Anglican Communion News Service

This year marks the 1400th anniversary of the foundation of St Paul’s Cathedral and the re-organisation of the Diocese of London in England. The Rt Revd Richard Chartres, Bishop of the diocese, has announced a series of events and services which have been planned to celebrate this quattordecimcentennial year under the heading “London Visions, Back to the Future”.

Catholic Roots

St Mellitus, third Archbishop of Canterbury, was sent to England in AD 601 by Pope Gregory in response to an appeal from St Augustine of Canterbury for new missionaries. He was chosen by Augustine to be Bishop of the See of London in AD 604, and the Church of St Paul was founded as its Cathedral. Upon the death of St Laurentius, second Archbishop of Canterbury, in AD 619, St Mellitus succeeded to the Archbishopric until he died in AD 624.

Contemplating Christian visions

Bishop Richard described London in the 21st century as a world city in the midst of rapid transformation. "In the past 1400 years there have been many Christian visions of the holy city and how the Church can anticipate and be an agent of the future that God intends,” he said. “At such a time, how can we best serve together to express the love of God in Jesus Christ for all the citizens of London? Contemplating past visions and responses helps to give us a greater sense of our room for choice and the need for decision.”

In an address to the Clergy of the Diocese of London, assembled in Synod on 7 January 2004, Bishop Richard spoke about some of the challenges that face the Diocese today. “If the Holy Spirit is at work amongst us then there is no room for anxiety,” he said. “We can detect and reject the loveless deflection of our anxieties on fellow members of the church and treat with compassionate humour the suggestion that if only everyone believed as I believe then there would be no problem.”

He added, “We do not lack ideas in the Diocese of London but sometimes we have had less zeal for consistent implementation. Bold policy statements, without constant re-iteration and not translated into persevering action, breed cynicism. The past two years have, I believe, helped us and equipped us with a corporate agenda for action and a clarity about our situation which releases fresh energy.”

A host of events

The celebrations officially commence on Ash Wednesday (25 February) with a day of Fasting, Prayer and Pilgrimage beginning at 10am. Eucharist services with the Imposition of Ashes will be held at 12.30pm and 5pm.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, will preach at a Diocesan Eucharist at 3pm on Saturday 22 May and hold a study day for clergy and readers, by invitation, later in the year.

On Saturday 7 February, a service will be held at 11am in St Paul’s Cathedral, London, to mark the 10th anniversary of the ordination of women to the priesthood. The preacher at the service, the Revd Angela Tilby, is the Vice Principal of Wescott House and teaches Spirituality, Early Church History and Anglicanism in the Cambridge Theological Federation. Before ordination she worked for the BBC's Religious Programmes department as a documentary film producer and is a regular contributor to Radio 4’s Thought for the Day.

A full list of events can be downloaded here

Exhibition of treasures

One of the major events of the year will be an exhibition of treasures from London churches entitled “Silver and the Church” which is being organised by the Goldsmith’s Company and runs from Monday 19 April to Saturday 15 May at Goldsmiths’ Hall.

Superb objects, many hardly ever seen in public, have been graciously loaned by the Bishop of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, and parish churches across the Diocese of London.

The exhibition is free of charge and will demonstrate the strong links which have existed between Goldsmiths, London and the Church through the past 1400 years.

Timothy Schroder, the Curator of the exhibition, historian of silver and a member of the Diocesan Advisory Committee, said, “This exhibition is more than a display of magnificent works of art. It will mirror the history of London and show how pious gifts of great objects reflects the faith of its citizens.”

The Bishop of London spoke about his delight that the Goldsmiths’ Company has decided to hold an exhibition of Church Plate to celebrate the 14th centenary of the foundation of St Paul’s Cathedral and the Diocese of London. He said, “The magnificent interior of Goldsmiths’ Hall with its associations with the history of working in precious metals makes the best location for this exhibition.”

Special propers

Propers and liturgical material written especially for the celebrations can be found at the Diocese of London web site

Article by Matthew Davies