Derry planning first united cross-community celebration for Feast Day of St Columba
Ministers and priests from the city’s Protestant and Catholic churches are gathering on June 9 this year as members of the city’s ‘Columban family’ in celebration of our patron saint.
Gathering in prayer at 4pm in the grounds of St Augustine’s Church of Ireland, and on the Walls, a short service will be led by the Bishop of Derry, The Most Reverend Dr Donal McKeown.
Other city ministers will also be in attendance – The Venerable Robert Miller, Archdeacon of Derry, The Very Rev’d Raymod Stewart, Dean of St Columb’s Cathedral, Rev’d Ross Kernohan, Rev’d Colin Jones, Rev’d Peter Morris, Rev’d Father Gerard Mongan, and Rev’d Nigel Cairns.
A spokesperson for the event said: “Christians of all denominations are invited to join for what is believed to be the first united service in honour of the abbot, saint and scribe who founded the city. The organisers hope this will be an annual addition to the city’s Columban traditions.
“The service will incorporate a choral version of the 6th century prayer attributed to St Columba - ‘Alone with none but Thee My Lord, I journey on my way.’
“Members of the various church choirs will combine to lead the singing, and it is hoped everyone will join a swell of voices in honour of our founding saint and the transformative work he undertook especially in bringing an end to violent tribal conflicts in both Ireland and Scotland.
“Excerpts from an ancient poem known as the Amra Cholmcille or Dallan’s Eulogy will also be read. The elegy is a poem of praise, thought to have been chanted in veneration of the saint and incorporated into a Medieval pilgrim or penitential rite.
“St Augustine’s has been identified by archaeologists as the site where Columba founded his first church, Dubh Regles, on an island hill thick with oak.
“It is also mid-way point on a pilgrim pathway that links what may be two fossilised Medieval trackways leading onto the Long Tower precinct.
“Representatives of the participating churches note that as Christians in and of these islands, we share a deep faith heritage. And while narratives around church dates, foundation sites, buildings and theology may vary, the Christian story has been told here continuously for 1500 years and remains part of the fabric of this city in faith and in culture.