St Ninian’s appeal for relatives to reclaim ashes before closure

Monday February 9th 2015

St Ninian’s Parish Church, Whitewell Road, Belfast.

The rector of St Ninian’s Parish is trying to trace relatives of loved ones whose ashes are held in the columbarium of the north Belfast church.

St Ninian’s, in the Whitewell Road, is due to close this summer. The Rev Elaine O’Brien said that with just 20 people attending services regularly, it was no longer economically viable to keep the church open.

The original church was built at the outbreak of the Second World War, while the present church, with its distinctive green roof, was erected on the site 51 years ago.

The Rev Elaine O’Brien.

Elaine said several cinerary urns had already been removed from the columbarium, but a number of others remain unclaimed.

“There were about 48 cremated remains in the columbarium and we have managed to trace down some family members already, but we are still looking for others,” she said.

Anyone who has an interest in any of the cremated remains at St Ninian’s should contact Elaine on 028 9036 9955 or email elaineobrien1@btinternet.com as soon as possible.