Aidan Troy, Northern Ireland

“Let the little children come to me: do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.”

(Mark 10:14)

God has a sense of humour! After seven happy years in Rome I arrived at Holy Cross Passionist Monastery, Belfast, Northern Ireland at the end of July 2001. All I asked was that I have a minimum involvement with the parish schools. Little else has occupied me but schools since coming to Holy Cross! Children caught up in violence

The Parish of Holy Cross has existed since 1869. For the past 134 years schools have been an essential part of life here. Because of a long history of civil unrest Holy Cross Schools have been burned and replaced a number of times but children were never directly targeted.

This all changed on 19th June 2001 when a protest by Loyalist (Protestant) residents prevented the children of Holy Cross Girls’ School from reaching their school. This lasted for two weeks until the end of the school term. This predated my arrival from Rome.

On August 6th 2001 I was persuaded to become Chair of the Board of Governors of the school. It became clear to me that the gap between the protesters and the parents of the children was enormous. Sincere efforts at mediation and attempts at reconciliation came to nothing. First steps towards peace

On 15 August I invited the parents to come together so that I could introduce myself and ask their advice on a way forward. Most did not even know me by sight. The huge turnout was amazing. Fears for a safe return to school in September were paramount. Some of the children going to school on Monday, September 3 were barely 4 years of age. The oldest were 11 years.

The outlook was bleak as talks broke down and the inevitability of the protest of the previous June continuing dawned on the parents. In this area of North Belfast there is suspicion of the police. I had no option but to enter into talks and planning with the police to try to ensure the safety of the children. Heartbreak

All was put in readiness for Monday, September 3 2001 when 225 little girls would return to school following the summer vacation. Some were bubbling with excitement as they looked forward to their first day at ‘big school.’

I was so concerned that morning that I arose shortly after 6 a.m. The sun rose on a most beautiful day. I put on my Passionist habit as I was due to celebrate the 7.30 a.m. parish Mass and went to see what was happening on the road leading to the school. The scene that met me looked more like the set of a war movie that the preparations for children going to school. There were army and police vehicles, Perspex screens being erected, police dogs checking drains.

Local residents near the school seeing me on the road came out of their houses and shouted abuse at me. A senior Loyalist politician joined in and the police advised me to withdraw. I was happy to follow their advice.

The children and the parents assembled for the walk to school. I was asked by the parents to check with the police if the way to the school – a walk of less than a quarter of a mile – was safe. We set off as a group – parents had asked me and Father Gary, C.P. to walk with them – and were met with verbal abuse, spitting, threats, bottles and bricks. The children were terrified. I have never been so afraid. We reached the sanctuary of the school only to have more bottles and bricks rain down up us. The children were rescued by their teachers and spirited out of school through a back entrance, across a football pitch to a convoy of taxis that had heard of the trouble and had arrived to ensure the escape of the children. I was shocked beyond anything I can describe. How a child had not been killed I will never know. Images were sent around the world and to this day people remember those scenes with disbelief. A three month obscenity

That this would last three hours or three days seemed too much. That it lasted daily for three months – the protest was suspended on November 23 – was an obscenity. The situation got worse. On September 5 a bomb was thrown at the children as we walked with them. Sadly, some police and a police dog were seriously injured. No child was physically hurt but the trauma caused will remain with the children for a long time. Daily I was accused of being a paedophile both verbally and on posters. All Catholic teachers were put under death threats on successive weekends. Aftermath

In September 2003 there are still some of those children in therapy as a direct result of these events of 2001. On January 6 2003 a bomb was left at the school gate but was defused prior to exploding. One sign of hope is that a face to face meeting between police and parents was arranged on January 7 to review security for the children. What a sign of hope compared to the days when parents talked to police through messages I relayed.

After a relatively peaceful summer the children of Holy Cross Girls’ Primary School, Ardoyne, Belfast, were not able to enter their school on 1st September 2003. A device attached to the school gate had to be examined before it was safe to allow anybody enter the school building. Again, children as young as four years of age will remember this as their introduction to ‘big’ school. Mid-morning there was a coded message sent to a T.V. station to say that two bombs had been placed on the school roof. That again necessitated the evacuation of the school. The long road to peace

My role was to seek an end to the protest. When people descend into conflict, hatred, mistrust and suspicion the way back to peace is torturous. Direct meetings were held on three occasions between the protestors and the governors of the school. These meetings were tense and showed little results in the early days. It was impossible for the school to negotiate as long as the children were being targeted. The issues of the protestors were my issues, but the children had to be taken out of this adult disagreement. Small steps on the road to peace

At the third meeting with the protestors in exasperation with our inability to rescue the children, I offered one of the protestors my mobile (cellular) phone number so that we could keep some contact in between meetings. Others felt that I had made a mistake in giving this information. It was never abused and in fact was instrumental in bringing about a positive outcome. Archbishop Desmond Tutu who visited Holy Cross School during the protest has counselled, ‘to maintain a link no matter how fragile between poles that are apart.’

At the end of one meeting one of the most vocal protestors requested if he could ask me a question. He wanted to know about the sign on my habit. He explained that the protestors were fascinated with the sign. I explained that it was a reminder of the Passion of Jesus Christ. He smiled for the first time and said he would bring the explanation back. Unreal in many ways, but it was a tiny step in making a connection. To such belongs the Kingdom…….

Eventually the protest was suspended followed by enormous relief allied with daily nervousness that persists to this day. We must learn from the tragedy to see how we can move ahead. The children are my model for a way forward.

The children of Holy Cross have changed me deeply. In their own simple and very special way they helped me understand as never before what it means for God to become a child. The children going up the Ardoyne Road to school taught me Godlike qualities: how to forgive, to accept, to smile. For twelve weeks it was my privilege to walk shoulder to shoulder with them and their parents. There were times when we prayed and got new strength. Their hugs melted my heart and I couldn’t let them see my tears. Conclusion

The way to peace is complex. The UN and Governments have a crucial role to play. Peace and reconciliation demands a big vision, freedom and courage. At the local level the message of the child holds the key. Forgiving, letting go of hurt, generously giving even from the little you have; are some of the messages children gave me over those awful days of the Holy Cross protest.

The feet of the peacemakers can become weary. Children in their bravery and beauty have inspired the whole community around Holy Cross to embark on a project that will open a Family Centre for children and parents of all religious and political persuasions. Some doubt that we will succeed.

In working for peace I take inspiration from Archbishop Oscar Romero:

We cannot do everything,

and there is a liberation in realising that.

This enables us to do something,

and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning,

a step along the way,

an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter

and to do the rest.

Aidan Troy, C.P., P.P.

Chair of Board of Governors of Holy Cross Girls’ School, Ardoyne, Belfast.

September 2003