This morning I attended a Eucharist service at an Angelican church with Angela. I believe that the Angelican Church is similar to the American Episcopal Church. I must admit that I have little knowledge and will welcome any comments to this blog posting that will educate me regarding this fact. I was glad to go with Angela. As she said,it is sometimes easier to go with someone for the first time into a strange place. St. Mary's Cathedral in Limerick was a welcoming place. It is an amazing structure with a long and difficult history. This stone structure with its wooden coffer ed ceiling and high arches, cobblestone walks and beautiful relics, somewhat like Bunratty Castle, seems in small part a fortress and mostly a great sacred space with a powerful spiritual energy. Here is a brief history from the church website.
"The Cathedral of Saint Mary Blessed Virgin has had a long and eventful history. It was founded in 1168 on the site of a palace donated by Donal Mor O'Brien King of Munster. Experts believe that parts of the palace are incorporated into the present structure of the Cathedral. The most prominent is the West Door which tradition has it was the main entrance to the palace. The palace had been built on the site of the Viking meeting house. This had been the centre of government in the early medieval Viking city. The Cathedral has seen many changes as the city expanded around it and it remains today the oldest and most historic building in Limerick. Limerick Cathedral
In keeping with the City Motto translated as " An ancient City well versed in the art of War". In the 1651 after Cromwell's forces captured the City the Cathedral was used as a stable by the parliamentary army. Thankfully this misuse of such a wonderful building was short lived, but was a similar fate to that suffered by some of the other great Cathedrals during the Cromwellian campaign in Ireland."
Going to this mass was not just fascinating, it was educational. I was thinking of my course work and intentionally observing the sequence of the service,rituals and relics used. I was noting the prayers and noting those that are also central to Judaism as well as Christianity,like the first commandment. I listened carefully to the music ranging from sung prayers of call and response, resistive chants, hymns and response sung only by the choir and others by the congregation. It was lovely to hear biblical passages read with such expression. The lilt of the Irish accent added a whole new dimension to the readings, a story telling quality that really heightened my interest in what was being said. The lovely woman who read a passage from both the Bible and the New Testament was an outstanding reader. An excellent sermon pulled it all together. Communion was similar to what I have observed in the Catholic Mass in America, but there was absolutely no Latin. It was all in English. The service ended with the reading of the Creed. In particular this clarified and provided a context for the service and maybe for Christianity.
Of course it's not that I have no prior knowledge or experience with a Christian service. It is that I now have a heightened sensibility.and intention to learn as much as I can about many traditions. My course work is rooted in Gregorian chant and Irish religious song and ritual studies, but I will have opportunities to look at other traditions as well. This morning my intention was to be observant of the environment, the people, and the structure and content of the service. I will do the same when I undertake my elective study of Jewish ritual chant and song. I will travel to Dublin to attend both a Jewish orthodox and a progressive service. And while this is my own tradition, I will have more familiarity and be able to more fully participate. However, much of what happens in the Orthodox service will be unfamiliar. The service will be chanted in Hebrew. Coming from a Reform Jewish background that includes English text and transliteration for those not reading Hebrew, I will be observing from the same perspective as I was at St. Mary's. And of course this is why I am here: to learn about the ritual chant/music of other traditions within the context of the history, culture, and liturgy of the faith tradition. This includes Judaism. I also hope to look at Buddhism and Hinduism, Islam and other traditions.In the end I will have the broad knowledge and global perspective to teach and perform.
The service concluded with a social hour, which gave us an opportunity to converse with some of the congregants. They were quite welcoming and I think Angela will enjoy attending services At St. Mary.
From there we walked in to the city center for a lovely lunch of... bagels and lox-a fitting way to bring together our traditions. We both bought printers and paper and then headed back to campus to begin preparations for the coming week.
And I am very excited for what I the first week of the academic year will have in store. I so know that I am truly blessed to be here and studying at the University of Limerick. I have so much to learn. I have long been frustrated with my own knowledge gap and so look I look forward to the opportunity to fully immerse myself in my studies. I know I will learn so much from my classmates, my professors, and from my field work as well.
I send my love from Glocca Morra and all good wishes for a great week ahead.
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