Saturday, January 18, 2014

Belfast Mayor applauds Christian festival

Belfast Lord Mayor, Councillor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir launched the second annual '4 Corners Festival' this week, praising the collective work of Churches in supporting the city's marginalised.

Organised on a cross-denominational basis by Fitzroy Presbyterian and Sacred Heart Parish the festival aims to encourage people to leave their corner of the city and explore new places and new perspectives.

The three-week festival contains a host of free public events including 'Listening to Your Enemies', a conversation between the Brighton bomber, Pat McGee, and Jo Berry whose father died in the 1984 blast, '4 Corners, 4 Stories' with senior Church representatives and cross-denominational prayer meetings at some of the cityís peace walls.

Cllr Muilleoir said he was delighted to be associated with the festival which he described as "outreach in its truest sense" and applauded "all who are committed to carrying it out".

Fr Martin Magill explained much of the impetus for the festival came from ìthe personal realisation by myself and Rev. Steve Stockman that we had a very insular view of our own city. We just simply didnít appreciate what was on our own doorstep because we were so conditioned to stay cocooned in our own little corner,î he said.

* Full details of the festival programme are available at  www.4cornersfestival.com