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The church: St Paul's Cathedral, City of London.
Denomination: Church of England.
The building: Christopher Wren at his most magnificent. Somehow, St Paul's has such famous, glorious architecture that describing it seems redundant. The building is surrounded by a lovely garden area and has a lower level where there is a restaurant, tea and gift shop. The service I attended was held in the crypt, to the rear of the "shop" level. Even allowing for the fact that maintaining the building must cost a king's ransom, the dignity of the atmosphere was rather marred by the presence of a till at each entrance, with a fixed fee for viewing the cathedral and an extra charge for admission to the upper gallery (worshippers can attend services at no cost). It naturally never entered my mind that anyone would come here to see "where Charles and Diana married" rather than to worship, an affliction similar to that of Westminster Abbey, "where the funeral was", and where the admission cost seemed prohibitive.
The neighbourhood: St Paul's is in the heart of the City's financial district, with the usual bustle of the professional and tourist crowds. The area is quite pleasant, with other churches and historic pubs a short walk away. As one of London's top tourist attractions, St Paul's is one of the stops on the "hop on, hop off" buses, and this does make the rather narrow street a bit crowded.
The cast: Name not provided.
Holy Communion (midday).
How full was the building?
The crypt was quite full, though moments after the service began, it became quite clear that many were not "worshippers" per se. Though everyone surrounded the altar at holy communion, perhaps three-quarters of the people were in the "blessing only" category (which makes it likely that they were not Christians).
Did anyone welcome you personally?
Not individually. A young woman priest (who did not conduct the service) did come to tell the crowd gathering that the crypt chapel was for those attending the service, and would those merely touring respect this.
Was your pew comfortable?
Quite standard.
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
Confused. Apparently many of those coming in were making it a stop beyond the gift shop and cafeteria area, which was very crowded. St Paul's has no "set area" for the midday communion, and even those who have visited in the past can find they are searching for the proper spot for a daily service.
What were the exact opening words of the service?
"No, you don't need to stand – we'll be standing in a minute, but not yet."
What books did the congregation use during the service?
A prayer card.
What musical instruments were played?
There was no music at this service.
Did anything distract you?
My blushing at one point. I was sitting in the front seat (lest I be judged a Pharisee, I am short and hard of hearing), and, curious combination of outgoing and reserved that I am, was smiling warmly when the priest was addressing us. He asked my name, which I whispered, and, to my great embarrassment, said to the congregation, "See! You should all be as (Newman's Own) is, joyous and smiling." (If anyone from my home parish is reading this and knows my identity, please note that I am joyous!)
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
Informal and a little excessive in the "we're all a family" department. The priest was wearing some sort of happy clappy button on his stole, and pronounced the words of the service in a manner that was so "chatty" as to be nearly humorous.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
There was no sermon, though there were a few words, interspersed at various parts of the service, of welcome.
Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
There is something about the atmosphere of St Paul's which I always find very awe-inspiring. Of course, receiving communion is always rather heavenly, even when one is instructed to "form a horse shoe," and the people standing beside me are explaining to their kids, "We're Quakers, we are just going to get a blessing. Stay still, now, it won't take long."
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
There was heavy construction work going on outside, and the echoes of the noise made it seem as if the walls would come down. As well, I really don't like children very much, and there were some rather bratty ones at this service.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
Nothing – everyone at St Paul's looks lost.
How would you describe the after-service coffee?
The refectory tea, as I knew from the past, is over-priced and not very good.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
5 – A cathedral that is also a main tourist attraction is not somewhere that I'd feel very comfortable.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
Yes – it is always pleasant gathering with a diverse crowd for the eucharist, and the people there were from many lands (and, I gathered, many faiths).
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
How the priest did his best, awkwardly or not, to give each of the people who approached the altar for a blessing a personal blessing, by name, and a welcome.
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