I introduced the Royal couple as they made their way around the church

I introduced the Royal couple as they made their way around the church

27 May 2015

A PORTAFERRY priest played a key role escorting Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall during the Royal visit to St Patrick’s Church in Belfast last week.

Fr Dominic McGrattan, who was ordained into the priesthood in July last year, chatted with the Prince during the visit to the Donegal Street church as part of the Royal couple’s four-day visit to Ireland.

After the Royal couple were formally welcomed to the Belfast church by Fr Michael Sheehan, administrator of the Belfast parish, Fr McGrattan took over responsibility for guiding the Prince and Duchess around the church.

“The church was mapped into different sections, with exhibitions in each describing aspects of parish life,” explained Fr McGrattan.

“I introduced the Royal couple to members of the parish as they made their way around the church which hosts a luncheon club for senior citizens. This is a cross-community group, drawing members from right across the religious and political divide in the city. The Prince and Duchess were very keen to meet members of this group and other groups, ranging from our parish sisters through to our parish cleaners.”

Fr McGrattan said he did have an opportunity to speak with Prince Charles as he escorted the Royal 

visitors including a short conversation about the Portaferry priest’s work in the parish.

“As I am newly ordained and St Patrick’s is my first appointment; the Prince asked me a little about that as well as my work as chaplain within the Mater Hospital which is within the boundary of the parish,” he continued.

“St Patrick’s is celebrating its 200th anniversary and not surprisingly some of the church’s stonework is showing its age. It needs some restoration so we have architects looking into the possibility of a restoration project. I introduced the Prince to the project architect and some members of our fundraising committee.”

Fr McGrattan explained Prince Charles is very interested in architecture and the conservation of historical buildings, so was keen to have a discussion with the architect and representatives from the fundraising committee.

The Portaferry priest also showed the Prince one of the major artworks in the treasury at St Patrick’s Church, the Sir John Lavery triptych of the Madonna of the Lakes.

“I reminded the Prince that Sir John, who is a native of St Patrick’s Parish, would have painted some of his more distant family members including Queen Victoria and George V. Prince Charles was very interested in this,” he continued.

Fr McGrattan said last week’s visit by the Prince and Duchess was the first time he had met any members of the Royal family, describing their arrival at the Belfast church as a “significant occasion.”

He continued: “I believe the visit was a great act of solidarity on the part of the Royal family. This parish serves some of the people who have gone through the darkest days of the Troubles and probably have suffered most. I think the Royal couple coming here showed great solidarity on their part and was part of their wider visit’s process of reconciliation.”

Fr McGrattan said another highlight of the Royal visit was a Thanksgiving Service at St Patrick’s celebrating the church’s 200th year.

He added: “The fact the Royal couple stayed to take part in this ecumenical prayer service along with politicians including the First and Deputy First Ministers was an acknowledgement that our church is a sacred place; that it is a place of prayer and Christian worship and that it deserves respect and reverence.”