Salisbury, Sunday, 24 July 2011

Conflux - a study of the contrasts of sacredness


I am sleeping fitfully, and happily so - relaxation has begun.  There is, however, a sense of being prepared to meet and do for the choir.  This I find to be fulfilling and meaningful, but it does require effort and energy.  I get up early in order to have a little something to eat prior to liturgy, so I pop into Café Nero and have a toasted sandwich (quite good actually) and a Cafe Americano.  In walks one of our younger choir members, so we share a table and I take some time to get to know her better.  Her whole life is in front of her and it is a delight to hear her plans and her dreams.  She will do quite well, I think.  We walk together over to the Cathedral Close.  Even at this early hour, the tourists are beginning to wend their way to the close.  Gangs of kids from Spain, France, Germany, other parts of England, and the United States.  I wonder what they are thinking after listening to my young choir friend.

The Baptismal Font at Salisbury

It is to be a Baptism within the Eucharist, and another member of the congregation who is touring but not in the choir and I debate as to where we should sit.  The nave would allow us the opportunity to witness the baptism, and a seat in the quire would allow us to see the ceremonial of the Eucharist.  We choose the quire.

The baptism is dispersed throughout the Eucharistic liturgy.  The Presentation, Renunciations and Chrismation take place at the beginning of the Mass.  Normally, these rites take place appropriately at the doors of the Cathedral, but today an exception is made.  Then follows the Gloria, Collect and the Liturgy of the Word, with the altar party taking seats in the Presbytery.  The Gospel is read from the crossing, and the sermon was preached from the pulpit at the edge of the crossing - so this is all happening facing away from us - an interesting orientation for us.  Then there is a procession to the Font, with the congregation asked to join in the gathering.  We stay put, but crane our necks to see what is going on.  There, at the Font, we have the prayer over the water, the creed, and the actual baptism.  At the peace everyone returns to their places.  The Eucharist is celebrated and the communion is done, and after the communion we are back at the Baptism.  Here it is that the newly baptized are given their candles, and the blessings to all are given along with a sung dismissal.  Another interesting note, is that the color for Baptisms (as well as for Confirmation, and Ordination) is red - the color of the Holy Spirit - connecting these Sacraments visually.

Salisbury has a long nave, and I realized that it would be impossible to intimately see all that was about to happen.  Elements of the liturgy would be on my right, or my left, or right in front of me.  Some elements would be unseen, known only by voices and the responses in the bulletin.  I began to realize that this is really a more ideal situation for the worshiper, if they are sincere in seeing how life intersects with worship.  We have an unreal expectation when we desire to see everything immediately in front of us (and here I am not just talking about liturgy but of life as well).  Our culture wants to be immediate and proximate to all that life offers, but that is not possible.  Some stuff is both known, and unknown, and yet we become wise from experiencing it.  This worship allowed us to experience liturgy/life in a more real way - some elements sharply in focus, and others not.  In the cloister many St. Mark's people joined with me as we compared our observations and the knowledge that we had gained.  It was palpably electric as we shared ideas.

My friend and I go off to lunch.  I want to know more about her and her life.  She shares fully and asks questions in return.  It is, I think, a pastoral moment over stuffed mushrooms, a salad, and a spaghetti carbonara.

Concurrent with the conversation in the Cloister, there was a display of art throughout the cathedral and close by Sean Henry.  The show was "Conflux - A Union of the Sacred and the Anonymous' features over 20 sculptures of dramatically different scales."  His works, interspersed amongst the various holy people depicted on both wall and in niche seemed to make the point.  Rather than ramble on about this, I've included some examples:

Although on Saturday, I chose not to photograph these sculptures, my experience in the Liturgy compelled me to do so.  After taking the photographs and purchasing the requisite guide to the cathedral, I went back to the hotel to leave off my camera and rest a bit before returning to the cathedral for Evensong.

My seat at Evensong

Returning to the cathedral for Evensong, I sought out my friend and decided to sit with her in our "usual" place in the quire.  As I mounted the steps, the verger came over and said, "We'd like you to vest and to read."  So I followed her into the Vestry where they gave me a cassock, surplice and magnificent cope to wear (red in anticipation of St. James' Day).  The reading was from St. Mark 5:21-43 (Jairus' Daughter, and the Woman with the issue of blood - a rather long reading).  I enjoyed proclaiming the reading, since I was asked to do it in the Authorized Version (it's enjoying a 400th Anniversary) so the old English was a bit of a challenge.  One of the canons said I had given a "very thoughtful reading" of the text.  

After the service, there were photos, saying good-bye to the choir as they loaded a bus heading to Truro, their next gig.  One choir member asked me to bless them, so I boarded the bus and had a prayer, blessing, and dismissal.  I was sad to see them go on.

Dinner at Strada (Tomato Basil Salad and a Risotto with Scallops) then home.  What a day!

The cathedral spire from the Refectory