The Very Rev John Mann in Ireland

A Christian response to insecurity and danger

The Very Revd John Mann shares beautiful reflections in every episode of our special series of Sacred Harmony, filmed in Northern Ireland. Here’s an encouraging sneak-peek at his thoughts on God’s protection and our response to life’s dangers and threats.

One of the psalms speaks of the author’s desire that he may have the wings of a dove to be able to fly away and be at rest. It is a longing to shed problems and anxieties and be at peace. This need to escape, what threatens one’s emotional and mental equilibrium, is something that we can all to some extent understand, but the Christian of St Patrick’s day possessed a more robust outlook on God’s mercy and protection.   

What threatened was also what inspired; what was awesome, brought one closer to Christ; as he was in the world and he was human, like us, but also beyond us and divine. At each turn in the path of life, the Celtic Christian was drawn further into the reality of nature’s power and beauty, rather than take them to a place where they could not be touched by insecurity and danger.   

If prayer results from our contemplation of the heavens and the earth; from the sinuous movement of a fish in a placid stream, to the breeze waving the grass of a hay meadow or the sound of the lowing of a cow or the sight of the flight of a bird, then prayer becomes as natural as breathing, and as constant as time itself.  Into such a world of faith we can, following the way of St Patrick himself, encounter Christ day by day.

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    Author

    The Very Reverend John Mann

    Rev John is the former Dean of Belfast and is a regular contributor to the TBN UK series Sacred Harmony.

    The Very Rev. John Mann, originally from Blackheath, London, embarked on his religious journey by being ordained as a deacon in 1979 and as a priest in 1981. He pursued his education at various institutions, including Clark's College in Romford, Essex, the Royal Liberty School in Romford, Queen's University in Belfast, and the Church of Ireland Theological College.

    Rev John actively participates in various church-related committees and groups, such as the Representative Church Body, the General Synod, the Church of Ireland Library and Archives Committee, Connor Diocesan Board of Patronage, Diocesan Executive Committee, Diocesan Council, Diocesan Court, and Joint Committee. Additionally, he contributes as a spiritual director and is part of the group working on developing pastoral support in the Connor diocese.

    Prior to his ordination, Canon Mann gained experience working for the Isle of Man Railways, particularly on the vintage electric tramway that spans from Douglas to Ramsey.