Wednesday 10 January 2018: Rev Robert Heron and Fr. Kevin Mullan
It is the custom in Omagh Probus Club to invite a member of the local clergy to the first meeting in January to deliver a New Year message. This year members welcomed Rev Robert Heron, minister of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Omagh and Father Kevin Mullan, parish priest of Drumquin Roman Catholic Church. Their message took the form of a conversation in which they reflected on events in the year that had passed and on the challenges of the year ahead. The conversation began with a reflection on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017. Both agreed that an event which for centuries had been a cause for division in the Christian Church was no longer an obstacle to good relationships. In the years since the Omagh bomb in 1998, concerted efforts to develop community relations had been very fruitful, helped in no small measure by the work of the Churches’ Forum. Rev Robert and Fr Kevin felt strongly that in 2018 the Church should continue to speak up for truth and speak out for moral values such as respect and responsibility. Throughout, the conversation was enlivened by the sort of good-natured banter that can only take place between close friends. The session ended with a reading by Rev Heron and the blessings of both men on the club and its members for the year ahead.