Irish Catholic: Christians offer ‘beacon of hope’ in recession
Below is an excerpt from a report in the Irish Catholic about how parishes of all denominations in the Mullingar area have come together to see how they may work collectively to help those struggling in the current economic climate.
“Parishes of all denominations in the Mullingar area united as one Christian community last weekend in order to face the challenge of how Christians can offer practical support to those struggling to cope in the current financial climate.
Christian Voices Together, an initiative launched in Christian Unity Week last year by local Christian churches, hosted a conference attended by 120 people from all denominations who wanted to work together to help their community through financial austerity.
”The conference is a significant beacon of hope for our community,” said Rev. Alastair Graham, chairperson of the group.
”Christianity in practice makes a difference to peoples’ lives. We hope to clearly identify what needs to be done in the Mullingar area.”
”We need confidence in ourselves and confidence in the Good News,” said Fr John Nally of Ballynacargy parish.
”If one Church was doing it, people would say fair enough, but when all Christian communities come together, society says that’s different, that’s something we need. It’s a powerful sign that something new is there.”
When asked if this initiative could become a national Christian movement, Fr Nally said it was a very locally based project, ”but there is no reason why people can’t do the same thing in their own area, if they have the heart for it and are prepared to work together”.
By Mags Gargan
To read more visit Irish Catholic