St Patrick’s statue to be lit up red for awareness

St Patrick’s statue to be lit up red for awareness

13 November 2024

SAINT Patrick’s statue in Saul will be illuminated throughout next week highlight the plight of people persecuted for their faith.

The 32-foot statue on Slieve Patrick will be lit in red for a week from Sunday to mark ‘Week of Witness’ by the charity Aid to the Church in Need Ireland (ACN). 

Dozens of cathedrals and churches across the island of Ireland will be lit in red, either for the Week of Witness or on Red Wednesday on November 20.

Red is the traditional colour of martyrdom, and highlights the fact that one in seven Christians in the world live in an environment where they are persecuted or discriminated against because of their faith.

ACN International was founded in the aftermath of the devastation of World War II and now supports some 5,700 communities in close to 140 countries, reaching some of the most marginalised and vulnerable people in the world.

The Bishop of Down and Connor, the Most Rev Alan McGuckian, will inaugurate the lighting at a vigil mass in St Patrick’s Church in Saul on Saturday at 5pm.

Michael Kelly, Director of Public Affairs for Aid to the Church in Need Ireland, said it was an important awareness-raising opportunity.

He said: “In the 21st century, you might be forgiven for assuming that religious tolerance and freedom are universally recognised and respected. However, Christians across the globe continue to face varying degrees of persecution, discrimination and hostility. 

“While the nature and intensity of this mistreatment differs from region to region, the phenomenon remains disturbingly widespread, affecting millions of believers in both overt and subtle ways.”

Mr Kelly continued: “The ACN Week of Witness has become an important feature in this advocacy and awareness-raising.”