Prayer Bears of Ardboe Parish

WMOF

Janet Forbes

Ardboe Parish is a community of approximately 1400 families situated on the western shores of Lough Neagh. The Parish has a history of Christian community stretching back to St Colman in 590 AD when he founded the old monastic church at Ardboe. The community has the tallest High Cross in Ireland, standing at 18.5 feet high, it is still central to faith and parish life today.

As preparation for the World Meeting of Families and in an effort to engage young parishioners the Parish Pastoral Council developed an initiative with the schools of the parish.

A narrative was developed around two teddy bears, ‘Petey’ and ‘Paddy’. The bears [pictured] were said to be friends who desired to learn more about their faith and so became pilgrims to many religious sites around Ireland and the world.

Petey and Paddy visited, Lough Derg, Slemish, Glendalough, Croagh Patrick, Medjugorje, Lourdes, Rome and even travelled to Knock for the launch of the WMOF. They finished their travels with Archbishop Eamon Martin and pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Armagh in a trip to Fatima.

On completing their travels, the bears were said to have a calling to share all they had learned with the children of the parish and were presented to the schools in September 2017. Petey and Paddy have spent time with each class and the families of the parish. The families have been encouraged to pray together, attend Mass together and to include the bears in their everyday lives.

The bears, along with the families, participate in Sunday Mass and they have certainly infused a sense of fun and vibrancy to parish life. An already vibrant parish community has embraced Petey and Paddy as they prepare for the WMOF and the community hopes that initiatives such as this, along with the various elements of the Amoris programme, will breathe continued life into the community and continue the journey of faith they are on.

Janet Forbes is Secretary of the Parish Pastoral Council, Ardboe.