What is in Kelvin's Head?

Six Years – Six Whole Years

31/05/2012

Today marks six years, six whole years, since I’ve been the Provost and Rector of St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow.

It has been quite a journey, for all of us, hasn’t it?

I remember that day primarily for the service that took place which was one of the most exciting liturgical services I’ve ever been a part of. It wasn’t just me who thought that either – there was quite a lot of chatter about it for long time afterwards. It particularly centred on me singing the gospel (What?! a Provost who sings?!) and, it being the Feast of the Visitation, spinning round half way through it to allow the choir to sing the Magnificat, which features strongly in the gospel of the day. I remember what felt like a surge of adrenalin (or perhaps the Holy Spirit) rushing through the congregation as they sang.

Stanford in G never moved me more.

I also remember the choir singing the relentlessly beautiful Totus Tuus by Gorecki. I’m listening to it again as I type this.

Totus Tuus sum, Maria,
Mater nostri Redemptoris,
Virgo Dei, Virgo pia,
Mater mundi Salvatoris.
Totus Tuus sum, Maria!

I am yours completely, Mary,
Mother of our Redeemer,
Virgin of God, holy Virgin,
Mother of the Savior of the world.
I am yours completely, Mary.

The waves of holy minimalism were both beautiful and overwhelming and began, just began, to heal the wrench caused by moving away from Bridge of Allan where I had been happy and the people were both kind and good to me.

That was the night in which I started to get a glimpse of what worship might be like here. Eclectic, passionate and, notwithstanding the outstanding quality of the music,Â possessing a paramount interest in the words themselves.

Since the first time I let people know that I was coming to St Mary’s I’ve faced a curious question – “…but what will you do next?”

I don’t really know why people ask me this – they still do, quite a lot. Perhaps it was because I got the job here just a little sooner than some people thought decent – I was still, just, in my thirties. Mind you, new Provosts in their thirties have not been entirely unknown here.

I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing at the moment, thank you very much. St Mary’s has plenty of challenges and plenty of rewards too. Whenever I travel, I become more aware of our wonders. Worship that is compelling, surprising, emotional and engaging. People who are care about justice, beauty and the world around them. A congregation that is bewilderingly diverse, funny and yes, still growing. And that is to say nothing of the city, which still I love.

It is good to be here.

The last six years have been wonderful.

9 responses to “The Episcopal Way of Death”

Rosemary Hannah

02/11/2017

The greatest privilege I have ever had in the service of the people of the church was to be the person who received the coffin the night before the funeral and led Compline then. The church was on an island, and the coffins those of people I loved and honoured. It was deeply moving for everybody there. I hope one day that will be done for me and mine.

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Sr Alison Joy

02/11/2017

I have prayed washed and dressed Sisters who have died and it helped me to see that death is not scary. I have lined a number of Sisters graves with flowers around the inner edge from the inside, also helpful. The body was received at Vespers in Chapel the day before, Solemn Requiem was the next day complete with asperges and incense. We returned from the graveside and when in Chapel sung a very joyful favorite hymn for the Sister we had just buried. It was always a sad, happy, remembering occasion I hope that I will be able to have most of this too.

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Sarah Lawton

02/11/2017

This is beautifully said.

When my parents died in a car crash, we knew our Episcopal church would be too small to accommodate all the mourners; but the local Roman Catholic congregation saw our need and graciously offered the use of their space for our Episcopal funeral (including Eucharist led by two Episcopal bishops). They also offered their pall for the second coffin as we had only one. All the churches and the synagogue in town offered choir members and/or food for the feast after the service. An ecumenical, indeed, interfaith foretaste of heaven!

We placed the two bodies in closed coffins in our Episcopal church the night before; we prayed Evensong and Compline, and received a long line of visitors; and then parishioners kept vigil with the bodies all night. In the morning we prayed over the bodies before beginning the procession to the larger RC church where the (Episcopal) funeral was to be held. In this sad, glorious service sang many, many Easter hymns, and I learned that it’s possible to sing and sing even through tears. I’m told that people reconciled that day who had not spoken in years – I’ve heard it from both parties (one now a bishop).

All of which is to say: our Episcopal Way of Death can be a profound grace if we let it. It can be profound too when it’s a simple, small, quiet service for a person who has lived a long life and died of old age (unlike my parents). It’s the same words, the same truth of loss – all of us pass through this life but for a moment – the same mystery, the same words of affirmation and hope at the grave: alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

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1. Kelvin
  
  02/11/2017
  
  Thank you for posting that – bearing witness to exactly what I was trying to say.
  
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2. Michael Povey
  
  04/11/2017
  
  Thanks Sarah. (Other readers, Sarah is a friend. I was at the Funeral and heard her offer the most profound Gospel Centred and Honest Grief eulogy I have ever heard)
  
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  1. Sarah Lawton
    
    29/11/2017
    
    Dear Michael, thank you for saying that. Your presence that day was a blessing to our family. That gathering, for all the shock and sadness, really did feel like a foretaste of heaven, didn’t it? A great cloud of witnesses singing with us.
    
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Ronnie Smith

02/11/2017

Having attended a few funerals in our parish recently – one of them for our Vicar, who died on Easter Eve – and being nearer to the grave myself (at 85 and still active as a priest) I appreciate, Father Kelvin, the care you take over this special subject. The Church can be so close to families at this special time – giving them a taste of ‘The great love of God as revealed in the Son’ – precious at this time.

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Tony Whatmough

04/11/2017

There are sometimes good reasons for having the cremation first, as there was for my brother yesterday especially with people traveling and wanting to be able to bury the ashes on the same day. They key is to talk with the family about what they are looking for and how it can be done.

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1. Kelvin
  
  04/11/2017
  
  Dear Tony, I’m sorry to hear that you’ve lost your brother. May be rest in peace and rise in glory.
  
  There are always reasons why people want to have a cremation first and people always believe that they are good reasons. Every single time there are reasons. My contention is that I’m unpersuaded that any of them justify changing what we believe. (What we do and what we believe being utterly bound up with one another in such circumstances).
  
  My point about funerals is very precisely that the wishes of the family are important but that no tradition will survive if we simply abandon what we believe for reasons of convenience.
  
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