The Church Of Ireland
Press Release

This year I will have the privilege and joy of leading a pilgrimage from Saul to the Hill of Down where St. Patrick's remains were buried. We will be joining with Benedictine brothers from the Roman Catholic Church, and with the Bishop and friends from our link diocese in Albany, New York. In so doing we will be expressing the fact that God is leading us on a journey together, in the faith of Christ, to his heavenly kingdom.

Our preacher at the Festival Service will be the Very Revd John Dunlop, former Presbyterian Moderator. Later I will be joining with the Auxiliary Bishop of Down, the Most Revd Anthony Farquhar, in the Downpatrick St. Patrick's Day Parade. In all these events we will be celebrating together not just the life of St. Patrick, but rather the reality of the Christian gospel that Patrick brought to the people of Ireland.

It is a Christian gospel which talks of hope in the middle of hopelessness, a hopelessness which so many of us have felt over the past six weeks or so. In human terms we can neither move forwards or backwards. What has happened since early February has been a hardening of attitudes, a deepening of mistrust and a hopelessness that we can ever come out the other end of this process.

My prayer this St. Patrick's Day is that quite simply the resurrection life of Christ would be amazingly and miraculously released into this numbness and hopelessness which we feel. It is also vital, of course, that the politicians continue to take seriously their role in peacemaking as elected representatives of the people. But, so often, we have realised that only the Spirit of God can put peace into our hearts and the desire for peacemaking into our priorities.

As we look to the future, we declare with our beloved patron saint 'Because of his promises, I leave myself in the hands of Almighty God who rules everywhere.' (Confessions 54). The Church is God's hands; our nation is in God's hands; we are in God's hands.