27.11.2017
Walk of Light Reflects on the Mountains We Need to Climb
The 13th annual Dublin Council of Churches Walk of Light took place yesterday afternoon (Sunday November 26). This year’s theme was ‘To and from the mountain’ in the spirit of Isaiah 25 and the short ecumenical pilgrimage began at Newman University Church on St Stephen’s Green before proceeding to Methodist Centenary Church on Leeson Park and concluding at St Mary’s Church, Haddington Road.
The local congregations of Adelaide Road Presbyterian Church, the Church of Our Lady of Refuge, Korean Methodist Church, Holy Trinity Rathmines, Methodist Centenary Church, Newman University Church, St Bartholomew’s and Christ Church Leeson Park, St Catherine and St James with St Audeon, St Finian’s Lutheran Church, St Gabriel’s Parish of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, St Mary’s Church and St Teresa’s Carmelite Church take this journey together before the start of Advent each year.
Each year as Christmas approaches with its glitter and twinkling lights, they set out to declare publicly and with one voice that Christ is the true light. The darkness of the November evening reflected the sombre mood of our times when homelessness is at crisis point and millions of people are displaced across the globe while climate change threatens the lives of millions more people as well as animals and plants. “Coming into the light of Christ’s presence allows us to overcome our despair and take courage to deal with the challenges we are facing in our city, in the world and in our personal lives,” the organizing committee says.
This year’s theme explored ascent, revelation and descent during the stops at the three host churches. A short address, entitled ‘When Mountains Won’t Move’, was given by the Revd Andrew Dougherty, Superintendent Minister at Methodist Centenary Church. He spoke about the mountains and obstacles we put in the way of doing what is right and what God wants us to do.
This year money collected on the Walk of Light was donated to the Capuchin Day Centre.
