12.11.2018
Acts of Remembrance in Dublin & Glendalough Mark Centenary of the Armistice
“Remembering together, we are embraced in the stream of eternal love which holds us all. Remembering together, we affirm our hope in God’s future for this world.” – Dean Gregory Dunstan in St Patrick’s Cathedral.
Acts of Remembrance took place in churches throughout Dublin & Glendalough yesterday (Sunday November 11) as people all over Ireland and Europe marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.
On Sunday morning the clergy and choir of St Ann’s Church, Dawson Street, processed to St Stephen’s Green for a short act of remembrance at The Hauntings Soldier. A large crowd gathered around the imposing sculpture, which is made entirely of scrap metal and represents a battle worn soldier returning from war. The choir sang and there was a time of prayer.
In the Church of St Catherine and St James on Donore Avenue, Archbishop Michael Jackson dedicated a new memorial to members of the Carroll family who served in the two World Wars. Henry Carroll and his son Gordon were present for the dedication of the plaque in honour of Henry’s uncle, William, who died in April 1918 aged 31 and his brother, George, who died in Burma in October 1944. The Carroll family were parishioners of St Peter’s Church on Aungier Street.
Fr Alois Greiler from the neighbouring St Teresa’s Parish on Donore Avenue, spoke on the centenary of the Armistice. He said the invitation to speak was awkward yet brought a feeling of urgency. “Awkward because standing here, am I your enemy? On the other hand is it not a good sign – a German Catholic giving a sermon in the Church of St Catherine and St James?” he asked.
Fr Alois spoke of the importance of Remembrance. “Most of us do not have direct memory of the First or Second World War. But we keep remembering and praying for peace. On a political level it asks for non violent solutions. Violence does not solve issues. That is why prayer is relevant today,” he said. The congregation was joined by members of St Teresa’s Scouts.
In All Saints’ Church, Grangegorman, a short ecumenical service took place at the World War I memorial. Parishioners were joined by Fr Joseph Loftus and parishioners from St Peter’s Church, Phibsborough. At 11am the bells of both churches were run and Fr Loftus brought a lantern from All Saints to St Peter’s to their 11.30am Mass.
In Christ Church, Bray, the Come & Remember exhibition and series of events to mark the centenary of the Armistice drew to a close yesterday. Each November the parish remembers those with connections to Bray who died in both World Wars. This year the included stories of people who returned from the Great War and what course their lives took afterwards. There was an Act of Remembrance with a muffled peal of bells yesterday morning and a performance of the Mass for Peace ‘The Armed Man’ by Karl Jenkins featuring local singers yesterday evening.
Yesterday afternoon the annual Remembrance Sunday Service took place in St Patrick’s Cathedral. A huge congregation filled every available space in the cathedral for the service which was attended by representatives of the Government and opposition parties as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps, members of the Defence Forces from Ireland and overseas, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, ex–service people and members of RBL Republic of Ireland. The service included a wreath laying ceremony at the War Memorial in the north transept and the Exhortation was read by Brian Duffy, chairman of RBL Republic of Ireland.
The sermon was given by the Dean of Armagh, the Very Revd Gregory Dunstan, who said that Remembrance was born out of the carnage of mechanised warfare and industrialised killing. “To losses of this scale, humanity responded, not with victory parades, but with Remembrance,” he explained.
Dean Dunstan said that over the last four years many who were forgotten had been recovered to memory, while honouring those whose courage and sacrifice were in the title deeds of the State. “Such remembering brings love to the contemplation of our past. Such remembering can transcend difference, hold together opposites, overcome old enmities. It may take time – generations. It cannot be compelled. It is possible to remember adversarially for centuries. But to remember together is to express a will to live together in hope,” he stated.
Citing Isaiah 43: “I call you by name: you are mine”, which appears on a bronze wreath at the German cemetery of Langemark near Ypres, the Dean said the words expressed the inalienability to God of every human being made in his image. “What is true of God’s first chosen people is, in Christ, true of us all. We are loved. We are redeemed. Remembering together, we are embraced in the stream of eternal love which holds us all. Remembering together, we affirm our hope in God’s future for this world,” he concluded.
