Sacred Heart parish celebrates 30 years
By Aideen O'Flaherty
THE 30th anniversary of the Sacred Heart Church in Sruleen was celebrated recently with a parade, which went from the Green Isle Hotel to the church, and a variety of festivities including a football tournament, a family picnic, karate, face painting and food.
A football tournament and a parade were held on Saturday, June 23, ahead of vigil mass, while on Sunday a variety of events, including a BBQ, live music and a family picnic were held, with the money raised from the events being donated to Pieta House, and following this a ceremony was held to rededicate the church.
Sr Philomena, Sr Kay and Fr Vincent at the celebration
Parish priest Fr Pearse Mullen told The Echo: “We were blessed with such good weather and it certainly brought people out. There was a great turnout.
“The church has been here for 30 years and, please God, it will be here and be a part of people’s lives, even if they don’t come into the church, for many years to come.”
The weekend-long festivities were also in conjunction with this year’s World Meeting of Families, which will take place in Dublin during the Pope’s visit in August.
Natalie Doherty (28), the chairperson of Sacred Heart’s Pastoral Council, told The Echo: “It was a great achievement [to reach 30 years].
“One thing that has been a constant in the parish over the years has been the sense of community and family.
“It’s always been a place of welcome and community, that’s the experience that I had when I was growing up in the parish.”
