From the Rector: Back from England

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14 June 2023

After three weeks in England, Jayson and I returned to Honolulu this week. It was a wonderful three weeks, and I will synthesize many learnings for time to come. For now I would like to share with you my initial thoughts about the diversity of churches we visited and their worship life, as there are many things we might find helpful in our own context of St. Mark’s.

Our pilgrimage was hosted by the Living Church, and our travels took us to churches large and small, urban and rural. For the third week of time when we were not on the pilgrimage, we were in London. Throughout these three weeks I witnessed a real diversity of worship in different settings. Whether it was small weekday masses, cathedral evensongs, village processions, or solemn masses, all the worship was meaningful and done well. I offer the following as highlights, as there is so much to share.

Pentecost Day at Norwich Cathedral

Our first Sunday in England was Pentecost Day at Norwich Cathedral, and it was heartening to witness a full church for this feast. When we arrived the congregation discovered that the seating in the church had been rearranged, a benefit to having chairs rather than pews. Rather than facing the altar, the whole church had been transformed into a divided choir, and so when the people went to their seats, we were facing each other. The altar was at one end of the nave, and the baptismal font was at the other end. For Pentecost with its baptismal focus, this allowed the entire Liturgy of the Word to be done at the baptismal font. At the offertory, the liturgical ministers traversed to the altar for the Liturgy of Communion. By having the people sit in this fashion, we were reminded how the Holy Spirit resides in the people. One must adore your fellow worshippers as much as you adore the Body of Christ at the altar. The arrangement taught us how each person is a sacred being in the image of God.

Often on Pentecost Day churches will employ various antics to heighten the feast day. I have seen fire-breathing circus performers filling the chancel with their gaseous breath, trying symbolize the Holy Spirit. I have witnessed churches decked out in red balloons while clergy blow kazoos as they process into the church. Such gimmicks have never been our emphasis at St. Mark’s. That being said, Norwich Cathedral did have a fire pit set up between the altar and the baptismal font in the middle of the congregation. When the time came for the historic Pentecost reading from the Acts of the Apostles, sharing how the Holy Spirit rested upon diverse peoples in Jerusalem, the fire pit came alive with a glorious flame. It was convincing because it was dramatic while understated - it was not ridiculous, but edifying. The fire pit came alive with flames right when the reading began, and when the reading finished, the flames promptly ended. The emphasis of the Holy Spirit residing in the middle of the people was evident and clear.

Overall, Norwich was one of my favorite places to visit. The cathedral is a vibrant place, and the center of Norwich is full of life. On that Pentecost Day we also visited the little church of Julian of Norwich, and time was given to see the location of her historic cell where she provided wisdom daily to traveling pilgrims.

TRINITY SUNDAY AT WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL

A week later we had the privilege of visiting Winchester Cathedral. Due to the history of Winchester being the capital of England prior to the Norman Conquest, Winchester holds a special place within the hearts of England, and the cathedral and diocese benefit from this past. There is a beautiful lawn fronting the cathedral, and as the day was sunny and beautiful, the lawn was packed with locals picnicking and enjoying the scenery. The cathedral also has a cafe, coffee truck, and gift shop, and these provided hospitality to the people who gather for relaxation on the cathedral grounds.

It was fortunate that we were visiting on Trinity Sunday, as Winchester Cathedral is dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity. Because of this dedication, the cathedral was hosting a community day with worship, a special lunch, and afternoon talks. On Saturday evening there was a special Evensong with full choir, commissioning their acolytes, and on Sunday morning the music was especially glorious.

Unfortunately, because they moved their main Sunday mass forward one hour due to their community day, the attendance at the start of the mass was greatly diminished. An hour later many people entered the cathedral, not realizing that the service had been moved one hour earlier. Sadly most attendees missed the Liturgy of the Word and the sermon, and so their communion was detached from any meaningful engagement with holy scripture. I could sense the disappointment that regardless of parish communications, people are unable to navigate Sunday morning schedule changes, even on important days such as a feast of title. For those of us who did arrive at the earlier time, which was very clear according to their website, the Sunday mass was a true pleasure.

Walsingham

On Pentecost Monday we made our pilgrimage to Walsingham. Walsingham is affectionately known as England’s Nazareth, and you can read more about Walsingham and its history at their website. Every year on the Monday after Pentecost, pilgrims come from all over England and beyond for a festive outdoor mass and procession through the village of Walsingham. Churches arrange for coach buses to bring the faithful to this event, and this year the weather was perfect. After the open-air mass, there is time for a picnic lunch on a great lawn, and then in the afternoon there is a sermon followed by a procession in the village, ending with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

The whole day is also a marvel in technology. So often at outdoor services one cannot hear the liturgy, but this was not the case at Walsingham. For the mass, and even the procession, there was an elaborate set of speakers throughout the whole village, keeping everyone in the procession unified in their singing and recitation of the Holy Rosary. The procession throughout the village, singing Marian hymns and reciting decades of the Holy Rosary, was one of the great highlights of the entire trip. It was a joy to see hundreds of pilgrims worshipping together to witness their faith publicly in this historic village.

CORPUS CHRISTI

All Saints Margaret Street prepared for Corpus Christi

The trip to England reminded me that in some ways St. Mark’s has more in common with churches beyond our diocese than within our diocese. This is because of our Anglo-Catholic identity, and there are no other churches similar to St. Mark’s in Hawai’i. However, in England, and especially in London, Anglo-Catholic churches are numerous, and their influence can be strong within the Church of England. I was especially reminded of this when the Feast of Corpus Christi arrived. The day is an official day in the English church calendar, whereas for the Episcopal Church we only have an optional Votive of the Holy Eucharist “especially suitable for Thursdays.”

When Corpus Christi Thursday arrived, there were multiple churches celebrating the day in multiple ways. On the Eve of Corpus Christi, as well as on the day, there were Solemn and Sung Masses in many churches, and some were followed by neighborhood processions. On the Sunday after Corpus Christi, there were additional celebrations of the day. One of the benefits was that multiple churches could come together for these celebrations. A mass would be celebrated at one church, and then there would be a procession to a neighboring church where Benediction would be celebrated. These gatherings provided opportunities for shared ministry among different churches, and the processions of the Blessed Sacrament throughout the streets provided evangelistic opportunities for sharing the faith. The Body of Christ brought the Body of Christ into the streets to share the faith with those who also need the Body of Christ.

One great example of a Solemn Mass followed by a neighborhood procession ending with Benediction is All Saints Margaret Street. You can watch the service on their YouTube Channel.

St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey

When one is in London one must visit both St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. We went to weekday Evensongs at both churches, and at St. Paul’s Cathedral we were fortunate to meet up with Trevor Ward who had arranged a private tour for me and Jayson. It was wonderful to meet up with Trevor, and he is doing very well. Both of these churches were packed with visitors, mostly Americans, and both churches were full of people for their weekday Evensongs. Because services are free to attend at both of these historic landmarks, many people will remark that people only come to the Evensongs so that they may enter the churches for free. That may be the case for some, but I doubt it is the whole story.

My sense was that many of the people in attendance came because they were craving a service that is hard to find back home. This would certainly be the case for American Episcopalians. Most people only have the option of attending Choral Evensong online these days, and so when they travel to a city such as London, they cherish the opportunity to attend Choral Evensong. For those who only come so that they may see the church for free, they are exposed to a form of worship that is incredibly rare, and perhaps it intrigues their interest to find out more. We often say in the church, the Holy Spirit moves in mysterious ways.

Masses are said daily in both of these great churches, as in many other churches in London. At St. Mark’s we have often conversed about how the daily mass can be an important ministry during the week, especially for tourists and our friends in the neighborhood. At Westminster Abbey I was struck that they had a noonday mass being celebrated in the middle of the church as the tourists continued to make their way through the building. The worshippers and the tourists co-existed during this time, and for those who were new to Anglicanism, or who had not experienced a Eucharist, they were exposed to this form of Christian worship. The words of scripture and the prayers of the people floated through the space as people looked at the various monuments in the Abbey. As a goodly number of people prayed the Eucharist together, many other visitors walked around the perimeter of the church quietly as the church continued worship.

OPEN CHURCHES

This brings me to a final point for now, and that is open churches. Again and again, whether it was in London, Norwich, Canterbury, Winchester, Salisbury - cities or villages - I found that churches were open each day, even on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons. Rarely was a church locked up, and rarely could one not go inside and say a prayer. Churches were open for visitors. I was struck how this was continually the case. Most churches have discovered how to receive donations throughout the week from visitors by having tap machines available. More often than not, I saw visitors entering a church, enjoying the space, taking some photos, and then pulling out their credit card and making a donation quickly and easily. It was tangible evidence that the average person who visits a church cherishes the chance to say a prayer and then support the church financially. People see value in open churches, and they want to give money to them. It was a reminder to me that we should continue to explore how our church could be staffed with volunteers throughout the week so that our doors may be open more often.

CODA

Having spent time in Türkiye and Greece, and then another three weeks in England, there is much to reflect upon. I am almost at the midpoint in this sabbatical, and I am grateful to everyone who has made this journey possible. I hope to write more in the future beyond these initial thoughts, but for now please know it is good to be back in the Islands.

Blessings,
Father Paul Lillie +

Travel Route in England