Magheralin Parish Church

The rector here, Rev. Henry Murphy reported as follows to the Bishop of Down:

“It affords me the most sincere pleasure to be able to say that the effect produced among us answers to the ‘cause.’ There is a hungering and thirsting after the word of God, as is clearly evidenced by the full attendance on every means of grace. My church was built to accommodate five hundred; it is full every Sabbath morning (yesterday there were five hundred and thirty-one) and the evening congregation averages three hundred—(it used to be forty or fifty). I have two evening services during the week; one in a school-house, which is always crowded—the other in the church, which is attended by a steady congregation of between three and four hundred. Before this religious awakening (about three years ago), I commenced an evening service in the village; but after some time I discontinued it, because I could get no attendance. Now, had I a service every evening in the week, I could command a meeting. Beside all this, morality, in every sense of the word, is the order of the day. The change, indeed, is a mighty one.”