14.02.2013
Narnia Festival Launched in Christ Church Bray
Christ Church Bray has been transformed into the Land of Narnia for Lent. The Narnia Festival was launched in the church on Ash Wednesday. Inspired by CS Lewis’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the festival continues until Easter Sunday and aims to teach about temptation and Lent which are the central themes of the book.
Over the next six and a half weeks it is expected that thousands of children and adults will pass through the church to walk through the Dawn Treader ship and visit the islands that King Caspian, Lucy, Edmund, Eustace, Reepicheep the mouse and Aslan visited. They will also see Aslan, the icy Queen of Narnia who sits in her sleigh, a real waterfall which has been created in the chancel of the church and a menacing dragon. The festival forms part of the church’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
The launch took place following a service of Holy Communion which was attended by Archbishop Michael Jackson who praised the rector and all who had helped to transform the church to give Ash Wednesday and Lent a whole new light and creativity. The exhibition was launched by Douglas Gresham, stepson of CS Lewis, who had travelled from Malta with his wife, Marie, to be present. The choristers of St Patrick’s Cathedral joined the parish choir and Stuart Nicholson, played the organ.
Welcoming the congregation, the Revd Baden Stanley thanked everyone who had worked so hard to bring the exhibition together. Youth pastor, Kirsty Lynch, and the youth team also took part in the service.
Officially opening the festival Douglas Gresham said it had been a great honour and a pleasure to be in Bray for the event. “It is a great wonder to see what has been done in the church and a great surprise to see the Dawn Treader and Aslan recreated here,” he said.
The festival concludes on Easter Sunday when the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Revd Kenneth Lindsay will lead a service of Holy Communion involving the local Methodist congregation in the church. During the festival there will be a number of other exciting events including a concert on February 23. 3Rock Youth will be organising an event on March 25.
Admission to the festival for a child costs €3 with the accompanying adult going free), a family ticket with up to five children costs €10, an adult ticket without a child costs €5 while an entry fee of €2 per child applies for school tours (accompanying adults free).
For more information contact Christ Church Bray on: email (christchurchbray@gmail.com); telephone (01–2862968); website (www.christchurchbray.org); and Facebook (Christ Church Bray or Narnia Festival 2013–Feb 13–March 31st).