‘Walking the Walk’ on St Patrick’s Day
St Patrick once more ‘turned the stone’ for the Down and Dromore pilgrims making their annual journey from Saul Church to Down Cathedral on a glorious 17 March. The theme this year was ‘Walking in Simplicity,” and, with a couple of initiatives, we tried to ‘walk the walk’, not just ‘talk the talk’.
As a diocese we’ve been very conscious of serving the poor in our midst so we asked everyone coming to donate a pair of second hand shoes in good condition. It was a small but practical gesture, to which our pilgrims responded generously (the shoe count isn’t yet in). Several charities will see to it that our shoes go straight to the feet of those who really need them.
St Patrick’s Day was also the suggested date for the beginning of the ‘WEAR IT OUT’ clothing fast, which is raising awareness among young people of the big issues around consumerism, fashion, beauty, lifestyle and social justice. One of the organisers, John Kee, came along and spoke briefly about the initiative at the Festival Service.
Pete Greig was our special guest both in Saul and Down Cathedral and expressed his delight at being able to join us on St Patrick’s Day in these ‘thin’ places. Pete is the founder of the 24/7 Prayer movement and Director of Prayer for Alpha International, so it was fitting that prayer was the subject of his first address.
He spoke of Patrick learning to pray as a 16 year old herdsman on the slopes of Slemish and the powerful legacy of those prayers. “Prayer is not just about spiritual transformation,” he said, “but about social transformation, and Ireland was changed forever.”
After the celebration of Holy Communion, Bishop Harold led off the pilgrimage with Pete, Dean Hull and Revd Ian Henderson, President of the Methodist Church in Ireland. As well as our usual mix of ages and nationalities, joining us on the walk were 150 young people from the Diocesan Confirmation Weekend and a small group from our link diocese of Albany. Revd Chris Bennett, Chaplain to the Titanic Quarter, guided us in our reflection and prayers.
At Down Cathedral the Sullivan Folk Group welcomed pilgrims into the narthex with traditional Celtic tunes and we were delighted to have harpist, Ciara Taffe, play for us during the service. Thanks also to Michael McCracken who played the organ and led the choir.
In his second address, Pete reflected again on the powerful life of Patrick, though this time he preached in his socks, having donated his shoes at the door!
“Patrick challenges us to live more courageously, more prayerfully, more sacrificially and more simply,” he began. “He changed the world with three simple priorities: Patrick prayed, he preached and he protested.”
Patrick prayed for the Kingdom of God, 24/7. “That was the source of his power and his perspective and his perseverance down the years,” said Pete.
Patrick preached the Kingdom of God wherever he went, with the result that a local Chieftain was converted and Patrick’s mission began in a simple donated barn.
Finally, Patrick protested. He practiced what he preached and famously confronted human trafficking.
“Through Patrick’s prayers and his preaching and his protests,” said Pete, “slavery died in Ireland, violence diminished and civilization was nurtured through the dark ages that accompanied the fall of the Roman Empire.
“The call to us today is to follow in his footsteps, and to realign ourselves with Patrick’s priorities which were the Kingdom of God.”
After the Festival Service, local ministers of all denominations gathered at St Patrick’s grave as our special guests laid a wreath. Everyone then enjoyed an Irish stew and apple tart lunch served in a marquee in the Cathedral grounds.
Have a look at our gallery. More photos to come!
Download an MP3 of Pete’s address in Down Cathedral (apologies for quality).
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