On Sunday 15th November, German Ambassador to Ireland Mathias Höpfner welcomed a gathering of people, to celebrate twenty five years of German reunification at St Kevin’s Church, Glencree and to commemorate the lives of young German soldiers buried in the nearby German Cemetery.
Led by the powerful Goethe Choir, a moving ecumenical service was led by representatives of the Lutheran and Catholic Churches in a service spoken in English, Irish and German.
Overshadowed by the recent Paris atrocities, the service was a plea for peace evident in the poetry readings and prayers from the children at St Killian’s and the pupils of St Patrick’s National School Curtlestown.
Barbara Walshe, Chair of the Glencree Board spoke of Glencree’s transformation from a military barracks to a reconciliation centre and the need for countries to learn how to make peace instead of war, something that Glencree has done in Ireland for the past forty years in Ireland and abroad. She also asked that people support Glencree, ‘not just financially but symbolically as a ‘beacon of hope in how things can be done differently’
The gathering then walked to the German Cemetery where the German Ambassador stated that ‘we can never take peace for granted just because we have lived in peace in Europe for the past seventy years’.
Time to chat, have a glass of wine and enjoy some great food prepared by Carol and the staff at the Armoury Café followed concluding a thoughtful and enjoyable afternoon.[separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”” bottom_margin=”” sep_color=”” icon=”” width=”” class=”” id=””]
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