Welcome extended for St Columba Festival Service this weekend
A Diocesan Festival Service marking the Feast of St Columba will be hosted by the Parish of Gartan in Churchill on Sunday
The Parish of Gartan in Churchill will be hosting the Diocesan Festival Service marking the Feast of St Columba (St Colmcille) this Sunday, June 7, at 3pm in the grounds of Gartan Abbey.
Gartan is the birthplace of the Saint, who is the patron of Derry and one of Ireland’s three patrons with Patrick and Brigid.
This annual outdoor service is a centrepiece of the life of the Church of Ireland Diocese of Derry & Raphoe.
The Bishop of Derry & Raphoe, the Right Revd Andrew Forster, will welcome worshippers to this year’s service at which the preacher will be the Bishop of Down & Dromore, the Right Revd David McClay. No stranger to the area, Bishop McClay is a native of the country; many of his family still live and work in and around Donegal Town. Students and former students of the Royal and Prior School, Raphoe, of which Bishop McClay is an alumnus, will also be taking part.
The Britannia Band from Derry, a regular fixture of the service, will be back to provide accompaniment for the hymn singing. Derry & Raphoe’s Children’s Officer, Kirsty McCartney, will be on hand with craft activities for any children present, while the Parishioners of St Columba’s, Gartan, will provide their usual warm hospitality with tea and treats after the service.
The Rector of Gartan, the Revd Adrian Dorrian, promises a warm welcome to all those in attendance. ‘Columba is a brilliant example of how our wee island punches above its weight.
This intense monk from Donegal would go on to literally change the history of the world as the movement he began at Iona spread far and wide. It so important that we celebrate such an important legacy of Christian faith and witness. Please come and join us on Sunday 7th June at 3pm in the grounds of Gartan Abbey.’
The St Columba Festival Service will take place at Gartan Abbey (nr F92 AH51) at 3pm on Sunday June 7. If the weather is very poor, the service will relocate to St Columba’s Church, Church Hill.