Remembrance at Cathedral of Trees
Although the autumn gales have now taken away most of the leaves at the Cathedral of Trees, there was a moment a week or so ago when it was full of spectacular colour.
The bright red leaves around the altar cross were a strong visual echo of the blood spilled by those who gave their lives in the First World War and later conflicts.
The loss through war was part of the inspiration for the cathedral’s creation in 1921 but there is also a sense of hope and regeneration.
Today, with the felling of the conifers in the surrounding woods, light is now flooding back into the cathedral after many years of partial shade.
This is bringing a promise of new growth after years of stagnation. Plans are now in hand to restore the architectural features of the cathedral and to create an amenity woodland of native broadleaf trees around the site.
The core aim of the Glencruitten Cathedral of Trees (SCIO), which owns and runs the site, is to recreate and maintain the area as a place of peace, rich in biodiversity and offering a welcome to the community and to all visitors and pilgrims.