RE-OPENING OF SACRED HEART CHURCH COINCIDES WITH REBUILDING OF OMAGH SPIRIT - BISHOP
Re-opening of Sacred Heart Church coincides with rebuilding of Omagh spirit - Bishop
THE Bishop of Derry, Dr Seamus Hegarty, has described the deterioration and subsequent renewal of the Sacred Heart Church as a microcosm of the entire community of Omagh.
Speaking at Sunday's timely reopening ceremony, Dr Hegarty likened the restoration of the church to the rebuilding of the spirit of Omagh.
"Just as the building has been upset during the renovation work, so too have the people been deeply upset during the past two most difficult weeks of their lives," he told the congregation.
"The re-opening of the renovated Sacred Heart Church coincides with the rebuilding of this community, as the people move forward as a people of faith who will support one another and pray with and for one another."
Dr Hegarty welcomed the tentative steps that are being taken to bring about the necessary return to normality, saying it was good that the entire community was looking to the future.
Rev. Paul Andrews, a member of the Jesuit Order and a native of Omagh, read a moving homily.
"Though my roots are in these streets, life has kept me at some distance from my roots. I could not have reckoned on what was to happen as the rebuilding of the church neared completion. Omagh was on the front of every newspaper," said Fr. Andrews.
"As I watched and listened and telephoned, I felt proud to have come from such a community, people able to feel in depth, and give voice to anguish, compassion and love.
"As I grew up, the chasm between the two sides seemed unbridgeable. Watching and visiting from beyond the border, 1 saw little enough sign of change until last year, when good people from all quarters stuck firmly at the task of making peace.
"When it was sealed, both sides were happy to call it the Good Friday Agreement. There was a Christianity that transcended the divisions.
"But a new step was taken on August 15. In a heartbroken way, it was not just the blood of Christ, but the blood of the 28 dead and hundreds injured, and the anguish of the bereaved, that brought the community together," he said.
A prayer entitled 'Prayer in the Dark (after Omagh)', written by Rev Ciaran O'Doibhlin, was read by Mr Dominic Pinto, consultant surgeon at Tyrone County Hospital.
Priests from the diocese, including Omagh parish priest, Rev Michael Keaveny, and clergy from all the main churches in the district, attended the dedication ceremony, and thanks were extended to Mr. Martin O'Kane, the architect, and the entire design and contract team.
Study
The six-month restoration period followed a stone conservation study in 1996, which resulted in extensive repairs to the fabric of the church.
Painstaking effort was employed to ensure that all repairs and materials echoed the character and style of the hundred-year-old church, with the new porch being built in natural stone slate and wood.
A contemporary statue by sculptor, Chris Ryan, was commissioned, and now rests on St Joseph's altar.
Much of the new furniture and decoration is of Canadian Oak, shipped from North America.
Repairs were carried out on the organ and stained glass windows, and there was a complete refurbishment of the fixtures, fittings and services, and a reorganisation of the sanctuary.
A new lighting system has been installed, and the new sound system includes a deaf-aid system and a radio microphone for external broadcasting.
The adjacent St Joseph's Hall functioned as a substitute church while work was being carried out on the Sacred Heart.
THE Bishop of Derry, Dr Seamus Hegarty, has described the deterioration and subsequent renewal of the Sacred Heart Church as a microcosm of the entire community of Omagh.
Speaking at Sunday's timely reopening ceremony, Dr Hegarty likened the restoration of the church to the rebuilding of the spirit of Omagh.
"Just as the building has been upset during the renovation work, so too have the people been deeply upset during the past two most difficult weeks of their lives," he told the congregation.
"The re-opening of the renovated Sacred Heart Church coincides with the rebuilding of this community, as the people move forward as a people of faith who will support one another and pray with and for one another."
Dr Hegarty welcomed the tentative steps that are being taken to bring about the necessary return to normality, saying it was good that the entire community was looking to the future.
Rev. Paul Andrews, a member of the Jesuit Order and a native of Omagh, read a moving homily.
"Though my roots are in these streets, life has kept me at some distance from my roots. I could not have reckoned on what was to happen as the rebuilding of the church neared completion. Omagh was on the front of every newspaper," said Fr. Andrews.
"As I watched and listened and telephoned, I felt proud to have come from such a community, people able to feel in depth, and give voice to anguish, compassion and love.
"As I grew up, the chasm between the two sides seemed unbridgeable. Watching and visiting from beyond the border, 1 saw little enough sign of change until last year, when good people from all quarters stuck firmly at the task of making peace.
"When it was sealed, both sides were happy to call it the Good Friday Agreement. There was a Christianity that transcended the divisions.
"But a new step was taken on August 15. In a heartbroken way, it was not just the blood of Christ, but the blood of the 28 dead and hundreds injured, and the anguish of the bereaved, that brought the community together," he said.
A prayer entitled 'Prayer in the Dark (after Omagh)', written by Rev Ciaran O'Doibhlin, was read by Mr Dominic Pinto, consultant surgeon at Tyrone County Hospital.
Priests from the diocese, including Omagh parish priest, Rev Michael Keaveny, and clergy from all the main churches in the district, attended the dedication ceremony, and thanks were extended to Mr. Martin O'Kane, the architect, and the entire design and contract team.
Study
The six-month restoration period followed a stone conservation study in 1996, which resulted in extensive repairs to the fabric of the church.
Painstaking effort was employed to ensure that all repairs and materials echoed the character and style of the hundred-year-old church, with the new porch being built in natural stone slate and wood.
A contemporary statue by sculptor, Chris Ryan, was commissioned, and now rests on St Joseph's altar.
Much of the new furniture and decoration is of Canadian Oak, shipped from North America.
Repairs were carried out on the organ and stained glass windows, and there was a complete refurbishment of the fixtures, fittings and services, and a reorganisation of the sanctuary.
A new lighting system has been installed, and the new sound system includes a deaf-aid system and a radio microphone for external broadcasting.
The adjacent St Joseph's Hall functioned as a substitute church while work was being carried out on the Sacred Heart.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0575
Published Date: 03-Sep-98
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