Sacred Space 2018 – Day 1 – Caitlin, Luke and Madison
Year 2 Media students from Manchester College, Caitlin Bardsley, Luke Maddocks and Madison Eddleston give their view of #SS18 Day 1.
The conference opened with a video address from the Archbishop of Canterbury filmed by my peers at The Manchester College down in London.
The speech included the Archbishop’s views on cathedrals, and what his goals for the conference were. Primarily, he wanted the members of the conference to realise that you can have fun in places of prayer. As the address went on, the audience were amused at some of the comments the Archbishop made:
“If you can’t have fun in a cathedral, you really don’t know what fun is.”
Soon after, the Very Reverend Adrian Dorber, conference chairman and chair of the Association of English Cathedrals (AEC), made an appearance on stage.
“Cathedrals are complex… possible to contribute to the wood rather than individual trees.”
He thanked the sponsors before quickly moving onto the Dean of Manchester, The Very Revd Rogers Govender, who then addressed the recent Manchester terrorist attack and how everyone felt within that time.
It felt very positive, with much discussion about how best we open up cathedrals for the community as a place of joy.
The Bishop of Worcester, the Rt Revd Dr Jon Inge and First Church Estates Minister, Loretta Minghella, both spoke of how the cathedral is not just a building but more of a community in which all can enjoy prayer and Bishop Jon spoke about the musical heritage as a key part of any cathedral as it is allowed to flourish there.
Today the first day of the first national cathedrals conference, we have watched numerous speeches from various individuals who have all clarified their points about modern society and how it’s influenced through the Church of England. Following on from this, we have understood that the political stance of Will Hutton is leaning towards being against Brexit. He believes its negativity is affecting the financial state of this country.
In Luke’s opinion, he can appreciate how churches can be a community place but he has never experienced this for himself and he would like to see what changes they put in place in order to make this better for younger audiences.
In Caitlin’s opinion, she is more educated on cathedrals and how people view them. She now has more knowledge on what they are about and what they have to offer. She has realised how much they have to offer and how they help people and contribute to their community.
In Madison’s opinion, the conference was extremely informative and helped her to have a further and deeper understanding on cathedrals, how people view them and what they mean to people. She also understands how much they are involved and contribute to the community and people who value the cathedrals and towns.
