 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
The church: St Paul's Cathedral, London, Ontario, Canada.
Denomination: Anglican Church of Canada.
Comment: We have received a comment on this report.
The building: This is a fine brick Gothic building from about 1850; the main impression inside is one of air, light and space. The transept windows are absolutely massive, one of the most amazing features of the building. The roof structure is such that there are no interior columns: the sight-lines are some of the best I have ever seen in a church. There is some wonderful stained glass, including four windows from the Tiffany studio, and some vigorous modern ones.
The church: By all appearances the congregation is homogeneous and well-heeled. It seems very self-involved and not really interested in welcoming visitors.
The neighbourhood: London is a city of 300,000, but seems rather smaller than that. It has some distinguished architecture from the 19th century, though little from the 20th. The cathedral is right downtown.
The cast: Celebrant: Rev. Mona Goulette; homilist: Rev. Christine Young; gospeller: Very Rev. Dean Terrance Dance.
9.15am Sung Eucharist and Church School.
How full was the building?
About 60 people in a space that would seat, I think, about 1,000. By the end of the service I found myself thinking that this sparse attendance was richly deserved.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
My visit began badly. The church building had intrigued me as I walked around the city on Saturday afternoon; I checked the cathedral website to find the service times for the next day. This was the end of the first week of February, but the most recent service postings on the website were for the week of Christmas! When I turned up at the church, a woman handed me a leaflet and shook my hand, without however interrupting a conversation she was having with someone else.
Was your pew comfortable?
The pews were the usual solid wooden things, but the kneelers did not permit real kneeling, only a kind of crouching and slouching.
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
The congregation was so sparse that there was really no atmosphere to describe.
What were the exact opening words of the service?
The first item was announcements, which began "Good morning"; then we had the hymn, "Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven" as the clergy entered; then: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." I wrote we "had" the hymn, rather than we "sang" the hymn, because it seemed to me that no one really sang, except six unvested choir ladies. Some people held the hymn book and mouthed the words, but many people didn't even bother to open the book. The organ was so loud, and the singing so inaudible, that I was never able to figure out which of two versions of the words of this hymn we were meant to sing!
What books did the congregation use during the service?
The Canadian Book of Alternative Services and a hymn book called Common Praise.
What musical instruments were played?
Organ and piano.
Did anything distract you?
The outdated website, the offhand welcome and the passive singing had not put me in a charitable mood, but what really irritated me was the furniture of the chancel. There is a squat high altar at the back, choir stalls, an organ console, bishop's throne, dean's stall, rector's stall, etc. At the front, jammed in between the stalls, was a ridiculously small people's altar. But with all the other furniture in the way, the priests couldn't really walk around this small altar; they had to more or less squeeze by. The place was so cluttered it looked like a used furniture store. And yet the spacious, open architecture invites something much, much better. What a wonderful liturgical space this could be with some courage and vision. The actual was truly a sad contrast with the potential!
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
So middle-of-the-road one wouldn't notice it.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
10 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
10 – The preacher, Rev. Christine Young, was wonderful. What a relief from just about everything else at this service!
In a nutshell, what was the sermon about?
The readings were those for the transfiguration. The sermon spoke about the mystical tradition, about the high moments of religious life. She quoted Gregory Nyssa, Pseudo-Dionysius and The Cloud of Unknowing. She pressed the point that though moments of mystical transport do not and cannot last, they should work a transformation in us that does last. This was good, orthodox, traditional teaching, and it was conveyed in a strong, easy manner. I hadn't expected anything half so solid, half so deep. And all in 10 minutes too!
Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
The sermon.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
Almost everything else. But especially the unwelcoming attitude, the frankly ridiculous sparseness of the congregation, and the cluttered chancel. I just kept thinking how satisfying it would be to bring in a bulldozer to clear out the chancel.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
Normally I do go for after-service coffee when I visit a church, but in this case I just wanted to flee. True to the manner of the place, though, as I left, the Dean shook hands with me without interrupting the conversation he was having with a parishioner.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
1 – This was a pretty bad experience of church. I was a bit depressed to think that this is the cathedral church of one of the largest Anglican dioceses in Canada.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
Only the sermon did so. The rest just made me cross.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
My fantasy of a bulldozer in the chancel.
| The Mystery Worshipper is sponsored by surefish.co.uk, the internet service provider from Christian Aid. By offering email services, special offers with companies such as amazon.co.uk and smile.co.uk, surefish raises more than £300,000 a year for Christian Aid's work around the world. Click here to find out how to become a Mystery Worshipper. And click here if you would like to reproduce this report in your church magazine or website. Top | Other Reports | Become a Mystery Worshipper! © Ship of Fools 2005 |
|
 |