Have you ever been to St Mary’s Cathedral, 300 Great Western Road, Glasgow G4?
Led by Provost Kelvin Holdsworth, the community at St Mary’s – open, inclusive, welcoming to people of all faiths and all spiritual seekers – is offering a programme of times for reflection – silence in the city – during this autumn 2012. The programme is free, and open to anyone needing some time of peace and silence.
Sunday August 19th from 8-9 pm, then Thursday August 23rd from 12.30-1.30pm
Sunday September 16th from 8-9 pm, then Thursday September 20th from 12.30-1.30pm
Sunday October 21st from 8-9 pm, then Thursday October 25th from 12.30-1.30pm
Sunday November 18th from 8-9 pm, then Thursday November 22nd from 12.30-1.30pm
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These drop-in hours are free, although any donations to St Mary’s Cathedral funds are always welcome! Anyone can come along, for as long as feels comfortable – you don’t have to stay for the whole hour, but please do leave quietly. You can sit anywhere you wish in the Cathedral during your visit. Gentle music and a brief introduction from Vice-Provost Cedric Blakey begins the hour, music again draws the hour to a close. Candles are lit throughout to help you to connect to your time of peace.
Could any readers who would like to promote this valuable local event be kind enough to pass on the link to this post to anyone on their networks who might be interested? Thanks!!
NOTE
A major inspiration for setting up St Mary’s Cathedral’s The Open Silence was provided by the series of programmes presented by Christopher Jamison, Abbot of Worth Abbey, in 2010, ‘The Big Silence’, in which five participants were “……invited to take the wisdom of silence found in the monastery……” and carry it back into their everyday lives.
Father Jamison is convinced that everyone – atheist, agnostic, lapsed, uncertain, seeking – can benefit from sustained, regular periods of silence. “When we enter into periods of silence, we start to see things with greater clarity. We come to know ourselves, and come in touch with that deepest part of ourselves. That is our soul.”
If readers are interested in reading more about this project, which I – and many others I spoke to – found moving, challenging and inspiring – click HERE.
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500 words copyright Anne Whitaker 2012
Licensed under Creative Commons – for conditions see Home Page
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Inger Lise Karlsen
Iofmyownknoledge x
inkalise@hotmail.com
85.167.250.140
Submitted on 2012/08/18 at 5:27 pm
Thank you, and it is something to be thinking over of to do over here, across the northsea as well(in Norway). Maybe a nice hint of to give the local Church community with us likewise. Hmm, I`m not a keen Church-goer but the neighbours. By-the-way(BTW),
I am living on the countryside, not many neighbours about us. But next time when visiting Scotland, in particular Glasgow (I have never been in Glasgow), of me trying to find the particular Church….Ordinarily I am “an universal consciousness” or something like it. Actually, am not quite sure of what “I am.” Good Luck with the project.
Hi Inger Lise
I moved your comment over here from “MoreBitsFallOff.com” since that is now an archive rather than an active site.
Thanks for dropping by and for your support.
BTW – are you the same Inger Lise who used to comment on “Wisps from the Dazzling Darkness”? If so, nice to hear from you again!
This is so wonderful. Part of the wisdom of such events (if that’s the right word) is that they provide a way for people to experience silence in smaller bits. Eventually, they may begin to discover there’s no need to “go there” to find silence. It’s quite possible to create it “here”, in the midst of ordinary life.
Finally, of course, there is the movement from external to internal silence, and a blessed end to the internal chatter that we’re all so good at, and that’s so filled with the “shoulds, oughts and what-ifs” of life!
– Linda – thank you for putting into such eloquent words the sentiments and hopes of many, including me.
Hello again Anne.
Yeap, I am the same. Marvelleous of you to recall who I am.
“Whisps from the Dazzling Darkness” was the favourite website of mine. Thanks a lot !
Must admitting of not to be a Fan of facebook, twitter and so forth, because it is impossible(nothing in this world will be impossible is it told)for me of dealing with that much at the same time of to do; and still be keeping up with the husband, three sons, three daughter-in-laws and nine grandchildren. And a house with a large property of a wilderness(I`m 67 years old in September). But once upon a time have travelled a lot around in the world because of the husband worked in The Scandinavian Airlines System(SAS).
Everything seems of calming down when becoming eldery. Silence have become a part of the life. It IS small pockets of peace still on the Earth. The city of Oslo is far away from where I am living, and the city have changed in such a degree in the latest 30 years, of to be very strange to me. Cannot recognize the city anymore(but I`m borned and raised in Oslo thou).
Heartily from Inger Lise
P.S.
I`m a Computer-dummy(please excuse me for it).
Inger Lise
so it IS you! How lovely to hear from you again and to know that your later years have brought you a good measure of peace and silence. I do hope I as a city dweller can somehow find the same! Do drop by this blog now that you have found it. Judging from your previous comments on “Wisps from the Dazzling Darkness” there should be much here to interest you.