THE annual pilgrimage walk took place Downpatrick yesterday as a wreath was laid at the grave of St Patrick.
While the crisis around the coronavirus had disrupted the celebrations in the Co Down today, the church bells still rung out at the home of Ireland's patron saint.
The Dean of Down Cathedral, the Very Reverend Dean Henry Hull and Fr John Murray, parish priest of St Patrick’s Catholic Church, were among those who gathered yesterday to "pray for God’s protection and healing at this time of uncertainty".
Rev Hull said the event brought "joy and hope".
"St Patrick was a source of enlightenment for our ancestors," he said.
"He was a man of faith who had to overcome many trials in his life and he knew the power of prayer. St Patrick’s Day is a chance to remember what is most important in life and that means putting God first.
"I think in this crisis the words of St Patrick’s breastplate - which place Christ at the centre – are particularly poignant as the bells ring out."
Fr Murray added: "There is a tendency to get drawn into the panic that is around.
"But let us look to the word of God in the lectionary for the Feast of St Patrick. It tells us to ‘Keep a calm and sober mind (1 Peter 4:7).’ We are a people of hope and the Lord will see us through."
Dr Tim Campbell, director of the St Patrick’s Centre in Downpatrick, said it was wonderful to hear the bells ringing out in Downpatrick and across the globe in a "moment of silence and prayer worldwide".
