Kilkeel Reverend carries on legacy of Black Santa sit out

CARRYING on her churches rich legacy of Black Santa sit outs is a Kilkeel born clergy woman whose efforts have raised over £2500 for the Evora Hospice.   

Reverend Elizabeth Hanna, who is now retired but worked as a reverend in both Lisburn and the outskirts of Banbridge, opted to sit out for three days in less than hospitable winter weather to raise funds for the charity which has helped so many in the community.   

“Whilst deciding to brave the inhospitable elements encountered   would be no task for the feint of heart according to Reverend Hanna her sit out was simply  an extension of the work the church does embodying the  philosophy of love thy God and love they neighbour.

Love thy God and neighbour

“I belong to Kilbroney Parish Church. We do a lot of stuff in the community. We support Women's Aid, we support the foodbank, we have a little free library. This is just an extension of the work that the church does. It is love God and love your neighbour.

“It was Dean Shearer in Saint Anne's in Belfast who started it, the whole idea of the Black Santa. Church of Ireland clergy all have black cloaks as part of our winter dress.

“I did see him as my inspiration. I suppose it reminds people of Santa coming along with a cloak, because it is black it is called the black Santa. I am not sure why the name stuck but all over the county both north and south there are various clergy who do sit outs and they are always referred to as the Black Santa's

“Also Saint Nicholas born in 279 AD was the bishop of Myra who did many acts of kindness for others. I use to be the rector of Saint Nicholas in Belfast and have visited many places associated with him including his burial site in Bari Italy.

“This is the first time I have done it. I was aware that the Hospice needs a lot of funding and it does not get government support so it just seemed the right thing to do.

“I have known various people. When I was a parish priest there were people who were in hospice care so I have experienced visiting folk, parishioners and I just know that the level of care in the hospice is unbelievable. The folk who work there, it seems as if they have a very special gift to be alongside people who are in great need.”

Support from the community

Whilst her faith in god would have been more than enough to sustain her through her three day sit out thankfully Reverand Hanna was also blessed with the company of her fellow parishioners who she engaged in conversation with frequently throughout the tenure of her sit out.        The time passed very quickly. You talk to a lot of people and because you are there and you are free to talk you find that people come along and share their story with you. On the first day I was in the church porch because of the storm but on the second day I had a little shelter like a fisherman's tent. I was more accessible to people and my dog was sitting beside me. All the people who like dogs were coming along and talking to him. The time really did fly pass. I started about 8am in the morning. There is not a lot of activity until about 10pm and from then it is a steady stream of folk who come along and give very generously and chat.

“The Just Giving page was remarkable particularly with the Gift Aid that comes with the donations. Before I even started people were handing me money. By the second day we were a little bit over £1000. I think people are very generous  this time of year. Even though people do not have a lot of spare cash Evora touches most families at some stage and people are very generous.

“This is my first time doing it and I spoke to the rector  about doing it again. If my own health stays reasonably good I cannot see any reason as to why I wouldn't do it again.”