In an interview with this newspaper this week, the Dean of Clogher, the Very Rev. Kenneth Hall, has shared a vision for his church that must only be welcomed.

The Dean has been at St. Macartin’s Cathedral for a short number of years but in that time has extended the hand of friendship in the most meaningful of ways. He has built a significant relationship with neighbouring St. Michael’s Church. And together with Monsignor Peter O’Reilly, played a huge part in the visit to Enniskillen by the Queen in 2012. Her walk across the road from one church to another was as symbolic as it was historic.

This week the Dean speaks of a vision of a church that welcomes everybody, regardless of their colour, creed, denomination, gender or sexual orientation.

It is a vision that speaks volumes. It is a humane, warm approach that is to be commended. He talks of a church that is warm, welcoming, open and embraces all people. He talks of showing love, care and respect.

These are surely sentiments that people can relate to. It evokes the image of an open door, a warm handshake, of a place where problems can be shared and where it is safe to do so.

His message of warmth and reaching out comes as our society faces difficult times. Not only has the recession bitten, leaving families in dire circumstances creating the need for food banks but there are alarming statistics of the prevalence of suicide here. In 2011, 289 people died in Northern Ireland as a result of suicide.

In a separate article, Councillor Raymond Farrell, who is also a mental health practitioner, quotes these worrying figures. He talks about the need for people to revive closer, warmer and harmonious bonds between each other. The art of communicating, socialising and interaction has sadly become lost in the day and age we live in, he believes. He queries that our mental health problems could stem in some way from losing that art of communicating and there are more isolated and lonely people in our community.

The cost of mental illness is estimated to be in the region of £2.8 million in terms of care, loss of input and in human costs.

It is against this backdrop, that reaching out the hand of friendship can only be seen as a good, right and necessary thing to do.