In this podcast in the Church of Ireland Council for Mission’s Mission Matters series, Rev Johnny McFarland talks to Rev Sean McClafferty who, with his fellow deacon Rev Brian Robinson, made history in the summer of 2023 by becoming Derry and Raphoe’s first Ordained Local Ministers (OLMs).
Here they discuss Sean’s missionary outreach in the Sperrins, where he serves in the Ardstraw Group of Parishes.
You’re welcome to listen in to their conversation at the link below.
In the next in its Mission Matters podcast series, the Church of Ireland Council for Mission shares an interview with Rev Johnny Lowden, a curate in Glendermott parish, in Londonderry’s Waterside.
In his conversation with Rev Johnny McFarland, Johnny talks about his path to ordained ministry, the impact of his missionary work in central Africa, and explains how last became first in his journey to Glendermott.You’re welcome to listen in at the link below.
Rev Melanie Sloan was ordained as a priest by the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Andrew Forster, at a Service on Sunday 23rd June in All Saints Clooney where she will serve her curacy under the guidance of the Rector, Rev Canon David McBeth. Her fiancé, Mark Niblock (whom she’ll be getting married to in just over a week’s time and who read the Old Testament reading), and her two sons, Josh and Finn, were in All Saints to see the ‘laying on of hands’ by Bishop Andrew and other members of the clergy.
The new Curate Assistant, who was ordained to the diaconate last September, had been serving since then in St Patrick’s Parish in Broughshane, many of whose congregation made the 45-mile trip to Clooney for this evening’s Service.
Their journey can’t have been as eventful, though, as Bishop Andrew’s earlier in the day when – after preaching at an anniversary service in Holy Trinity Church in Dunfanaghy – a Garda motorcycle escort facilitated his passage through heavy international rally traffic to help him get to the church in Londonderry on time. The Bishop said that as he drove past the Mount Errigal Hotel, flanked by Garda outriders, he thought that some in the crowd of spectators mistook him for the winner of the rally.
In his sermon, the Bishop told Rev Sloan that it was a special night when they celebrated her and celebrated the God who called her to ministry. “At first you were reticent,” he said, “but you’ve seen how God has equipped, and I’m sure all these people in the front row – and many of you [in the congregation] – will say that God is able, that whenever we face new challenges, new things – difficult things – God is always able. And Melanie, he is able for this next step and he will bless you in it.
“I’m so glad that tonight we celebrate both a milestone in your personal discipleship and also a signpost of the ministry that lies ahead for you.”
Bishop Andrew assured the new curate that All Saints Clooney was a great parish in which to learn and be nurtured. The best advice he could give her, he said, was to pray and to keep praying. “And whenever you feel exhausted in prayer, pray again. And keep praying. Pray for yourself. Pray for your family. Pray for the people you serve. Keep praying. And whenever you feel you want to give up on prayer, keep praying. A prayerful pastor is a pastor with the love of God in their heart for their people and that has to be the ambition of any pastor, to be a prayerful pastor; and, in fact, more than that, it has to be the ambition of any disciple and follower of Jesus Christ to be a prayerful disciple and follower of Jesus Christ. Paul tell us [in Philippians 4:6], ‘in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.'”
Reflecting on the Gospel reading, from John 20 v 19-23 [in which the resurrected Jesus appeared to the frightened disciples, breathed on them and they received the Holy Spirit], Bishop Andrew said the disciples were overjoyed when they the Lord showed them his hands and his side.
“It’s a bit gruesome, isn’t it? He doesn’t come in in resurrection splendour or in a sort of transfigured glory, or in the first hints of the ascension. He comes in as flesh and blood and says, ‘Look at my hands and look at my side’.”
Bishop Andrew told Rev Melanie that the world needed to hear the message of the cross again and again and again. “Jesus’ wounds are his credentials to a suffering world. Jesus’ wounds are his credentials of his love for you. Jesus’ wounds are the credentials that Melanie will preach of and will speak into your hearts and your lives. Jesus’ wounds are what we carry with us to the bedside and to the graveside, to the hearth, to the home, because he understands our pain, our sorrow, because he has experienced it. And you, Melanie, as you minister to God’s people, Jesus comes to you, he gives you peace, he shows you his scars, and he is able to equip you to serve him in all those circumstances.”
Bishop Andrew was assisted in Sunday evening’s service by the Archdeacon of Derry, Ven. Robert Miller, and by Canon McBeth. The readings were delivered by Rev Melanie’s fiancé, Mark Niblock; the Rector of St Patrick’s, Broughshane, Rev Dr Andrew Campbell; and All Saints’ Parish Reader George Keys. The litany was led by All Saints’ Parish Reader Jack Harrison. Music was provided by the parish’s choir and by its praise band.
Afterwards, the congregation enjoyed refreshments and speeches at the nearby All Saints’ Centre. There, Bishop Andrew drew attention to another person present, former Deputy Mayor Mary Hamilton, who was recently awarded an MBE in the King’s recent birthday honours. “Mary is a former councillor here and a great servant of the whole community,” the Bishop said. “I – and all the parishioners here – were delighted to hear of your MBE, Mary.”
Bishop Andrew thanked the team at All Saints for providing “a great supper” and Canon McBeth for organising the service so well and “for making sure tonight was such a joyful and wonderful occasion, especially for Melanie.” He also thanked those who had travelled from Ballymena and Broughshane. “It means a lot to Melanie,” he said, “but it also means a lot to us.”
The new priest described the evening as a bitter-sweet experience. “Tonight was a monumental night for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was just fantastic. It’s a real privilege to be here; it’s a privilege to be joining you all, to serve in this parish, and the service was joy-filled from the get-go, so I feel really honoured.
“It’s bitter-sweet, tonight, because I have a lot of my friends from Broughshane and Ballymena who’ve come to wish me well but to say goodbye, yet I have the excitement of coming alongside you guys, now, in All Saints Clooney and getting to know you and to walk alongside you like I did getting to know the guys in Broughshane and my friends in Ballymena, too.
“I’m really excited to be here. I know I’m kind of ‘here but not’ because I’m getting married and going on honeymoon, so you’ll have to wait a wee while. But I promise when I come back I’ll be so well-rested and I just cannot wait to get started.”
The rain held off today (Sunday 30th June 2024) for Derry & Raphoe Youth’s annual barbecue at the Summer Madness festival, which is taking place in Portglenone again this year.
The event is Ireland’s largest Christian youth festival and our team of leaders are looking after around 20 young people, from seven different churches in the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe.
This year’s theme is ‘Living Life on Purpose’, with a strong signal to young people that what they choose to do with their lives matters, and that there’s no better choice they can make than to choose Jesus Christ.The festival takes place over five days – from Friday until Tuesday – and there’s a huge variety of activities to keep youthful minds occupied. These include seminars, workshops, sports, gamesand gigs, and the highlight each day is the worship session in the Big Top, which draws hundreds to sing and pray together.
Today’s Derry & Raphoe Youth barbecue saw our Diocesan Youth Officer, Claire Hinchliff, step up to the plate – well, the grill, actually – and she was ably assisted by Pauline Beadle who took care of the vegetarian options on the menu. The chairman of D.R.Y., Rev Peter Ferguson, was there to lend a hand, literally, while no diocesan barbecue would be complete without a visit by C.I.Y.D.’s National Youth Officer, Simon Henry, who duly obliged by dropping in, just in time for lunch.
A Service of Thanksgiving was held in Holy Trinity Parish Church in Dunfanaghy on Sunday afternoon (23rd June 2024) to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the church’s consecration. It was led by the Group’s Rector, Rev David Skuce, and the sermon was preached by Bishop Andrew Forster.
The Bishop remarked on the faith and courage of the parishioners who built the church a century and a half ago on a site given by Stewarts of Arts. Designed by the celebrated engineer and architect John Lanyon, the work was completed in 1873 and the church was consecrated the following year.
Bishop Andrew described this as a time of uncertainty and fragility for the Church of Ireland, which had been disestablished five years earlier. He praised the confidence of those early parishioners, and others elsewhere in the Diocese, who – freed by disestablishment – embarked on the construction of church buildings, focusing on what they were really called to be – the people of God.
The Bishop invited the congregation to visualise five picture postcards of what the New Testament said the church could be like – the people of God; the body of Christ; the family of God; the Holy Temple; and the bride of Christ – using the themes to illustrate our calling to be good followers of Jesus and our responsibility to leave a good legacy for future generations.
(Photos courtesy of Moses Alcorn)
There were joyful scenes in Christ Church Derry on Sunday evening (16th June 2024) both during and after the Service of Ordination in which three new OLM Deacons were ordained for the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe – Rev Linda Hughes, Rev Eleanor Craig and Rev Gillian Millar.
Relatives and friends of all three women – including many supporters from their respective parishes – were in church to see the laying on of hands by the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Andrew Forster.
“I know that this evening,” the Bishop said, “each of us will have a deep sense of both celebration and prayerfulness – celebrating the journey that God brings us in life and celebration as we see our candidate deacons take this very important step in their own discipleship and this very important step in their ministry.
“It is a joy for me to ordain any time,” Bishop Andrew said. “t’s a joy for me to ordain Eleanor and Gillian and Linda this evening. I’ve been part of their journey towards ordination and it’s been such a blessing for me to see three children of God open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, open to the prompting of the Church and open to the call of God in their lives. We want you to be blessed tonight because you’re a blessing to us, and we hope and pray that tonight will be really very, very special and that it will live long in your memory.”
The sermon was preached by Rev Dr Patrick McGlinchey, lecturer in Missiology and Pastoral Studies at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, who posed the questions: what was really needed in order to be ready for ordination; and what were the true credentials of the ordained person?
Dr McGlinchey suggested that the answers could be found in the first Scripture reading (Isaiah6 vs 1-18). “Even though thousands of years separated Isaiah in Jerusalem from Gillian, Eleanor and Linda, there are some interesting meeting points because as you read the story you realize that Isaiah had three unique credentials for his ministry and he had been called to exercise these traits to fulfill what God wanted him to do.”
The preacher said God wanted all three candidate deacons to grow in and to develop in their ministry. Trait number one, he said, was that Isaiah had a big vision of God, which he had gained from a literal vision. Isaiah discovered that God was real and it was this vision which probably sustained Isaiah’s entire prophetic ministry. “Whatever else is needed for ministry, we all need this compelling vision of a God who is real, a God who’s not dead but alive, a God who cares deeply for people to whom we minister and, ‘soon-to-be deacons’, a God who cares deeply for you.”
Dr McGlinchey said, though, that the vision of a great God brought with it a painful sense of our own inadequacy. Any who were called to ministry desperately needed an awareness of their own inadequacy so that they would truly rely on God alone. “You are not ready for ministry, you’re not qualified, you don’t have the credentials if you think that you are already up to the job…It’s when you recognize that you cannot do this task on your own strength that you truly will rely on the Lord.”
“For ordination you need a big vision of God; a sense of our inadequacy and our need of God; and finally a willingness to be available to him.” Dr McGlinchey shared with the new deacons what he referred to as a recipe – with only three ingredients – for sustaining that level of commitment in their ministry. The very first was being close to Jesus. The second was to preach the Gospel. And ingredient number three was to get to know and come to love the people to whom they were called to minister. “Your people will not care how much you know until they know how much you care. So, it’s that challenge to get alongside the people, to really get to know them, to pray for them by name, to be available for them, to be present to them, and as you do that you will be fulfilling the calling that you’ve been given.”
After the sermon, the candidate deacons stood before Bishop Andrew and answered a series of questions as part of the Rite of Ordination. The candidates then knelt before the Bishop and he placed his hands on their heads, asking God to pour out his Holy Spirit upon his servants. The new deacons were each vested with a stole by the Archdeacon of Derry, Ven. Robert Miller, and presented with a bible as a sign of their God-given authority to proclaim His word. The three women were then acclaimed by the clergy present and by the congregation.
The readings for Sunday evening’s service were delivered by Daniel Millar, Valerie Ferguson and Anne Heaslett. The music was provided by the Christ Church Choir, accompanied by Ben McGonigle on the organ and piano.
The Aghanloo, Balteagh, Carrick and Tamlaghtard Group of Parishes welcomed Bishop Andrew to St Lugha’s Parish Church, on Sunday morning (16th June 2024), for a special service at which gifts from the Church Wardens and members of the congregation were dedicated to the glory of God.
The service was led by the Rector, Rev Rhys Jones, who began by welcoming Bishop Andrew and his wife, Heather, to the service of worship, and by leading the congregation in prayer for the Bishop and his family.
During the service, a number of gifts were dedicated including new Advent and Lenten cloths in memory of all those who died in conflict; new Christmas and Easter colours in loving memory of Davey Moore; Pentecost cloths in memory of Robert Douglas; Trinity colours in memory of Dorothy and Rae King; and Communion linens on behalf of the Mullan and Smyth families. A new alms plate was gifted on behalf of the parishioners and a commemorative plaque was dedicated to the Glory of God and the honour of all our service personnel.
Also, during the service, a presentation was made on behalf of Rev Rhys and the Parish to Mrs Margaret Mullan, in recognition of her 12 years’ service as the Rector’s Warden.
Today’s Scripture readings – from 1 Samuel 15 v 34–35 and 16 1–13, and Mark 4 v 26–34 – related how David, Jesse’s youngest son who had been out “keeping the sheep”, was chosen as the Lord’s anointed one; and how “a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth…when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants”.
Bishop Andrew focused on these readings in his sermon, telling the congregation that each of us in the family of God had a role to play. “What is Jesus saying [in the Parable of the Mustard Seed]? He’s saying that small things matter. Small things are important. That Jesus Christ takes the small things that we offer him and uses them to build his kingdom: the kind word, the loving action, the faltering prayer – Jesus uses it.
“The small things matter,” Bishop Andrew said, “and it means that each of us, even if we feel inadequate, even if we feel we’re not like this one or that one, the small things – the little seed offered to God – he takes it and does something remarkable through it.”
Bishop Andrew said the parishioners of the Balteagh Group were blessed with four of the most picturesque parishes in the Diocese. Addressing the congregation in St Lugha’s, he said he wanted to thank them for the way they looked after their church and invested of their energy and care and love for the church.
However, the Bishop told the congregation that while the presence of God wasn’t bound up in a building, there was something about coming into a prayerful place – where generations had prayed and sung and worshipped and loved and cared for each other – that became really precious. “It becomes something that for you, and maybe generations of your family, this place – or Balteagh or Carrick or Tamlaghtard – have become really precious to you. And it’s more than simply bricks and mortar, stone and plaster; it’s a place that encapsulates for you what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and to serve him.”
The Bishop thanked the parishioners for being present and ready to play their part in God’s family. “I want to thank you if – humbly, falteringly at times, maybe even frightened at times – that we’re prepared to take the step of faith, to follow Jesus and serve him because, let me tell you, it’s the most wonderful thing in the world to be a follower of Jesus Christ and you and I are called to follow him.”
Music for today’s service was provided by the Aghanloo Combined Choir which comprised members of all four churches in the group and the wider community. After the service, the congregation moved to a nearby gazebo – erected in the church grounds specially for the occasion – to enjoy refreshments and fellowship.
St Columb’s Cathedral’s long-awaited and eagerly-anticipated Festival of Cloaks was officially opened on Friday evening, June 14th 2024, by the Bishop of Meath and Kildare, Most Rev Pat Storey, at a ceremony attended by the Lord Lieutenant for the County Borough of Londonderry, Mr Ian Crowe MBE.
The Dean of Derry, Very Rev Raymond Stewart, told those present that he believed nothing like the festival had ever been held in Northern Ireland before. Speaking, he said, as a son of the Diocese of Kildare, he was delighted that the legacy of St Brigid in spreading the Gospel all across Ireland was now being recognised.
Opening the festival, Bishop Storey said it was a delight to be back in Derry-Londonderry and back in St Columb’s Cathedral. The Bishop shared something of the history of St Brigid – the patroness saint of Ireland.
“What’s a cloak for?”, Bishop Storey asked. “A cloak is to protect, to keep warm and to cover. And the legend around Saint Brigid is that there’s room for everyone under Brigid’s cloak. No one is beyond the Good News of Jesus Christ.
“Like Brigid, we’re alert to every opportunity for every single person on the planet. Brigid was known in particular for outreach in giving to the poor; for praying for healing and for caring for the planet. But most of all she made the most of her history and heritage of Christian faith. Brigid was centered on Christian faith. That is what she was for. That is what she felt her vocation was. So she acted and spoke only to share Good News.
“That legacy still exists in my cathedral – in St Brigid’s Cathedral in Kildare – in this cathedral, and in the South we even get a bank holiday now in the name of St Brigid, which is almost the best thing of all. So, tonight, if you can be anything, be a Brigid. It is with great delight that I officially open the Festival of Cloaks.”
The Bishop of Derry, Most Rev Dr Donal McKeown, said the wonderful range of 78 cloaks on display reflected the “marvellous diversity” in our community and on this island. “I hope this will enable us to cherish our diversity, to see that as a richness and not as something that divides or threatens us. I hope it enables us to be proud of our past – recognising the rubble that’s there and seeing it as an opportunity to build a foundation for our wonderful young people who deserve better than earlier generations ever obtained or received.
“This is a very imaginative approach,” Bishop McKeown said, “to sharing a range of creativity but I hope it will enable all of us to look at the past and find a shared past – in its multiplicity of identities a shared past – because once we have a shared past, our spiritual intelligence through the grace of God will enable us to look forward to a shared future.”
As Bishop Andrew Forster moved forward to address those present, he was surprised by an unexpected rendition of ‘Happy birthday’, followed by a round of applause. Visibly taken aback, the Bishop pointed out that he wasn’t alone in having something to celebrate: Malcolm and Irene Hewitt, who were seated near the back of the church, were celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary – which prompted another round of applause, this time for the happy couple.
Bishop Andrew praised the organisers of the festival which he said would enhance the experience of visitors to the city throughout the summer.
The Bishop said there were frequent mentions of ‘robes’ in the Bible but he said Jesus talked about a ‘cloak’ in chapter 5 of Matthew’s Gospel, when he said if someone wants your tunic, give them your cloak. “One of the most important parts of the teaching of Jesus is to open our hearts to the generosity of God – the generosity of God in the giving of Himself and of ourselves to others, because those verses talk about that.
“There’s a physical generosity – somebody wants your tunic, give them your tunic as well, they’re going to need your cloak – but there’s a generosity of spirit, isn’t there? There’s a generosity of spirit that looks on someone who is perhaps in need and wants to go the extra mile to help. There’s a generosity of spirit that says to those who are struggling that we want to help. There’s a generosity of spirit that sees the other as part of the family of God and part of our responsibility. So, the cloak that Jesus talks about sharing, speaks into our hearts about having a generosity of spirit and a generosity of heart.
“In this city that we all love, and across this city, let’s work and pray for a generosity of spirit, that the cloak is freely given, that we have a generosity of heart to those who struggle, to those from whom we differ, that we have that generosity of spirit that says ‘Yes’ to the generosity of God in our lives and we share the cloak as Jesus tells us to do.
“I want to wish great success on this wonderful display right throughout the summer.”
Music for the service was provided by Tracey McRory who performed on the harp and the violin; soprano, Susan Wilson, accompanied by Ben McGonigle; and the Cathedral Girls’ Choir, directed by Nicky Morton,
The Festival of Cloaks will continue at St Columb’s Cathedral until the 31st of August, and will be open from Monday to Saturday from 10am until 4pm.
There was a surprise in store for Bishop Andrew, on Friday 14th June 20242, when he travelled to Gartan National School to officially open its new extension and playscape. The staff at the school had done their homework and found out that the Bishop was celebrating his birthday, the same day and, while the school community gave thanks for their impressive new classroom block and wonderful new playground, Bishop Andrew was presented with a chocolate birthday cake, complete with sparkling fountain candle.
It wasn’t the only cake on hand at the school, which overlooks Gartan Lake. There was another, with the words ‘Celebration Day 2024’ iced on it, which captured perfectly the sense of achievement among staff and pupils as another academic year drew towards a close.
There were tears among pupils and parents as four of the older children bade farewell to their teachers and fellow pupils before preparing to head off for the summer and then the next stage in their education. Presentations were made to two pupils for their perfect attendance records this year.
Principal Ann Gourley thanked the many people who had helped make the new extension a reality. She said the school had been waiting for the new classroom since 2007. And she praised members of the school community for helping to raise the funds – and doing the work – that led to the opening today of the new playscape.
Bishop Andrew said the boys and girls at Gartan were a credit to their parents and guardians, and said he was “hugely proud” of Gartan School. “A happy, healthy, learning environment in school is not only a blessing to what happens in here,” he said, “it’s a blessing to each and every home that’s represented [here] and it’s a blessing to the wider community.”
The Bishop was subsequently invited to perform not one but two opening ceremonies, cutting the ribbon on the new extension and then on the play area.
Members and clergy from Londonderry’s four main Christian denominations have taken part in a special service to mark the Feast Day of Saint Columba. It’s believed this afternoon’s service in St Augustine’s Church – ‘the Wee Church on the Walls – [on Sunday 9th June 2024] was the first united inter-denominational service in honour of the city’s founder and patron saint.
Incessant rain meant that the original plan, to hold it in the grounds of St Augustine’s and on the city walls, was revised and the service was moved indoors. The venue was an appropriate one since archaeologists believe St Augustine’s is the site on which Columba founded his first church, Dubh Regles.
The Rector, Rev Nigel Cairns, welcomed “the great and the good” – his fellow clergy – and what he called “the most important people”, the members of the congregation, to what he called a “significant inter-denominational day of being together – a day for our city and for our Christian witness in it”.
The Archdeacon of Derry, Ven. Robert Miller, said the psalmist reminded us that it was a good and pleasant thing when brothers and sisters dwelt together in unity. “It is good to be together and to share ecumenically in what we believe to be the first of this kind of service in the city – certainly that we’re aware of. I bring greetings from the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, who is in Gartan as we’re gathering here so, again, not only are we joining together here but we’re joining our praises and prayers in other places where Columba is remembered.
“Of course,” the Archdeacon said, “it’s important for us to remember not just the person and the stories that we have and that we pass on about Saint Columba, but to remember his charism, that of bringing the Word of life and the Word of hope and of love to this community and indeed to many other communities as well.”
The Rev Peter Morris from Carlisle Road Methodist Church and the Rev Nigel Cairns shared excerpts from the Amra Cholm Cille (or Dallan’s Eulogy), translated by P.L. Henry. These reflected Columba’s devotion to the Gospels and his role as a peacemaker among warring tribes in Ireland and Scotland.
The minister of First Derry Presbyterian Church, Rev Colin Jones, read a Scripture reading from the Gospel of St Mark, and this was followed by an inter-denominational address by the Bishop of Derry, Most Rev Dr Donal McKeown.
Bishop McKeown said if you asked most young people here what the big event of this weekend was, they were unlikely to choose today’s inter-denominational service, nor even St Columba’s Day. They were more likely to suggest Taylor Swift’s first UK concert. Over the 20 months from March last year until Christmas this year, the Bishop said, Swift will have performed 152 shows on five continents grossing over $1billion. “Against that,” he said, “all our celebrations this weekend, in all our different traditions, pale into insignificance. And yet we’re celebrating Saint Columba just over one-thousand-five-hundred years after his birth. So, I ask myself whether the songs of Ms Swift will be remembered long after the end of her career, or 1,500 years after the end of her career?”
Dr McKeown wondered why Saint Columba was being remembered after such a long time. “Maybe because we see in him a figure who struggled with many of the realities that afflict people in every generation. He knew like we do what can happen when family and community loyalties clash and people get hurt. He knew what it meant to be sorry for past events but not trapped in them.”
The Bishop said there were a number of things we could learn from Columba who, he said, didn’t skirt round the reality of hatred or exclusion in his own day. In a culture where so many slogans want us to be angry about everything, Columba would want us to do better than to be anger-mongers. The Gospel that Columba loved, Dr McKeown suggested, challenged us to become great people, focused not on ‘me’ and ‘my little world’ but the welfare of our community, our society and our world.
Columba was a monk who lived in community, the Bishop said. The life of a monastery can’t have been easy, but renewal in the church – in all our churches – so often involves groups coming together and supporting one another in reaching out to the margins. Columba reminded us of the importance of community-building, especially in an age of lonely individualism. “Without the example of Columba and so many prophetic leaders, there’d be little renewal for any of us,” Bishop Donal said.
Closing prayers were offered by the Dean of Derry, Very Rev Raymond Stewart, who asked God to take away all hatred and prejudice and anything else that may hinder us from Godly union and concourse. “We remember with thanksgiving those who in times past left these shores to bring the message of God’s love to people in other parts of the world. But today, with more and more people coming to our shores from other parts of the world, we pray that their understanding of God’s love will bring a fresh vision to our lives.
“O Lord, we thank you for the saints of our own nations; for those who in earlier years pioneered the Gospel in our land; for those who kept the lamp of faith burning in times of spiritual darkness; for those who bravely suffered martyrdom for the truth they loved; for those who went as messengers of Christ to distant lands to share the Good News with others; for those who fought the battle for social righteousness and cared for the poor and oppressed. Keep us ever mindful, O God, of the example of these your saints, and make us more worthy to follow in their steps, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.”
