39 Dorset Square
London NW1
2330 BST
I want to wish my Mom, who I know looks at this page sometimes, a very happy birthday, and no, I won't say how old you are! (And happy Mother's Day, too, even though I think that's more of a scam by the greeting card industry than an actual occasion.) Be on the lookout for a smallish package.
Not much in the way of pictures from today, as a good bit of time was spent finishing the process of replacing the stuff British Airways lost. However, this morning I did have an extremely intense time at St. Paul's Cathedral. St. Paul's is not my favorite building - I find that with all the marble it is like trying to worship God in an enormous, cavernous bathroom. A luxurious bathroom, with good acoustics, but it still feels cold to me. I do have one picture of John Wesley (in statue form) in one of the gardens surrounding St. Paul's:
What to say about +Richard Chartres, the current Bishop of London? I find that I agree with him on several things, but his ordination policies are...extremely unhelpful. Given that, though, it's obvious that "Dickie C.'s" cathedral is a serious place with serious people working there. The Canons and staff say Morning Prayer at 7:30 each morning followed by the Eucharist at 8 - SHOCK HORROR! THEY ACTUALLY OBSERVE THEIR ORDINATION VOWS!
"The Big Kids' Table at St. Paul's Cathedral"
Mystery Worshipper: Civilized Engineer
The church: St. Paul's Cathedral, London
Denomination: Church of England
The building:
The cast: Celebrant: the Rt. Rev. Michael Colclough, Canon Pastor of St. Paul's and former Bishop of Kensington and 2 young (female!!) acolytes
The date & time: Wednesday, 7 May 2008, 8:00 AM
What was the name of the service? Holy Communion
How full was the building? "Congregation" of about 18, although the majority were clergy in cassocks.
What were the exact opening words of the service? "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
What books did the congregation use during the service? Reusable booklet reprinted from the C of E's Common Worship, though no one really needed to look at it.
What musical instruments were played? None.
Did anything distract you? No.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what? Very quiet, very serious.
Which part of the service was like being in heaven? The absolute silence in such a cavernous space.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place? The bit during the overly-long Prayers when the celebrant prayed "for the cleansing of the Church," and it felt as if that sentiment was aimed directly across the Atlantic, though perhaps a bit north-by-east of Carolina... :-)
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)? 6. The architecture, again, is something of a loser in my view, but it's obvious that they are more sacramentally-focused today than in the 17th C.! It seems the sort of place that would be a blast to be a verger at, but not so great to be a member at. I really like the Canon Precentor, Lucy Plunkett, who was at the morning's service.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian? Not so much glad as _impressed._
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time? The (unnamed) minor canon kneeling on the stone floor for 15 minutes between Morning Prayer and the Mass.
No comments:
Post a Comment