that would be uniquely applicable for our family. Each of us as parents possesses a God-given vision for our own family. This vision will guide you in the design of a Purity Covenant for your family. I already had the vision and the conviction. So, I turned to my Bible and began to dig for just the right mix.

Through hours of study and prayer I finally found just what I was looking for. God began to open doors to me that I had never even known were there! Oh the awesome riches that can be found in His Word! This was another instance of looking back over familiar verses and finding new meaning in them. God is just so good!

Each night when Jessie came home from work I had new treasures to share with him. For instance, when was the last time you did a study on the covenants of the Bible? I couldn’t fathom instituting a covenant into your family if I had never researched God’s covenants that He left as an example!

Another word study that I delighted in was on the word purity. Did you know that the actual word purity is only used twice in the Bible and both times in the book of 1st Timothy? That could have been a very short study if I had not branched off on the word pure.

As the big day approached, Jessie made a date with Jessica. This was her first date, and with her Daddy, too. Just that thought was a source of delight for me! Now all we needed was a ring. This led to more fascinating research, this time over the Internet. We wanted a ring that was rich in symbolism and would be of heirloom quality. We wanted something that would be delicate enough for Jessica’s small hands. We wanted something that would reflect our Irish heritage. It had to be just right.

One night Jessie came home from work and the first words he heard out of my mouth were “Eureka! I’ve found it, and its gold!” Since we wanted something that would reflect our heritage I had searched websites that featured Irish jewelry. On www.shopirish.com they have rings of all sorts, among many other wonderful things. If you are interested in Irish things, this website is a must for you!

There was one ring in particular that really caught my eye; it is a Claddagh Ring. This ring has two hands framing a heart and the heart is topped with a crown, two intertwined lines formed the band of the ring. This ring seemed to be made to order for our purpose. What could be more perfect?

The Claddagh ring itself has an interesting history behind it. Richard Ioyes (or Joyce), a native of Galway, Ireland was captured by Algerian pirates while on a voyage to the West Indies. He was sold as a slave to a Moorish goldsmith who trained him in the art of metalworking. Released sometime around 1690 at the behest of the King of England, Ioyes returned to Galway where he created the Claddagh ring. Earliest examples of the ring date back to the 1700's and are stamped with the initials RI. I found this interesting history at this website - http://www.metalsmith.com/hist.html

The Claddagh (pronounced CLAW-DA) is a symbol consisting of two hands surrounding a heart topped with a crown. The Claddagh ring was first exchanged as a betrothal ring. It became very popular throughout the County of Galway. It was customary for the ring to be worn as a wedding or betrothal ring and became an heirloom handed down from one generation to the next. There was even an expression that accompanied the gift of the Claddagh ring. “With these hands I give you my heart and crown it with love.” Isn’t that sweet? This ring was tailor made for our purpose! Once again God had directed me in my studies and research.

It is from this last folk legend that we chose to draw our own symbolism that would fit the circumstances that we chose this ring for. The heart at the center represents Jessica’s own heart. The hands are those of her Daddy protecting her heart. The crown is a symbol of her royalty. As a child of God, the one true King, she is a princess and thus will one day receive a crown of glory to cast at the feet of Jesus her Saviour.

In the next issue I will continue our story with a description of our day leading up to “the date,” just what transpired during that date, a copy of the Purity Covenant that we created and my own special time with Jessica after that date.

This article is copyrighted by Mary E. Woodis. If you would like to print this article in whole or part in your publication please contact Jessie and Mary Woodis at jessiew@hiwaay.net for permission and more details.


	back Crooked Pines Ministries \| home back to Articles by Mary E. Woodis Jessica's Story: From Claddagh, Ireland to Florence, AL Part 1: A Covenant Journey On the western coast of the Emerald Isle there was a small fishing village known as Claddagh. It was nestled where the crystal clear waters of the River Corrib meet Galway Bay. It is said to be the original fishing village of this area and the Claddagh symbol was said to be the symbol of the “Fishing Kings of Claddagh.” Both my family and my husband’s family have roots in Ireland. Jessie’s mother’s maiden name is McCormack and my maiden name is Looney. Both find their origin in Ireland. As our first born, Jessica, came closer and closer to her adolescent years, the whole betrothal, courtship and purity movement more and more intrigued me. Jessie and I had already determined that dating wasn’t an option for our children and with the coming of Jessica’s move into her adolescent years I felt it was time to make this decision more official. Scripture tells us, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8), “…whatsoever things are pure, …think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8), “…keep thyself pure.” (1 Timothy 5:22), “Seeing ye have purified your souls …see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.” (1 Peter 1:22) Purity is clearly a Biblical concept. I wanted there to be a clear and concise agreement between each of our children and us when they reached their adolescent years to maintain their purity. We all know the importance of covenants in the Bible and I wanted this agreement to be paramount to a covenant. The next logical step would be a Purity Covenant between Jessica, her earthly father and her heavenly Father. Since I am a definitions type person I decided to look up the definition of purity in the Webster’s 1828 Dictionary on-line. It is no longer available! I could kick myself for putting off that one purchase that I had determined to make last year! Anyway, I searched several other dictionaries that are available on-line and here are the definitions that I found most interesting. Purity is defined at: WordNet Vocabulary Helper (Notre Dame) as: sinlessness, innocence, (the state of being free from sin or moral wrong; lacking knowledge of evil). Webster’s Revised, Unabridged Dictionary as: Freedom from guilt or the defilement of sin; innocence; chastity; as, purity of heart or of life. Freedom from any sinister or improper motives or views. Freedom from foreign idioms, or from barbarous or improper words or phrases; as, purity of style. I delight in taking definitions apart and applying them to my current subject so let’s just dive right into the first one. Knowing that we are all born into sin, the sinlessness would definitely be out of reach except through the blood of Jesus. Jessica became a Christian at the tender age of six so that is already taken care of, let’s move on to the next word. A state of innocence is something that we are all born into. What mother hasn’t taken immense delight in looking into the eyes of her newborn, innocent baby? The hard part comes along when you try to maintain that innocence in their eyes as they grow. I grew to know and dread that look of guilt in my tiny child’s eyes when she knew she had been caught doing something wrong. Oh my, it begins so young! The most important part of this innocence is the “lacking knowledge of evil” part. That is so difficult to maintain in our world. If you have a TV in your home, if you listen to news on the radio, if your family interacts with others – whether it be during routine shopping trips or at church, your children have been exposed to the knowledge of evil. We can’t maintain that “lacking knowledge of evil” but through the matchless grace of God we can combat that knowledge with the Word of God. The depravity of man is a reality but the cleansing blood of Jesus is a cure. I included Webster’s definition because it seems to elaborate on the one from WordNet. It really drives the point home. This is the definition that all Christian parents are striving for in their children. This really puts into words the desire of our hearts. The only thing lacking in this definition is the power of the Holy Spirit. This definition is totally impossible when applied to a sinful human without the Holy Spirit. We need that deposit of guarantee in our lives to help us attain this pure state of perfection. This is the only way that we can ever even hope to maintain purity in our children, in their hearts, minds or bodies. We must disciple them to keep their eyes on the cross and protect them from outside influences that would lead them astray before they are fully trained for the battle that awaits them. The book of Psalms talks about our children being arrows in the hand of a warrior. Don’t send your arrows out to do battle before they are fully prepared! I had heard and read about Purity Covenants and knew that this was something that answered the need in our family. I wanted to design a Purity Covenant that would be uniquely applicable for our family. Each of us as parents possesses a God-given vision for our own family. This vision will guide you in the design of a Purity Covenant for your family. I already had the vision and the conviction. So, I turned to my Bible and began to dig for just the right mix. Through hours of study and prayer I finally found just what I was looking for. God began to open doors to me that I had never even known were there! Oh the awesome riches that can be found in His Word! This was another instance of looking back over familiar verses and finding new meaning in them. God is just so good! Each night when Jessie came home from work I had new treasures to share with him. For instance, when was the last time you did a study on the covenants of the Bible? I couldn’t fathom instituting a covenant into your family if I had never researched God’s covenants that He left as an example! Another word study that I delighted in was on the word purity. Did you know that the actual word purity is only used twice in the Bible and both times in the book of 1st Timothy? That could have been a very short study if I had not branched off on the word pure. As the big day approached, Jessie made a date with Jessica. This was her first date, and with her Daddy, too. Just that thought was a source of delight for me! Now all we needed was a ring. This led to more fascinating research, this time over the Internet. We wanted a ring that was rich in symbolism and would be of heirloom quality. We wanted something that would be delicate enough for Jessica’s small hands. We wanted something that would reflect our Irish heritage. It had to be just right. One night Jessie came home from work and the first words he heard out of my mouth were “Eureka! I’ve found it, and its gold!” Since we wanted something that would reflect our heritage I had searched websites that featured Irish jewelry. On www.shopirish.com they have rings of all sorts, among many other wonderful things. If you are interested in Irish things, this website is a must for you! There was one ring in particular that really caught my eye; it is a Claddagh Ring. This ring has two hands framing a heart and the heart is topped with a crown, two intertwined lines formed the band of the ring. This ring seemed to be made to order for our purpose. What could be more perfect? The Claddagh ring itself has an interesting history behind it. Richard Ioyes (or Joyce), a native of Galway, Ireland was captured by Algerian pirates while on a voyage to the West Indies. He was sold as a slave to a Moorish goldsmith who trained him in the art of metalworking. Released sometime around 1690 at the behest of the King of England, Ioyes returned to Galway where he created the Claddagh ring. Earliest examples of the ring date back to the 1700's and are stamped with the initials RI. I found this interesting history at this website - http://www.metalsmith.com/hist.html The Claddagh (pronounced CLAW-DA) is a symbol consisting of two hands surrounding a heart topped with a crown. The Claddagh ring was first exchanged as a betrothal ring. It became very popular throughout the County of Galway. It was customary for the ring to be worn as a wedding or betrothal ring and became an heirloom handed down from one generation to the next. There was even an expression that accompanied the gift of the Claddagh ring. “With these hands I give you my heart and crown it with love.” Isn’t that sweet? This ring was tailor made for our purpose! Once again God had directed me in my studies and research. There are many folk legends about the Claddagh. (1) It symbolizes love (heart), friendship/faith (hands) and loyalty (crown). (2) Two hands joined together in love and crowned by the Glory of Christ. (3) The Crown to the Father, the left-hand to the Son, and the right-hand the Holy Ghost. This explanation is directly correlative to the shamrock, one of the earliest symbols of the Holy Trinity among the Irish. It is from this last folk legend that we chose to draw our own symbolism that would fit the circumstances that we chose this ring for. The heart at the center represents Jessica’s own heart. The hands are those of her Daddy protecting her heart. The crown is a symbol of her royalty. As a child of God, the one true King, she is a princess and thus will one day receive a crown of glory to cast at the feet of Jesus her Saviour. In the next issue I will continue our story with a description of our day leading up to “the date,” just what transpired during that date, a copy of the Purity Covenant that we created and my own special time with Jessica after that date. Follow this link to Part II This article is copyrighted by Mary E. Woodis. If you would like to print this article in whole or part in your publication please contact Jessie and Mary Woodis at jessiew@hiwaay.net for permission and more details. Page last updated February 2003 Back to top