• 18 December 2023

Polar Express: next stop Bethlehem

We all love a Christmas movie and in Magheralin Parish one of our favourites is the Polar Express. So, we asked ourselves how we could use the timeless tale of the Polar Express to transport us into the story of the Nativity.

St Saviour’s in Dollingstown was transformed into a winter wonderland and over 3 nights more than 500 passengers hopped on board the Polar Express with their golden ticket. They joined the charming conductor to meet the characters from the story of the Nativity, stopping off to decorate a star biscuit, chat with the shepherds and hear how the wise men followed the star. Our journey ended in Bethlehem, where we experienced the wonder of the Northern Lights and we peeked into the manger to see Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus – the start of the greatest story ever told.

As we finished our tour the golden ticket and the conductor encouraged us to remember one word – ‘BELIEVE’. Seeing is believing but sometimes the most real things in this world are the things we can’t see. 

Diane Bailey