Church leaders meet in Rostrevor: “Called to Hope.”
On Wednesday 2nd July 2025, bishops, ministers, and lay leaders from across Ireland gathered at the Benedictine Monastery in Rostrevor for a day of ecumenical reflection and dialogue under the theme “Called to Hope – Key Players of Dialogue”. Organised by the Focolare Movement and hosted with the generous hospitality of Abbot Mark-Ephrem and the monastic community, the meeting built on last year’s fruitful gathering and offered a space to deepen relationships across churches and traditions.
Opening with words of welcome from Bishop Trevor Williams (emeritus Church of Ireland Bishop of Limerick) and Bishop Brendan Leahy (Catholic Bishop of Limerick), the day focused not on doctrinal debates but on lived experience and the shared journey of faith. Rev Karen Campbell and Dr Paul Manook led the opening prayer, setting the tone for a day of attentive listening and mutual encouragement.
A key moment was the reflection offered by Rev David Campton, Superintendent of the Belfast Central Mission, who drew deeply from scripture, personal journey, and cultural references to explore the theme of hope. Quoting Lamentations, he spoke of the call to "wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord," linking the prophetic tradition to the challenges and promises of our own times.
Rev Campton reminded participants that “hope is not an analgesic” or simply seeing the glass half full. Rather, he described hope as a "kernel with grit"—something deep and resilient, not dependent on circumstances. He shared a personal moment of calling from 1985, hearing a divine summons amid the tensions of Northern Ireland’s past. “The most certain calls often come when things feel hopeless,” he said, referencing Paul’s words that hope only exists where it cannot yet be seen.
He wove in poetry, music, and pop culture—from Emily Dickinson’s “hope is the thing with feathers” to Beck’s lyric “sometimes gone is all I have.” Even the line from the show Ted Lasso—“it’s the hope that kills you”—was flipped on its head. “No,” Campton said, “I believe in hope. I believe in belief. I know who I have put my hope in.”
He closed by reminding the gathering that we are a post-Pentecost people, animated by a Holy Spirit not just for extraordinary moments but for the everyday. “The Acts of the Apostles is unfinished,” he said. “The story is still being written.”
The afternoon brought testimonies from participants who attended the international ecumenical congresses on the same theme in Welwyn Garden City and Castelgandolfo. They shared powerful reflections on being "pilgrims of hope" in a world facing polarisation, climate crisis, and the lingering consequences of the pandemic.
Throughout the day, a spirit of unity and attentive presence marked the conversations. The gathering concluded with a heartfelt prayer, requested by Rev Bogdan Cardu, for the Christian community in Syria, following the recent tragic church bombing in Al-Suqaylabiyah. This prayer, brought the gathering to a close, with many leaving renewed in their shared mission—not just to wait for hope, but to live and act with it.
As Bishop Trevor and Bishop Brendan concluded, the call to hope is not a passive one. It is a pilgrimage we are all invited to walk—together.
