Written by: Amy in Nice listening to the people explore Old Town outside my windows
Going to church in Armagh Slideshow June 23, 2019
Armagh is the religious seat of both the catholic and the Church of Ireland (protestant) faiths for both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. So, I knew that it was essential to experience both of these ceremonies on the same day. This took a bit of planning. But, I got our schedule of events down the night before. We were going to go to the mass in the catholic cathedral at 11:00am then have lunch then go to evensong in the Church of Ireland (protestant) cathedral at 3:30pm. Evensong is performed by an all boys mixed aged choir and organ. Not to be missed. Colleen has never experienced either of these events, so I was super stoked to see them through her eyes.
We were a tiny bit late to mass at 11:00 because I was snapping photos as we approached this grand cathedral. I couldn't help it, similar to Sacre Coeur in Paris, the approach to this building is magnificent and grand. The steps, the statues, the cathedral itself are ornate in a way that lets you know you are but a supplicant. This lateness brought us hurrying into the cathedral at 11:03 straight into an adult baptism. This ceremony is performed at the entry to the cathedral so Colleen and I were super conspicuous opening the door, then quickly closing the door, then opening it again to slip to the side. Thankfully, we were not the only ones late, but still, not how I wanted to make our entrance.
Once the baptism was finished, Colleen and I took our seats. We decided to go to the left of the cathedral thinking that we would be less noticeable there. But, when I sat down, I was dismayed to find that I couldn't see the alter because of a GIANT pillar obstructing my view. I motioned for Colleen to move and she pointed up at 1 of 15 televisions positioned around the cathedral. This is a total first for me--TV in church? Totally weird, but necessary due to the obstructions and length of the cathedral itself. We missed none of the action.
The service begins in the usual way and I settle in to enjoy it--the choir is amazing, the organ is spot on, the soloist was exceptional. I wasn't dialed into one of the priests because it was clear that this was something he'd done a million times before. But, then the bishop got up to do the sermon and he totally got into the community aspect of church. He called his parishioners to think about their community and the immigrant population as part of their community. He discretely alluded to the treatment of immigrants in the US as and you totally understood that he felt called to help people regardless of the country code of their passport. He called his people to action and admonished those with closed minds to open them in such a way that you couldn't excuse yourself from this issue. He pointed out that ALL christians should be called to help their fellow humans--that this is directly from the bible and can not be ignored. I know that immigration is usually seen as a political issue here in Ireland (and everywhere right now), but he humanized it and put it front and center to his message.
But, then when it was communion time, we got another surprise--there were 2 adult women who were receiving communion for the first time and being confirmed to the church. 3 services in one for Colleen who was a bit mystified--bonus round. I can't remember if she'd ever seen a "regular" Sunday mass, but I absolutely know she's never seen a baptism and a confirmation. I'd never seen how the ceremony differs for adults, so this was all new for me too.
Overall, a very good ceremony and I was glad that we were there to experience it all.
Leaving the cathedral, you notice immediately that at the top of the next hill is the protestant cathedral. Both of these cathedrals are named after St. Patrick and they face each other. The story is that St. Patrick came to this part of Ireland to spread christianity and on his way he saw a fawn. Instead of allowing his followers to kill it, he picked it up and walked it to the spot where the catholic cathedral stands today.
After lunch, we made our way to evensong at the cathedral of St. Patrick Church of Ireland. I have to admit that I've only been to a handful of protestant ceremonies. I was really looking forward to this one as I love a good choir and organ combo. We got to the cathedral in plenty of time--I'd learned my lesson that morning about being late--took out seats and watched. The first thing you notice about the cathedral is that it is not ornate. It is imposing, but stripped down to the most essential parts. The service was focused more on the darker aspects of being human and moved to a lighter place in the end. The choir was cute--off key, many time not understandable, but sang most of the service. The organist was amazing. He sang, played and kept herd on all the parts of the boys choir. Interestingly, the message of the sermon was the same as the catholic one--community, refugees and immigrants. After the service, I went up to offer my thanks to the organist and discovered the choir was missing 12 members who were out of town. He really wanted me to come back to experience the whole choir.
The cathedral at the Church of Ireland has a progressive walled garden. AMAZING! I knew I needed to bring Kerry here. Little did I know that the gardener I had seen the day before working on the garden was one of the officiants of the church. I saw him in his garb and recognized him immediately. I was to seem him tending to the church grounds throughout our stay in Armagh.
After that, Colleen had had enough and we headed the less than one block from the church to the hostel.
