Diocesan News
Bishop of Connor visits projects in Shankill
The Bishop of Connor, the Rt Rev Alan Abernethy, went on a tour of Belfast’s Shankill Road recently at the invitation of the Shankill Community Council.
John McVicar, secretary, Shankill Community Council, Bishop Alan Abernethy, Brian Watson, Lower Shankill Community Council, Jackie McArthur, Lower Shankill Community Council, and Archdeacon Barry Dodds.
The Bishop was accompanied by the Venerable Barry Dodds, Archdeacon of Belfast and rector of St Michael’s in the Shankill, and the Rev John McClure.
Shankill Community Council provides resources and opportunities for local people, and aspires to regenerate the area while retaining its tradition. Members told the Bishop that education, social housing and increased employment opportunities were among the greatest needs in Shankill. They thanked the Bishop for demonstrating a ‘passion for the area.’
At the Lower Shankill Community Centre, the Bishop heard a key problem is developers moving in because of the proximity to the city centre.
Commenting on the number of churches he saw, the Bishop said he was saddened so many were padlocked. “I want our churches to become tents again with loose pegs. I can no longer call it a parish church if it is not there for the community,” he said.
The Bishop visited Job Assist, a project, which trains people for work and so helps them find jobs.
At the Forum for Action on Substance Abuse (FASA) the Bishop heard the group, which works with 5,000 people a year, has its own professional teams involved in suicide and self harm, intervention, education, training and treatment programmes.
The tour took the Bishop further up the Shankill to Black Mountain Primary School which principal Mr Billy MacAuley described as a school for the entire community.
“It is time for churches and schools to re-establish themselves and take their place in society,” Mr MacAuley said. “Their influence has for too long been diluted by the fear of paramilitarism.”
Councillor Frank McCoubrey, Bishop Abernethy, Archdeacon Barry Dodds, Bill Patterson, manager, Greater Shankill Community Council, the Rev John McClure and Winston Irvine, Community Development Worker outside the new bungalows at Springmartin.
At a nearby development of social housing in Springmartin, Bishop Abernethy was invited to tour one of the new eco-friendly bungalows. Springmartin was once home to 500 households, but now only 170 families live here and many dwellings are bricked up. It is hoped these new developments will prevent it from becoming a greenfield site.
Mrs Ethel Dargan, 72, shows Bishop Abernethy round her new home in Springmartin.
Speaking at lunch at the Farset International Hotel, the Bishop thanked the Shankill Community Council and all the projects he visited, and pledged his support.
For further information please contact:
Connor Diocesan Communications Officer
Contact Details
Karen Bushby
028 4066 0798
07766103880
[email protected]