Ecclesiastical & Heritage World Issue No. 91

Page 33

Easter message is brought to life virtually by C of E [A POWERFUL virtual reality

service produced by the Church of England enabled an online congregation to be ‘present’ at the very foot of the cross during Holy Week. Prayers at the Foot of the Cross, filmed in the 12th-century Chapter House of Bristol Cathedral, featured a mixture of prayers and music from the choir of Bristol Cathedral as well as moments of silent contemplation. A replica of the Icon of the Cross from the Taizé Community, an international centre for pilgrimage and reconciliation in France, was the central focus in the service. The virtual congregation were able to move their perspective to being ‘present’ at the foot of the cross during the service as members of the cathedral congregation came forward to pray and paused in contemplation. The service, with a 360º view, included spatial audio which allowed the virtual congregation to experience the different acoustics of the Chapter House as their outlook changed. Introducing the presentation on 12 April, the Dean of Bristol, Mandy Ford, said: “We hope that people will join us in this powerful and simple act of silent contemplation and prayer in the beautiful surroundings of the Chapter House. All are welcome to join us through this service and ‘stand at the foot of the cross’ whether they have prayed before or not.

“We hope they might experience the healing presence of Christ in a troubled world.” During the service, the Canon Missioner for Bristol Cathedral, Jonnie Parkin, invited people to pray in solidarity with the suffering Christ and all who suffer throughout the world. He said: “The Icon of the Cross in Taizé has for decades been the focus of prayer every Friday by groups of young people drawn from across the world.” The 17-minute act of worship used liturgy from Common Worship: Daily Prayer. It can be accessed on any computer or device, with or without special VR equipment. The service featured music from the RSCM publication The Way of the Cross: a Passiontide sequence of words and music by Peter Moger and David Ogden, which includes David Ogden’s setting of the Trisagion (‘Holy is God’) and Orlando Gibbons’s hymn Drop, Drop, Slow Tears. The service was the second full VR service to be released by the Church of England, following the Blessing of the Light service from St Stephen Walbrook in the City of London – which has received over 400,000 views on YouTube. A series of Advent Carols were also recorded in VR at St Martin in the Fields Church in London last year. The service can be viewed on YouTube at youtu.be/fAnYc-abtFk. q

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Articles inside

Shedding some light on the new Part L Building Regulations

4min
page 48

Steel windows – protecting our architectural heritage

3min
page 49

Leading brick maker reiterates its sustainability goals

4min
page 47

Summertime…and the lightning is striking!

4min
pages 45-46

Parishioners’ kindness alleviates COVID restrictions

3min
page 44

Mastic asphalt: it’s versatile and green, and can be applied to roofs or floors

1min
page 43

Reroofing project posed a slippery problem for NT’s bats

3min
page 42

Get the roofing training that’s specific to your needs

2min
page 38

Locally-made tiles allow a jewel of the Jewellery Quarter to shine again

3min
pages 40-41

Rise in thefts prompts insurer to reissue guidance

1min
page 39

Get the expert’s view on streaming

3min
page 35

How to modernise heritage sites and remain compliant

5min
pages 36-37

Spending a legacy on a sound system – what to upgrade?

4min
page 34

Heating specialist notches up a half century

2min
page 26

Exterior lighting scheme is latest in a long line of special projects

4min
page 23

Co-ordination allows numerous repairs to be carried out at once

3min
pages 27-28

Thinking of an AV installation? Here’s some advice...

3min
page 32

Church regains control after obsolete lighting is replaced

1min
page 24

AV’s institute meets again to mark anniversary

2min
page 31

Easter message is brought to life virtually by C of E

2min
page 33

With historic lighting, you can replace or you can repurpose

3min
pages 21-22

And there was light: but carefully controlled

2min
page 20

St George’s tames the dragon of poor sound

3min
page 13

Roofing specialists help keep Durham’s jewel in good order

3min
page 16

Kentec’s new K-Mesh wireless technology wins praise for Chester Cathedral project

3min
page 17

Cathedrals must offer a welcome to

2min
page 18

Audit sheds light on improving access to cultural heritage sites

2min
page 19

Integration of ancient and modern is the aspiration

1min
page 14

The care of cathedrals is something we should all care about

2min
page 12
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