Rector’s Reflections
Monday 23rd September 2024
The Role of Cathedrals in the Modern World
Last week, I wrote about the important role which cathedrals play in the musical and educational life of our country. Cathedrals also provide some parish ministry, and I will share some reflections on this topic in today’s reflections.
The first point to make is that some cathedrals are essentially large parish churches which also happen to function as cathedrals. In such cases, their identity and role as a cathedral church is concurrent with their role as a parish church. This is typically the case with many cathedrals which were established in the later 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. It made sense to base new cathedral establishments in existing parish churches, not least because this saved the expense of building new churches. Examples of cathedrals which have established in existing parish churches would be Birmingham Cathedral, Southwell Minster in Nottinghamshire, Newcastle Cathedral, and Wakefield Cathedral. Such cathedrals provide everything we would expect from a typical town centre parish church, such as regular services, pastoral care and a place to hold baptisms, weddings and funerals. Such cathedrals are basically parish churches with extra resources.
Even where a cathedral does not legally function as a parish church, it often becomes the equivalent of a parish church for its regular worshippers. Those who worship in the cathedral can come to see it as their church home – a place of worship where they feel close to God, and a an appropriate place to mark significant life events, such as the birth of a new baby, a marriage or a funeral.
But not every member of a cathedral congregation seeks to be involved in church life. One of the advantages of a cathedral is that it allows those who worship there to remain anonymous, if they wish to do so. It also allows people to worship God without the obligations which typically come with membership of an usual congregation. There is no pressure to join a rota. No one is twisting your arm to join the PCC or its equivalent. You can walk in to a cathedral, say a prayer, join the service, and they leave, with no one to get in the way of your personal time with God. I think this is one of the reasons why some cathedrals have seen their congregations grow over recent years. Cathedrals allow you to be a worshipping Christian, without the hassle. They allow you to turn Christianity into a consumer product, which you can consume on your own terms and for your own pleasure, with little if any interest in the other people who may happen to be worshipping with you. Many people are attracted by this approach to worship. It is certainly pleasantly undemanding.
So cathedrals provide significant centres of parish ministry. But they are not only centres of Christian worship and ministry. They are also major players in the Heritage Industry, welcoming tens of thousands of tourists every year. We shall look at this in tomorrow’s reflections.