Sabbatical Update - England! (rest of week 6 and start of vacation)

 

What a lovely week so far of connecting with family and friends! We landed in London, which was hot but beautiful, and got to our hotel in the downtown area off of the Strand and close to Covent Garden, which boasts views like the above.

The next day was Six! and you can see the lovely Vaudeville theatre above. It is a play that fills in more details of the lives of Henry the Eighths' six wives with a feminist spin. But beforehand, we explored some London sites and churches, including a whimsical and moving exhibit on Pall Mall (Palace Mall) by a British-Chinese artist exploring the concepts of home, a walk around St. James' Park and a visit to a couple of churches.

London was colorful and grand, and we even got to visit with two of my cousins. Sadly my godmother was not up for a visit but we had a marvelous email exchange, and perhaps my visit was the catalyst for a deeper sharing with her. It was great to see cousins I had not seen in 7 and 15 years respectively!

Here is my cousin Dan with us in the Covent Garden area - one of my old stomping grounds. 

And here is cousin Lamar - Alene and I were each squinting in the sun in the pictures! 

We caught Holy Communion at the actor's church in Covent Garden, St. Paul's, and had to stop by friend Joan's church, St. James Piccadilly, catching the preparation for a midday concert.

St Paul's Covent Garden and St. James' Piccadilly are both good examples of downtown churches using their space in innovative ways. The St. Pauls' courtyard was full of folks hanging out. There was a courtyard and a pop up cafe and public restrooms (sometimes paid but currently free at that moment). St James, like St. Martin in the Fields, has free lunchtime concerts and other aspects that make the property a little haven for busy Londoners and tourists alike. Note that St. Paul's has colored lighting to fit the liturgical season - truly it is the actor's church!

After lunching with Lamar on Thursday, we headed North with a train that others were taking all the way to Edinburgh. We, however, stopped in York.

Known as a "magical" city and famous for its Minster (important church that started as a monastic community, often a cathedral).

We were blessed to check out a change-ringing practice at York Oratory (now a Roman Catholic church where the local change ringers do their practices on Thursday nights). The leader warmly welcomed us and we were treated to seeing the group practice several quite complicated rings. Alene and I even got a turn at ringing the huge bells (the largest weighs a ton, the less large weigh as much as two people together).

I thought the kind instructor was very brave letting me ring this bell! They can be very dangerous if not operated correctly. The York change ringing group has won many awards and I can see why.

The next morning we arose early to catch the morning Eucharist at York Minster. This amazing East Window was over the altar where we worshipped during the fasted Eucharist either of us have attended in years (ever?) but it was still lovely, led by a friendly priest named David who was up on US politics!

A sort of full-circle moment happened at York Minster when I saw the window depicting the life of St. Columba, whose island, Lindisfarne, we visited during my previous sabbatical time in 2019.

Then we were "on the road again" after a walk through the famous Shambles and a quick pork pie and a Cornish pasty to eat on the train. This was an interesting experience as one of the train's engines stopped working just a little while into the ride and someone seated in front of us was also a train conductor getting to his next stop. A very gregarious fellow, he told us well in advance that our train would not make it past Hull and would be 20 mins late. Thankfully our friend was picking us up in Hull and we prayed everyone else would make it safely to their destination.

In Hull area, we met up with my oldest friend, in terms of the friend I have been friends with for most of my life. I met Mukai in a play group as a baby. Now she is a very skilled orthopedic surgeon, someone who is able to complete the difficult surgeries others will not attempt. Just as importantly, we met up with her mother Pat, a longtime family friend, and we finally got to meet her little boy, T. He is just precious. I am not posting his picture since this is a somewhat public facing blog, but we got to go to the Aquarium, The Deep, above, and saw penguins (my favorite there) and sharks (T's favorite), amongst many other amazing things. Seeing T's glee at seeing large fish swim around reignited my joy. Children have an amazing ability to reconnect us with the wonders all around us.

I also spotted Hull Minister from a distance with a graffitied building in the forefront. Hull Minster is also historic as is York Minister, but was given the "Minster" title much more recently due to its role in the local faith community.

Today was a Sunday so we got to attend Mukai's Roman Catholic Church, St. Mary of Lourdes and St. Peter Chanel. Although we have known each other most of our lives, we have lived 3/4 of that time in different places so this was the first time I remember us worshipping together. 

The sunrise this morning was beautiful. Tomorrow, we head to Wales, which while still in Great Britain, I suspect will feel quite different.

Thanks to those who have shared prayer requests - I have been including them in my private prayers and in the prayers at the various churches we have visited.