With Angels and Arch Angles,
Liturgy in the Cathedral has been flawless and wonderful. There are nine vergers employed full time at the Cathedral, as a comparison the National Cathedral in Washington has two full time vergers and five volunteers. These professionals see that the services are without unintended distraction.
Evensong, sung each day, has been blessed this past week with the choirs of Saint Martins in the Fields, and the University of the South Sewanee Tennessee. While these services are beautiful there is little space for active participation by the congregation. The service is sung by a priest, and the choir. The Creed and the Grace are the only active parts for the congregation. My own personal habits have involved services with more active involvement. These services are asking for emotional and spiritual involvement.
The Cathedral Choir has been on holiday and that is why the talented voices of these other choirs joined us this past week. On Saturday the Cathedral Choir returned; and with Angels and Arch Angels the service was sung.
The Cathedral Choir consists of choir master, fifteen young boys and twelve men. The songs and chants of this choir are truly, as expressed by Saint Augustine, best described as “He who sings prays twice.”
With this choir in place I no longer felt the void of not actively participating in the Evensong service. I was deeply involved in the service, involved on a very spiritual level.
In liturgy there is definitely a place for congregational participation. There are also times when we should allow others to take us to spiritual spaces. Working with that balance and providing different experiences for different people and different times is a duty to not be taken lightly. Recognizing the gifts and ministries of others so this can be facilitated is important. Liturgy is after all, not for our own glory, but always for the glory of God.
Peace and Blessings in the continual worship of Our Lord,
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