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| 2158: Coventry
Cathedral, Coventry, England |
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Photo:
Steve Cadman
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Mystery
Worshipper: Extreme Harmony.
The church:
Cathedral
Church of St. Michael, Coventry, England.
Denomination:
Church
of England, Diocese
of Coventry.
The building:
Much has been written about the history of this building; I
will try not to repeat what is already well known. The old cathedral,
destroyed by German bombs during World War II, dated from the
late 14th and early 15th centuries. Its spire is still the tallest
structure in the city. The words "Father Forgive"
are inscribed on the wall behind the ruined altar. Plans for
a new cathedral, to stand as a sign of faith in humanity and
the rebirth of a nation, were laid almost immediately after
the destruction. The original plans called for most of the ruined
cathedral to be demolished, but these were rejected in favor
of a design that preserved the ruins as they were. Ground was
finally broken in 1956 by Her Majesty the Queen. The new Coventry
Cathedral is rather 1950s on the outside, but the inside is
very beautiful and architecturally interesting.
The church:
As with many English cathedrals, tourism plays an important
role in Coventry Cathedral's everyday life. Tourists and parents
of choristers seem to be the main attendees at the cathedral's
services.
The neighbourhood:
Coventry lies 95 miles northwest of London in the area known
as the West Midlands. Coventry became the world's first "twinned"
city when it was twinned with Stalingrad, Russia, during World
War II; today it is "twinned" with almost 30 cities
worldwide. Once the centre of Britain's motorcar industry, today
only taxicabs are assembled in Coventry, their bodies manufactured
in China. The cathedral is situated in Coventry's inner city,
as one would expect.
The cast:
I was able only to ascertain the name of the guest choir, which
was the In Spiritus Chamber Choir. The names of the clergy conducting
the service were not available to be known.
The date & time:
Saturday, 9 April 2011, 4.00pm.
What was the name of the service?
Choral Evensong.
How full was the building?
Not full at all – only a handful of people. Very poor turnout.
Did anyone welcome you
personally?
If you consider being snapped at a greeting, then I suppose
someone did welcome us, yes. A woman at the door shot us a "You
do know that a service will soon be starting here?" as we approached.
We replied as politely as we could: "Yes. Evensong, isn't
it? May we come in?" This earned us a huffy "Will you stay
for the entirety of the service?" On our assurance that we would,
the woman thrust an A3 photocopy of the service sheet into our
hands, declaring that the books were all gone and that we would
have to share. (The cathedral has, like, four books, then? I
wondered to myself.) But in fairness to the woman, we are young
and we were wearing our Church of England Youth Council hoodies.
Perhaps she was afraid that we were there to steal her purse
or tag the altar with graffiti.
Was your pew comfortable?
Padded chairs. Aesthetically appealing and comfortable.
How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
Calm and meditative. We could hear the "welcomer" woman walking
around and some behind-the-scenes murmurs, but nothing offensive
to the ear.
What were the exact opening words of the
service?
"O Lord, open our lips."
What books did the congregation use during the
service?
The aforementioned A3 photocopies. Had the cathedral not run
out of the few copies of Common Worship that they apparently
have, we could have followed along there. The readings were
from The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version, I think.
What musical instruments were played?
Organ. The guest robed choir sang.
Did anything distract you?
Somebody texting next to me with their phone on vibrate. Whoever
decided that "vibrate" and "silent" could
describe the same cell phone setting committed a grave error
in judgment. Slightly "off" soloist. Also, I couldn't help but
notice that the conductor seemed to be a little in the way.
Whenever anybody tried to pass there'd be obvious (but very
polite and silent) confrontation.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip,
happy clappy, or what?
Traditional Anglican. Organ playing, choral music, standing
and sitting at the right time. Well rehearsed – no improvisation.
Exactly how long was the
sermon?
No sermon.
Which part of the service
was like being in heaven?
The choir and organ combination was fantastic. Riveting, almost.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
The "welcome". I really don't like to feel under attack when
I would like to pray. The church statistics on young people
are unsurprising if more young people experience this kind of
interaction when they enter God's house.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
People just filtered out. The clergyman who took the service
winked at me and then walked up to the lady at the door and
had a short conversation with her. I don't know what they may
have discussed, but after ten minutes or so we left. Although
we smiled at the lady and thanked her, we received no response.
How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
The cathedral cafe was sadly closed.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
1 – It's no wonder that so few people attend services here
if they're all "greeted" the way we were "greeted".
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
Yes, but I'm not sure that the Christians there made me feel
glad to be a Christian.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
Unfortunately, the door-lady. |
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| One of our most seasoned reporters makes the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Read here. |
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