High-flying prayers on Slemish Mountain

Tuesday July 3rd 2007

Flying prayer flags at the top of Slemis. Canon Stuart Lloyd, rector of St Patrick's, Ballymena, is on the right. There were prayers flying high from Slemish Mountain over a weekend in June.

St Patrick in his confession wrote: “In one day I would say as many as a hundred prayers.”

Taking this as their cue members of St Patrick’s in Ballymena wrote one hundred different prayers and these were then carried to the top of Slemish to be written on streams of flags which flew high for three days.

As well as encouraging people to write prayers – and young and old did the writing – others had the experience of climbing the mountain in what at times were very inclement weather conditions.

The project also raised money for mission in Nepal where Buddhist prayer flags are a common sight.

The prayer flags from Slemish then flew outside St. Patrick’s Church in Castle Street, Ballymena.

On previous occasions, parishioners have carried blocks to the top of Slemish to build a small house and a team climbed the mountain 50 times each to reach the height of Everest – all to promote and aid mission overseas