Many of our local church communities warmly celebrated the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II over the recent bank holiday weekend, opening their doors to friends, relatives and neighbours.

Platinum Jubilee celebrations around Connor Diocese

What a busy and joyful few days it has been around the UK and the Commonwealth as people came together to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – and Connor Diocese was no exception!  There were street parties, special services, lunches, barbecues, and more, as parishioners paid tribute to Her Majesty for her 70 years as monarch, and celebrated a lifetime of faith.

A ‘divine calling’ for the Queen

The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, the Rt Revd Andrew Forster, told the congregation at a Platinum Jubilee Service in St Columb’s Cathedral on Friday that if they are truly to honour Her Majesty the Queen – both her constancy and her service – then they would seek to follow her example and put their faith in “the great reconciler” Jesus Christ.

Seventy people – seventy years! Belvoir Parish enjoyed a special Jubilee Afternoon Tea on Thursday, 2 June, where it had a seat at the table for 70 people – one for every year of the Queen’s reign: “We might have sneaked in a few extra guests for good measure!”

A Service of Thanksgiving for Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee took place in St Macartin’s Cathedral, Enniskillen.  The service was filled with music and tributes to Her Majesty.  In his address, the Bishop of Clogher, the Rt Revd Dr Ian Ellis, described it as “a joyous occasion to celebrate a most significant landmark in the life of our nation: the Platinum Jubilee of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.”

The dedication of a new Standard for the Royal Hillsborough Branch of the Royal British Legion was the first of the special events involving Hillsborough Parish for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.