Sunday March 2 2003 will be a long remembered date for Church of Ireland parishioners of Saint Luke's Union of Parishes, Cork. It marks the final act of worship in St Luke's Church, the closing of the church and a new beginning in the other church of the parish, St Anne's Shandon.

This final Sunday service was in two parts: Thanksgiving for the years of witness of St Luke's Church, and then clergy and congregation moved to Saint Anne's Church Shandon to celebrate the Eucharist and the new future for the parish.

Many past parishioners and wellwishers came to the service and so the church filled with people and music, the music of praise, joy and hopefulness.

In his sermon, Bishop Paul Colton asked the congregation to celebrate the memories of St Luke's, many profound and formative, as these marked out stages in a journey of faith. He continued, "We meet today in a moving symbol of our pilgrimage of faith, and, just as the Children of Israel were asked to be ready to do in the midst of their Passover meal all those years ago, we will move from this Church to St Anne's taking that step of faith, signalling our trust in the future God has for us, even thought we do not fully yet know what that may be."

The Bishop paid tribute to past Rectors of the Parish, especially Canon George Salter, the Reverend Jack Heaslip and current Rector, the Revd Brian O'Rourke who is "giving us the leadership that is so necessary at a difficult time like this, continuing the ministry of pastoral and priest faithfully and dutifully in a way that warrants our support and admiration."

Prior to leaving, the members of the congregation renewed the promises made at baptism as an affirmation of allegiance to God and, following the Blessing, the Bible, the Cross, the Chalice and Paten and the Register of Baptism were then poignantly carried out of the church. Half an hour later these were brought in procession into St Anne's Church, to their new resting place, and the Eucharist was celebrated.

History has now almost come the full circle, as initially Saint Mary's Shandon, was the mother parish. Saint Anne's Shandon was built as a Chapel of Ease of Saint Mary's and in 1738 was given parochial status. Saint Luke's was built in 1837 as a Chapel of Ease of Saint Anne's and it was granted parochial status in 1872. And now Saint Anne's Church is once more the Parish Church. The renowned bells will ring the changes and a new pilgrimage begins.