Ship of Fools: St Alban the Martyr, Holborn, London
The Mystery Worshipper
Shipmate
Ship of Fools: St Alban the Martyr, Holborn, London
Swamped by the organ, challenged by the sermon, lost in a miasma of holy smoke
Read the full Mystery Worshipper report here
Comments
IJ
IJ
It's also worth mentioning that Dickens enviosaged this area for Fagin's den.
So they did - I was picking up on your remark!
Times do indeed change - I wonder what Mr. Dickens might think, were he able to return to Holborn today?
IJ
Converted to what? Was God part of the process?
How do you or I or anyone else know the state of Richard Coles's soul?
Wow GG it's no holds barred with you mate is it? Straight for the jugular … the only form of defence is attack. Clarity is such an incumbrance, isn't it?
Actually it was a gentle tease at Leo rather than anything else around the idea of "by" and "in" Sighs.
IJ
Well, seeing as how many of my gently ironic or ribbing remarks are often taken the wrong way, perhaps you can understand how I perhaps mistook your gentle jibe at leo the wrong way?
I can't read your mind any more than you can read mine.
I can see your point about 'by' and 'in' rather than, perhaps 'through' but taken at face value and without your later caveat I think many of us may have missed the apparent subtlety of your comment.
If you're asking for clarity from me, then perhaps that also ought to apply to your own posts?
As it happened, I understood leo's comment in the way that Bishop's Finger did, either a) or b).
Forgive me, but your post struck me as a denial of the possibility of that rather than some kind of subtle joffing on the idea of 'by' and 'in'. An easy mistake to make on a board like this, wouldn't you think?
Read your post again without assuming that we know what's going on in your head and you'll see what I mean.
We all make assumptions. You and me both.
Thing is, on a board like this you're damned if you do and damned if you don't when it comes to what you call the 'incumbrance' of clarity.
Your post was terse and by no means clear as far as I was concerned. My response was equally terse. Short, sharp quips have their place but can easily sting or come across as if they meant to do so.
But yes, what is written doesn't always convey the irony or humour that might be intended.
I'll get me cassock...
IJ
The former
https://layreadersbookreviews.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/fathomless-riches-by-richard-coles/ Cursor down to the 2nd photo of book cover - to the left he described the elevation of the host.
Ok, fair point, although are you seriously telling me that you spotted the irony in EM's post without him having to point it out to us afterwards?
I'm not claiming to have the most acute Irony-O-Meter in the world but there was very little clue to irony in EM's first post. I'm not suggesting he's applying it retrospectively, I hasten to add.
Yes, I did so spot the irony (or at least spotted some whimsicality.....).
It's interesting to reflect, however, that the stance of various parishes on various issues (whether of the deceased equine type, or not) may change with time, as different incumbents, and PCCs, come and go.
That might be a suitable subject for a Dead Horses thread, though, rather than this one.
IJ
Amanda B Reckondwyth
Lead Editor, Mystery Worship
So, back to the report - virtually the only minus point was the loudness of the organ. Given that it's in the west gallery, I wondered if the organist was simply unaware of the volume as heard/experienced by the congregation down below. Perhaps it was quite OK as far as the choir was concerned.
Organist Shipmates would know more about the vagaries of acoustics than I, of course.
Also, given that it was a weekday evening, might the regular Sunday organist have been unavailable, and the music handed over to someone with less experience of the instrument?
IJ
One was by Jeffrey John, now Dean of St Albans Cathedral, the next week another by Sarah Maitland, the Catholic feminist novelist and one-time girlfriend of Bill (later President) Clinton. I do recall Richard Coles was then a server.
These sermons, the welcome at the church and the beauty of its liturgy brought me back to the church again after a period of being very seriously angry with it. I owe St Albans, and Fr. Gaskell a lot.