The worship is absolutely beautiful here – transcendent. Taize chants were used effectively and delicately during the preparation of the gifts and during the communion. All gathered around the altar – all were welcomed.
There is something of God here which is different somehow, somehow more subtle, something that edges in, seeps in to your bones, your breath, your heart.
Perhaps it is because the Cathedral and its worship is such a contrast to the busy world outside – the traffic (they love to use their horns here!), the doormen and their whistles to hail down taxis for clients, the general buz of the city. The Cathedral is, then (as they say on the guide/info leaflets) – a haven and refuge for people, a place of “Religious Immunity” (from religious hatred), of “Anonymity” (so that people can bask in “holiness”) and “A Place of Unity” (in the one God who seeks to bring us into “extravagant hospitality”. Praise and thanks be to God for this place.
(Reference – “Grace Cathedral” brochure, written by the Right Revd William E. Swing, 7th Bishop of California).
Peace and love to all this Advent season. CG
Vegan Priest, Christopher Golding 