Reflections of Northern Ireland: Mission in Reverse
October 21–30, 2005

On October 20, 2005, a group of pilgrims from Fourth Presbyterian and Old St. Patrick’s Catholic Church arrived in Dublin airport on the first leg of a mission of peace and reconciliation to Northern Ireland. We arrived with our cups and pockets empty, having decided that we would let God and the Spirit fill them as they would.

Before we left, the group talked about what we wanted to accomplish when we were there. We decided upon a covenant of Mission in Reverse. This meant that we would go to listen and to learn about what people were doing in their efforts to make a lasting peace, without trying to teach or preach. We knew that essentially we could not effect change in the situation in the short time we were there, but could and would take back what we had learned and commit ourselves to weaving it back into the fabric of our faith communities when we returned home.

Upon our arrival in Belfast, we could see that there were not as many overt signs of conflict as there were on our trip the year before. The British Army base, which was located just down the street from our hosts at the 174 Community Trust had been vacated, and the announcement of the IRA de-commissioning was still fresh news in the press. It seemed that on the surface, at least on the institutional level, things were continuing to improve.

We then traveled up to Corrymeela, on the north coast of Northern Ireland. Corrymeela has a long and distinguished history of being a center of peace and reconciliation for Northern Ireland and across the globe. This year celebrates its 40th anniversary, and we had the opportunity to spend time with the newly appointed director and many of the volunteer staff. Corrymeela’s commitment to peace and reconciliation was alive and well when we visited, as we shared table with groups of young adults from Armenia, Azerbaijan, El Salvador, Guatemala, Bulgaria and Poland. They were all there to learn from one another, and find common grounds for understanding, which they could play forward to their own people when they returned to their own countries. Their enthusiasm and commitment was something to see.

In the next phase of our trip, we were once again the guests of Bill Shaw and the 174 Trust. The 174 Trust is a community center in North Belfast which is dedicated to the idea of reconciliation through providing common ground for people to come together, which transcends denomination or politics. Bill’s efforts have been recognized at the highest levels, as he was one of only twelve people recognized by President Bush last year in Washington for his peacemaking efforts. Bill has helped to commission programs which address issues such as suicide and self-harm, alcoholism, literacy, and other social issues which transcend denominational boundaries. His success in finding ways to connect the community through such programs has also provided a very effective venue to further the efforts of peace and reconciliation in Belfast.

This kind of approach was echoed by Doug Baker, Mission representative for Northern Ireland from the PC (USA). He spoke about how the PCUSA is supporting peace efforts in Northern Ireland, and how people like Bill Shaw and others now are facing a very crucial time in the peace process, which both referred to as the “iceberg effect”. The institutional efforts like the Good Friday accords and de-commissioning are visible efforts at promoting peace. However, like an iceberg, it is what you do not see that is very dangerous. These are issues like racism, economic disparity and unemployment, the effects of years of violence on young and old as well as many others. These will take longer to address, and will be more difficult to work through. We saw many parallels here to efforts in our own faith communities to address these issues together and in doing so fostering peace and reconciliation in our own neighborhoods. We saw many examples of hope in Belfast, and it was with a sad goodbye that we left Bill and the 174 Trust for the next phase of our journey.

When we planned this trip, we felt that we should use some of the time to explore the role of Celtic Spirituality in the process of reconciliation. Ireland has a rich spiritual history which goes well back beyond the pre-Christian era. We felt that if we could take a closer look at some of the touch points of Celtic Spirituality which went beyond the boundaries of denomination it would help us in our own efforts to find peace and reconciliation in ourselves and our community.

We spent time at the Monastery of St. Kevin of Gwendoloch, hosted by Fr. Michael Peters. We learned more about the origins of Celtic Spirituality and how it is intertwined in Christianity for the Irish. It is something much more basic than Catholic or Protestant, it is a connection at the core with God, and all of His creation. We are all responsible for keeping that connection with God, and with each other. This was further seen in a Samhain celebration, which we participated in on our last night in Ireland. Samhain is a high holiday in the Celtic year, and is actually seen as years end. The customs of Samhain are analogous to those we celebrate as Halloween and All Saints Day. The celebration is one to say goodbye to the old year, and pay tribute to those who have gone before us during that time as well as our own loved ones. The belief is that the spirit is alive and well in the presence of God, and that our celebration of this brings them to us as well. If one strips away the placard of denomination and acknowledges simply that they are a child and servant of God, then the possibilities which open up for finding common ground, peace and reconciliation become endless. This was the powerful lesson we learned both as individuals and as a group. I believe it will serve us well as we now commit ourselves to playing that lesson forward in our own communities.

For more information on all mission trips contact Vicki Reynolds, Director of Mission at vreynolds@fourthchurch.org or 312.981.3384

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