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The Rev Sam Johnston hopes to raise awareness of the Patron Saint’s passage through the various townlands in Northern Ireland while also raising some urgently-needed cash for his church’s crumbling bell tower.

The Parish of St Mary’s sits in the centre of the historic market town of Comber in County Down. The church stands on the site of a medieval Cistercian Abbey. Some of the original abbey stones are incorporated into the present-day building.

However, the church bell and clock tower which has been a familiar landmark in the town square since the mid-1800s, is in immediate need of repair.

Rev Sam making sure he's got his route map sorted

“It’s been almost a century since the last repairs. Now we’ve been forced to temporarily closed our front doors and fence off the bell tower for safety reasons. It’s time to act to save the town’s historic church tower”, says the Rev. Sam

Over the decades any visitor to Comber, famous for it’s linen mills and early potato harvest and even those just passing through can’t help but notice the church tower with its clock face. It stands along with the Gillespie statue as two of the most significant structures in the town’s historic Square.

The clergyman has been clocking up the miles in preparation for his trek, which he aims to tackle in four separate walking days beginning on Wednesday 13 March 2024. His 89-mile route will take him from Armagh to Scarva, then on to Newry and Rostrevor before passing through the Mournes to Newcastle and Dundrum. The Comber Rector’s walk will culminate when he joins the St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations in Downpatrick CoI Cathedral on 16th March.

“All this walking has helped me imagine the Saints of ancient Ireland covering many miles by foot, carrying little more than the clothes on their back and good news. All the same I don’t think I’ll be selling the car any time soon” he says.

The endangered Bell and Clock Tower at St Mary's CoI, Comber

The Rector and his parishioners aim to ensure that St Mary’s bell tower will continue to stand out as a significant feature in the centre of Comber for generations to come.

You can track Rev. Sam’s progress and give online:

www.stmarysparishcomber.com/walk

Day one – Wed 13 March. Start Navan Fort approx. 8.30am; Communion Armagh Cathedral 9.30am; Finish Poyntz Pass 1700 approx.

For further information contact Ian Hunter 07500 722759

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8t0k8c

RECTOR TAKES TO THE ROAD – IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ST PATRICK