ANTRIM PLACES OF WORSHIP
ST MARY'S CHURCH, CHAPEL LANE, BELFAST
St Mary’s Church was the first Catholic Church opened in Belfast on Sunday 30th May, 1784. Mass was celebrated there for the first time by Father Hugh O’Donnell, first Parish Priest of Belfast. Prior to that masses were held at Mr Kennedy’s house in Castle Street and a house in Squeeze Gut Entry now called College Court. The building of St Mary’s Church was greatly assisted by the donation from The Handsome Collection, which was a special collection taken up at Presbyterian and Church of Ireland communities during their services.
CHAPLAIN SUPPORT
Chaplains from the Church of Ireland, Methodist, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic Churches visit the hospitals regularly. Chaplains are part of the hospital caring team, to be alongside and support patients during their stay in hospital. They seek to bring spiritual, religious and pastoral care to all people, irrespective of faith or background.
CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER
Contemplative prayer to save your sanity is part of the 4Corners Festival 2021. Award winning broadcaster and journalist Seamus McKee chairs a panel discussion that includes Rev. Richard Carter, Associate Vicar for Mission at St Martin in the Fields, London; Rev Kiran Young Wimberly, an American-born Presbyterian minister and folk singer based in the Corrymeela Community, on the north Antrim coast; and Br Thierry Marteaux, OSB, of the Holy Cross Abbey, Rostrevor, Co. Down
BREATHING OUT HOPE
Internationally renowned conflict transformation expert Professor John Paul Lederach of the University of Notre Dame (USA), joined others via Zoom from America, leading an evening of reflection on how we can ‘breathe out hope’ in a city and a world grappling with seismic challenges to human relationships. Belfast-based poet and theologian Pádraig Ó Tuama and Jamaican-born poet and singer-songwriter Raquel McKee will respond and bring their perspectives on how hope can break through in even the darkest of times. Original music performed by Jonny Fitch.
ST GEORGE'S CHURCH OF IRELAND, BELFAST
St George’s Church, Belfast, is a Church of Ireland church located on High Street, Belfast. It is the oldest Church of Ireland church in Belfast. It was designed by Irish architect, John Bowden and opened in 1816. Major refurbishment was completed in June 2000.
BELFAST ISLAMIC CENTRE
Belfast Islamic Centre is situated in Wellington Park, Belfast. It was established in 1978 by a group of Muslims from the local community to provide a focus for all Muslims living in Northern Ireland. The centre includes at least 42 nationalities at present.
CLONARD MONASTERY, BELFAST
Clonard Monastery is a Catholic Church and Monastery located off the Falls Road, Belfast. The Church is officially known as the Church of the Holy Redeemer and was opened in October 1911. Services were previously held in a temporary structure on the site known as the Tin Church. The new church was designed by the architect J.J McDonnell in early French Gothic style.
ST PETER'S CATHEDRAL, BELFAST
St Peter’s Cathedral is located in the Divis Street area of the Falls Road, Belfast. The site was provided by a wealthy Belfast flour merchant and philantropist, Bernard Hughes. The Cathedral was designed by Father Jeremiah Ryan McAuley, who had trained as an architect before he became a priest. The Church was opened on 14 October 1866 and the signature twin spires were added in 1886. It is a Grade A listed building.
LARNE HISTORIC CHURCH TRAIL
The Larne Historic Church Trail is an easy to follow trail guiding you around some of the oldest churches and graveyards in County Antrim. Sites such as Templecorran date back to the Early Christian period in Ireland. Glynn Old Church is said to have links with St Patrick himself. St John’s Church, although known as the New Church is one of the oldest places of worship in East Antrim and still in regular use.
CORRYMEELA CENTRE
The Corrymeela Community was founded in 1965 by Ray Davey, along with John Morrow and Alex Watson, as an organisation seeking to aid individuals and communities which suffered through the violence and polarisation of the Northern Irish conflict. The Corrymeela Ballycastle Centre overlooks Rathlin Island. Thousands of people take part in programmes at the Corrymeela Centre every year.
BROOKLANDS HARE KRISHNA TEMPLE
Brooklands in the area of Dunmurry, Belfast, was built in 1909. It was once the property of the architect Percy Morgan Jury who also designed the house. Brooklands was sold and became the new Hare Krishna Temple in 1984.It has a large garden with terraced walks and vistas.
WINDSOR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The Windsor Presbyterian Church opened for public worship on 27 March 1887. The congregation of Broadway Presbyterian Church (established in 1895 on the Falls Road) amalgamated with Windsor Church in 1983. The congregation of Ulsterville Presbyterian Church (established on the lower Lisburn Road in 1902) also amalgamated with Windsor Church in 2010. The vision for Windsor is one that seeks to break down borders between people in the community and beyond, whether they be socio-economic, cultural, ethnic or political borders.
BELFAST CATHEDRAL, ST ANNE'S CATHEDRAL
Belfast Cathedral, known locally as St Anne’s, is a Cathedral of the Church of Ireland, part of the Anglican Communion (Episcopalian). The project to build a cathedral for Belfast was launched in 1895. Architects were appointed, both Belfast men, Thomas Drew, who provided the plans, and WH Lynn. The style chosen was Romanesque—characterised by semi-circular arches—and the building would be basilican in form. The site in Donegall Street originally housed a smaller church in Classical style. The foundation stone was laid on September 6th 1899. Building began around the old church, which continued to be used for services until the end of 1903. The only feature of the old St Anne’s Church to remain in the present-day Cathedral is the Good Samaritan Window.
SONGS OF PRAISE IN NORTHERN IRELAND
Claire McCollum looks back at some of Songs of Praise’s faith stories from Northern Ireland. She revisits the time she spent with a Christian geologist at the spectacular Giant’s Causeway, and when she met a former professional footballer who was called to the priesthood. Katherine Jenkins found out about the thriving faith in the historic Titanic Quarter in Belfast, and JB Gill took to two wheels cycling in Antrim with a group of Christian bikers. With hymns, old and new, recorded across Northern Ireland before the current restrictions.
SAINT MALACHY'S CHURCH, BELFAST
St Malachy’s Church It is the 3rd oldest Catholic Church in the city of Belfast. It is just a short distance away from Belfast City Hall. It was designed by Thomas Jackson of Waterford built in the ecclesiastical style of the Tudor period. The bell of the church is the largest in Belfast. It was silenced for a while and later coated in felt to muffle it slightly. The legend is that it was too loud and it’s peal sent shock waves which interfered with the distilling of whiskey in the Dunville Distillery located near the Church but now long gone. The bell invites the people to Mass and to prayer every day of the week.
SAINT ANTHONY'S CHURCH
St Anthony’s Catholic Church stands on the former grounds of Willowfield House in Belfast. It has a diverse community from many countries including Poland, Lithuania, China and Africa.
SAINT BERNARD'S CHURCH, GLENGORMLEY
St Mary’s on the Hill is the Catholic parish for Glengormley. It includes St Mary’s on the Hill Church, St Bernard’s Church and St Macnissi’s Church.
HOLY CROSS CHURCH BELFAST
The first church was opened on 10th January 1869 followed by the new church opened on 18th May 1902.
A Celebration of Belfast
THE IRISH BLESSING
The Irish Blessing (Beannacht uile-Éireann) is a project inspired by the many international recordings of “The Blessing” (by Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe and Elevation Worship) which have been made during this time of pandemic. The Irish Blessing honours the unique history and culture of Ireland. It embraces a compilation of self-recordings of vocals and instruments of Individuals from 300 Christian churches and organisations located in every county in Ireland.
SAINT COLMCILLE'S BELFAST
Opened on the 25th of July 1907 St Colmcille’s Catholic Church is a construction in Hiberno-Romanesque style of architecture. It is situated on the Upper Newtownards Rd in East Belfast.
LISBURN CATHEDRAL
Lisburn Cathedral also known as Christ Church is a Church of Ireland. There has been a church on the site for over 400 years with many significant and interesting features.
QUAKER MEETING HOUSE
Quakerism had its origins in the Northwest of England in the mid seventeenth century. William Edmunson established a meeting in Lurgan as early as 1654. Quaker meeting houses were formed in the mid to late seventeenth century in the Bann Valley area including Toberhead, Dunglady and Coleraine in County Derry and Ballynacree (on the Vow road near Ballymoney), Lower Grange near Portglenone and Antrim town. Antrim alone has had a continuous and unbroken Quaker presence in the region.
SAINT AGNES CHURCH, ANDERSONSTOWN
St. Agnes Catholic Church is situated in the Andersonstown area of Belfast. It opened in November 1949 and belongs to the history of the parish of St. Agnes. The present church opened in 1981.
SAINT OLIVER PLUNKETT CHURCH
The Parish of St Oliver Plunkett is situated in West Belfast, in the Diocese of Down and Connor in the north of Ireland. It was established in 1976, five years after the church was built.
SAINT PETER'S CHURCH
St Peter’s Church is located in North Belfast. It was constructed using Scrabo sandstone at the very end the 19th century.
STAINT MacNISSI CHURCH
Saint MacNissi’s Catholic Church is situated in Randalstown County Antrim. The old church, Saint MacAnisius, built in 1784, still stands behind St MacNissi’s, the new church. St MacNissi’s churchyard, also known as Saint MacAnisius churchyard was added in 1848. The church is situated in close proximity to Shane’s Castle.
EVEREST VIA SLEMISH EXPEDITION
A Northern Ireland cleric has begun an ‘Everest Expedition’ for a third time — while managing to stay close to home. Rather than attempting to conquer the world’s tallest mountain, Canon Stuart Lloyd will instead scale the County Antrim Mountain Slemish a staggering 50 times. There’ll be an extra ascent on the last day, bringing the Ballymena man to 30,000 feet, a little higher than the Himalayan peak’s 29,031.69 feet. The ‘Everest via Slemish’ project is being carried out to raise awareness and support for various mission organisations in Nepal.
ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST CHURCH
St John the Evangelist Church situated on the Falls Road in Belfast is a member church within the Falls Road Pastoral Community. Father Martin Magill, the parish priest gave a poignant sermon at the funeral of murdered journalist Lyra McKee in St Anne’s Cathedral which spurred Northern Ireland politicians and the British and Irish Governments into recommencing the Stormont talks. He gives a candid interview about his two life-threatening health issues
DRUMALIS RETREAT CENTRE
Drumalis retreat centre offers various retreats and workshops. It is situated in spacious grounds overlooking the sea in Larne and surrounded by the scenic beauty of the Antrim Coast with its Nine Glens.
BELONGING CREATES AND UNDOES US
Pádraig Ó Tuama served as the community leader of Corrymeela, Northern Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation organization from 2014 – April 2019. His books include a prayer book, “Daily Prayer with the Corrymeela Community,” a book of poetry, “Sorry for Your Troubles,” and a memoir, “In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World.”
NEW PILGRIM PATH
New Pilgrim Path, created by Helen Gallivan and John Dundon in 2016, provides a wealth of online resources including websites, poems, music, daily prayer, inspiration, online retreats and courses and Sunday homily resources. Some pages are refreshed weekly featuring a different website, poem and piece of sacred music.
THE INNER LANDSCAPE OF BEAUTY
John O’Donohue was a poet, theologian, and philosopher. He authored several books, including “Anam Ċara,” ”Beauty,” and “To Bless the Space Between Us,” a collection of blessings published posthumously. More recently a new book of conversation with him has been published in the U.K., “Walking on the Pastures of Wonder.” He died on January 4, 2008.
FRANK LIDDY'S MINDFUL WONDER
Frank Liddy has over 35 years experience in mindfulness programmes as well as studying Zen Buddhism. He is the co-founder of the Black Mountain Zen Centre and Compassionate City Belfast. “Humility has taught me to surrender to the great mystery. I choose to call this ability to give in as my higher power. I find that when little old me steps out of the way, everything is as it should be.”
BLACK MOUNTAIN ZEN CENTRE
Black Mountain Zen Centre, situated in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter has affiliated groups throughout Northern Ireland and a growing online community around the world. The Centre offers daily zazen, talks and classes on Zen and practice in everyday life.
SAVE QUAKER COTTAGE PETITION
Quaker Cottage has been servicing North and West Belfast for 40 years. Changes in the contract with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust has resulted in an announcement that it will close in November 2022. A petition has been launched to save the services.