South Belfast churches together in St Nicholas'
   

Cardinal Sean Brady and Bishop Alan Abernethy with the Lord Mayor of Belfast,

Councillor Naomi Long and clergy from the south Belfast churches
   

The choir included members from St Nicholas' and St John's Malone CoI, McCracken Memorial and Fsherwick Presbyterian, and Lisburn Road Methodist churches.
   
   
Cardinal Sean Brady addressed the congregation on "This is the Gospel we share". How we as baptised Christians can witness to the Gospel in the world today by showing God through Christian marriage and parenting, in showing concern for social justice and human rights, and in defending the dignity of human life at any of its stages. On the road to Emmaus the disciples were despondent, they were saddened as their hopes had been dashed. The risen Lord appeared and walked with them explaining the Scriptures. He will continue to walk with us for all time when in reading and reflecting on the Scriptures the Holy Spirit will  remind us of all He did and bring us to a new understanding. The Reformation opened up the Scriptures, Missionary Societies spread the Word, and more recently Bible Societies have come together to produce a new Ecumenical translation. Listening together to the Word helps us to live together. Praying together strengthens us to witness in a world with severe economic difficulties, where people despair and have lost hope and faith in God. People have become disconnected in this world and have no hope of an after-life. We need to reach out beyond to bring to that world hope in the presence of the Risen Christ who will walk with us on the journey, joining with witnesses to the Faith and any reader of the Gospel, and rejoicing over all repentant sinners.