Hundreds of Benedictine monks and nuns descended on St Edmundsbury Cathedral in England’s east last weekend as part of the cathedral’s 1000 year celebrations – the first time such a gathering had been seen in the country in almost 500 years.
The monks and nuns came from across the UK as well as countries including Belgium and Ireland and spent the weekend exploring how the wisdom of St Benedict applies to the 21st century, particularly life after the coronavirus pandemic. The last time the Benedictines had joined in prayer at St Edmundsbury had been just before Henry VIII’s Commissioners dissolved the abbey in 1536, leaving it in ruins.
Worship takes place within the ruins of the Benedictine abbey at St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Bury St Edmunds. PICTURE: Tom Soper Photography
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, was among those who spoke at the gathering around the theme of silence.
“Silence is for God and for us,” he told an audience of about 140 who had gathered at the cathedral via a virtual presentation. “For God, who is always ahead of us; for us, for whom that is liberty.”
Cathedral services were led jointly by Bishop Martin Seeley, Anglican Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, and Bishop Alan Hopes, Roman Catholic Bishop of East Anglia. It included a Roman Catholic Mass and a Sung Festival Eucharist.
The weekend also featured workshops focusing on topics highlighting the relevance of St Benedict to work, to young people and “wise leadership” in reflection of the weekend’s overall theme of ‘Abiding Wisdom’. Abbot Geoffrey Scott, of Douai Abbey in France, became the first Benedictine Abbot to speak in that space for centuries.
The event closed with a dramatic sung vespers which began in the cathedral before winding its way in a grand procession watched by large crowds, echoing the type of ecclesiastical processions that would have been so common in medieval times through the streets of Bury St Edmunds, and into the grounds of the Abbey of St Edmund.
The procession ended in the crypt, beneath which countless pilgrims would once have venerated the martyred body of St Edmund, an Anglo-Saxon king killed by the Vikings who became England’s first patron saint. More than 200 people took part in the procession including numerous civic officials as well as the ecclesiastical community and members of the public. The service ended with a joint blessing by the two bishops – each spoke a line of the final blessing, before speaking the final lines together.
The procession through the abbey grounds to the Benedictine ruins with St Edmundsbury Cathedral in the background. PICTURE: Tom Soper Photography
“I was deeply moved by the experience of processing into the Abbey Ruins and hearing the choir singing beautifully and sharing in the prayers that were spoken,” said event organiser, Canon Matthew Vernon.
“People spoke to me afterwards about a connection with the sacred space and the prayers of past generations in the abbey. The weekend was a significant spiritual experience both personally and the wider Cathedral community. It was very moving to have Anglicans and Roman Catholics worshipping together. This is a sign of hope and unity in our troubled world.”
Canon Vernon told Sight after the event that it was a “truly momentous occasion”.
“It has given us a lot of build on, with links and personal connections being made between the Roman Catholic and Anglican communities.”
Correction: Time references in the headline and first paragraph have been corrected.
