• 15 March 2023

Join us for St Patrick’s Day

You are warmly invited to spend St Patrick’s Day with us at Saul and Down Cathedral as we gather to celebrate the life and legacy of our patron saint.

We welcome as our special guest for 2023, The Most Revd Laurent Mbanda, Archbishop of Rwanda. Archbishop Laurent has been at the forefront of helping many in Rwanda deal with the impact and aftermath of the 1994 genocide and will speak on the theme of Reconciliation.

The celebrations will follow a similar pattern to last year including a complimentary ‘Picnic in the Pew’, so please plan to stay around after the Festival Service! 

Here’s the programme for Friday 17th March. You can join at any point in the day:

  • 9.15 am Holy Communion at Saul Church with speaker the Dean of Down, The Very Revd Henry Hull
  • 10.15 am Prayer Pilgrimage to Down Cathedral led by representatives of the three major denominations and the independent churches.
  • 11.45 am Festival Service at Down Cathedral with Archbishop Laurent Mbanda.

The service will be followed by the wreath laying at St Patrick’s grave. 

Transport to Saul
  • From 8.15 am private buses will leave from the Mall for the communion service and pilgrimage.
  • The last bus for the communion service leaves at 8.45 am.
  • The last bus for the pilgrimage leaves at 9.45 am.
  • The last bus from Saul to the Cathedral leaves at 10.40 am.
Parking

There is no parking in the Cathedral grounds and limited parking on the Mall so please leave enough time to find a space.

Our speaker

The Rt Revd Dr Laurent Mbanda was born in Rwanda and spent his childhood years in Burundi. He has spent decades serving with Christian International Development organisations and with the local church.

Dr Mdanda has written and spoken widely about his experience during decades of violence in Rwanda – including his memoir: From Barefoot to Bishop: A Rwandan Refugee’s Journey – and worked extensively in peacebuilding and trauma support in the aftermath of the genocide.

Dr Mbanda is married to Chantal and has served as Archbishop of Rwanda since 2018.