Greetings from Canterbury

I have just returned from a Holy Week and Easter ‘retreat’ at Canterbury Cathedral, a feast of superb liturgy and music as well as quiet group reflections on Bible passages, art and poetry led by two of the clergy, Canon Tim and Canon Emma. Little did I imagine when I booked a place last June that Wendy would now be part of the clergy team there. These were an incredibly busy few days for her as, in effect as Precentor, she was master-minding all of the big services including the three BBC broadcasts from the cathedral on Easter Sunday.

She is obviously enjoying her role and is very much at home in it, but it was also apparent that folk in Canterbury are already noticing her pastoral gifts and how thoughtfully-crafted her prayers are when leading Evensong. Two particular highlights for me were Wendy beautifully and confidently singing the complete Exsultet at the Easter Vigil in a darkened, candle-lit cathedral, and by contrast, leading a much quieter, more intimate early morning Eucharist in the crypt for a handful of people on Easter Monday which I had only by chance decided to go to before returning home – hence the ‘photo opportunity‘.

It was also good to meet up with Dean David [Monteith] who spoke in his Good Friday reflections of the vision he has for the cathedral and who, in a busy schedule, took the time to welcome us ‘retreatants’ and to give us a final blessing after the Easter Sunday Evensong. Wendy asked me to make sure that I passed on her love and her Easter greetings on my return and to let you know that she misses us all.

Roger Willson