“Awesome” may be the most over- and mis-used word in modern parlance, but it was spot-on for our experience at Wells Cathedral. You could not help being filled with awe while worshipping God in that ancient and venerable space, as many of our choristers have already written. But I had another experience, both in worship and in working with the Wells clergy and staff, that rivaled awe: simplicity and calm. And for me, God spoke as much through the quiet and stillness as through the grandeur and spectacle.
Wells has had more than a thousand years to “work” on the worship of God, and for almost five hundred years the structure of their liturgies has been basically what we are familiar with at Trinity. I couldn’t help feeling that they have used that time to hone and focus. In their services, there are no unnecessary words, no extraneous movements; everything is simple and direct and therefore important. The music we provided at Evensong each day was integrated thoughtfully with the other elements of the service: each day the officiant’s prayers and intercessions wove texts that we had sung with the lessons that had been read and with concerns for our world. Everything had a purpose, and there was enough silence for the purpose to be understood. As we quietly processed each day over cool, uneven stones worn by centuries of Christians who had done the exact same thing we were doing, the sense of communion was inescapable.
We were welcomed at Wells notsomuch as visitors and guests, but as fellow ministers, and I am very proud that our choristers understood and lived into that role. Each time we’ve made a pilgrimage to holy places – Gloucester, Canterbury, Assisi, Rome, and even just to other churches in this country – some new depth of understanding has come back with us. I can’t wait to see how the magnificent serenity of Wells will speak to us at Trinity.
-Doak Wolfe
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