Diocesan News
Donegal Church Reopens After Lightning Strike
There was plenty of rain but thankfully no lightning as parishioners arrived at Donegal Parish Church on Sunday morning for a Reopening and Rededication Service following the church’s Christmas Day lightning strike. The church, in Donegal Town, was closed for two months to allow repairs to be carried out, with services being held in the nearby parish hall.
The Rector, Archdeacon David Huss, was on hand to welcome members of the Donegal, Killymard, Lough Eske and Laghey group of parishes as they arrived for the combined family service, in which local children performed most of the readings.
The church had to be completely rewired after the Christmas Day incident, during which electrical circuits and sockets were blown out. The sound system also had to be replaced. Floodlights were smashed and bricks blasted from walls along the pathway up to the church door. The damage was estimated at €20,000.
Archdeacon Huss told the congregation that they were thankful to God that there was no injury, no fire and no more destruction. “We’re grateful also,” he said, “that this morning, as we gather together, it’s just an ordinary grey, rainy day; there’s no thunderstorm, there’s no lightning or anything like that. So, we can put up with a little bit of rain because we’ve seen much worse than that.”
Today’s service also marked the beginning of a week of prayer in the parishes, following the success of a similar initiative early last year.
For further information please contact:
Diocesan Communications Officer, Derry & Raphoe
Mr Paul McFadden
028 7126 2440
07525 826290
press@derryandraphoe.org