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THE JOURNEY OF THE THE LIGHT COMES TO HOLY SOULS What Started It All Dr. Mo Mowlam when she was Secretary of State for Northern Ireland lit an eternal flame in Omagh on the site of the bomb blast. The flame is calling on all to work for peace and reconciliation. A light from that flame has been brought across the Irish Sea to Heysham near Morecambe. That light is now burning in St. Peter's Anglican Church in Heysham. The Church is 6th Century and just outside is a 4th Century Chapel and burial site called after St. Patrick. This place raises the question of whether Patrick was a Lancashire lad. The Rector of St. Peter's, David Tickner , has offered a light from the flame to Holy Souls Parish, for us to burn over the Christmas period until the Feast of the Epiphnay. GETTING A SAFETY LAMP TO BRING THE LIGHT Mrs. Catherine Warland a teacher at St. Bede's High School in Blackburn read the appeal in the Parish Newsletter for a safety lamp and said, "Leave that to me." She with her pupils borrowed a miner's safety lamp and with the expert help of the Beamish Museum restored it to full working order. The Editor and his friend Syd Hoyle set off on Tuesday (21 December 1999) to get a light from the light. St Peter's Church is built on a cliff facing out across the Irish Sea towards the Isle of Man and Armagh in Ireland, St. Patrick's Diocese. The Revered David Tickner was away and he had arranged for Peter McDermott to light the lamp. The light remained lit and on the return Kath McGrath had prepared a Peace Candle for the Church. Bob McKay, the sacristan was there to see to place the safety light below the Sanctuary Lamp. The Dedication of The Light of Peace began the
Mass of Reconciliation. On member of the congregation, not known
for hand clapping, said afterwards, " I felt God's love there tonight, when I
thought of what is happening since the bombing last year". There were a few
tears of joy shed. |
| The Omagh Peace Light | |||
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