Monday, February 22, 2016

A Cathedral Sunday...

....began for me in Westminster Cathedral, with a glorious sung Mass...I am not often at this great London cathedral on a Sunday, and I relished every moment. It was, of course, absolutely full, but I was able to get a place and it is so superb as the choir and clergy waft in from the sacristy, rounding their way to the main aisle and then up through to the the sanctuary, the choir apparently effortlessly singing their way into the apse...

Afterwards, a good chat with Canon Christopher Tuckwell,...various things to discuss re Catholic History walks etc...I mentioned that I would be going on to Chichester, and he reminisced about studying there back in the days of the  former (Anglican) Theological College...

And so to Sussex on a lovely train ride through wet but glorious countryside. Then Chichester,...and after an excellent and busy lunch with my fellow Committee members of the  History Walks project (planning for 2016...more of that later), I treated myself to a wander around the glorious Cathedral in the evening light.

They offer some attractive activities for children to help them understand the history. One is a Victorian afternoon, in which they  dress up in costume, learn about Victorian life in Chichester and also about the collase of that enormous spire, one of the most dramatic events of the city in that era...and in other similar workshops they can  learn about St Richard Wych, and about Bishop Luffa, and more...

It is a sad thing about the 1992 decision that smashed ecumenical hopes. Perhaps it was all inevitable. The Ordinariate has salvaged the best of it all.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dear Joanna,

With your writing one can truly imagine the beauty of the choir singing at the Cathedral, even in just a few words. In America we have started a new foundation to promote polyphony and chant in the Mass, reaching youth to pray for it, to use their Smart Phones and devices to share it with their friends...we will be meeting at World Youth Day in Poland this summer. To them it is a new experience, having been brought up with hymns and folk music. Please check out our work and if you can help us put the word out:
http://www.polyphonyandchant.org
We would love to have a chance to talk and interview with you. We just had Deal Hudson, founder of Crisis Magazine and The Christian Review interview Christopher Mueller

God bless you, and all your dear work. Jesus makes us all a big family!