Christian churches unite to support Newry Cathedral

Newry’s Catholic, Anglican and Methodist church leaders have joined together to defend the city’s cathedral.

Newry Cathedral Parish Administrator Canon Francis Brown, Church of Ireland Rector Canon Scott McDonald and Rev Louise Donald of the Methodist Churches of Newry, Bessbrook and Warrenpoint are united in their concern over council plans to overshadow the Gothic granite grandeur of Newry Cathedral with a vast concrete office block known as the ‘Civic and Regional Hub’.

More than 2,500 Catholic parishioners have signed letters of protest objecting to the council offices. Their complaints were presented recently to the planning department of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.

Canon Francis Brown feels the Council should listen to the community and put a halt to this “expensive, unpopular and unnecessary project” that parishioners feel will eclipse the Cathedral’s bicentenary celebrations in 2029.

Canon Scott McDonald – who is Rector of St Patrick’s and St Mary’s Newry, an Anglican church, said “I fully support Canon Brown and his parishioners ….. I would hope that their entirely legitimate concerns are not just noted – but also addressed respectfully and diligently”.

Rev Louise Donald, a local Methodist minister said, “The congregations who form the Newry Circuit of the Methodist Church in Ireland would urge Newry, Mourne and Down District Council to give due deliberation to the concerns raised by parishioners of Newry Cathedral”.