This year we have been celebrating the Centenary of Holy Cross Church. The church was blessed and opened on Trinity Sunday 1902 so we decided to have the main celebration on Trinity Sunday 26th May. Other events to mark the occasion including a mission by Myles' lay mission team have taken place but we wanted the memorial feast to be special.

Ardoyne Community September 2002

The centenary mass at 3 pm was concelebrated by Martin Coffey and a large number of priests. Bishop Walsh presided. Aidan Troy who preached gave us an account from the records of the challenges and difficulties which the Passionists and people encountered in the founding years. You could see that the congregation were particularly interested in this piece of history. The mass was followed by refreshments in the hall and later by a meal in the monastery for the invited guests. We managed to get them all into the refectory. What was nice about the day was that the focus was on the local area and community and that it was very much an Ardoyne parish celebration.

Restoration work on the Church continues and will continue for a long time. The pace is, of necessity, slow because a lot of funding is needed and this is a big challenge for both clergy and parishioners. An application for financial help has been made to the Heritage Section of the Lottery and we are hopeful that there will be a generous response. Our architect who is proving very helpful and has taken a keen interest in the project is Dawson Stellfox, the first Irishman to lead a group which climbed Mount Everest.

It would be nice to report that it is quiet and peaceful in the area but this is not so. The tension and aggression in the two communities has broken out in many clashes especially in Alliance Avenue, our interface with Glenbryn. Windows have been smashed, missiles thrown including pipe bombs and guns have been used. Intimidation on a wide scale is quite common. Fortunately the more moderate elements on both sides are still talking and this gives us hope that some accommodation can be agreed. The Holy Cross Girls returned to their school in September and thankfully they were not harassed or threatened in any way nor did the protestors appear. Long may this last.

Our community has had its share of sickness over the summer. Brendan spent a while in a Dublin hospital where he had surgery for a hernia. In his usual style he is manfully taking his physical exercise and keeping to his diet. At the age of four score and ten this can't be easy for him. Angelo has been in hospital for several months where he had surgery three times for serious internal complaints. He is making progress but it would seem he will need a lot of care when he leaves the Royal Victoria hospital. Angelo celebrated the Golden Jubilee of his Profession on the 12th September so please keep him and all of us here in your prayers on that date or when you read the newsletter. (Salvian CP)