Tuesday evening event – role of friendship in making communities healthy
Each year, on St Brigid’s Day, the Centre for Celtic Spirituality, which is directed by the Revd Grace Clunie, organizes an event in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh. According to the old Celtic calendar the first day of February marked the beginning of the Spring season. It was a time to celebrate the end of the darkness and to look forward to the lengthening of the days. This St Brigid’s Day, next Tuesday, at 7.30 pm, the Centre will welcome the Revd Dr Ken Newell, a former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and an ecumenical canon of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, and Fr Gerry Reynolds of Clonard Monastery.
During the years of conflict in Northern Ireland, there were some who set examples of reconciliation for the whole of society. Dr Newell and Fr Reynolds were among them and they would like to share their story of how their friendship developed. They have asked that the evening be entitled ‘Building Healthy Communities Through Honest Friendship’. This is because they admit that, if a friendship is to be real and of depth, it will take those involved beyond ‘just being nice’ to dealing with the difficult and thorny issues of hurt, identity and history that have contributed to the underlying sectarianism that led to years of conflict and may still be residual in our society.
These are the issues which Dr Newell and Fr. Gerry Reynolds will address in open conversation, with opportunities for questions. The evening will be chaired by the Revd Tony Davidson, Minister of First Armagh Presbyterian Church. All proceeds will go to the work of The Centre for Celtic Spirituality and everyone is most welcome.