On Friday 24 July the Deaf Community joined the regular Catholic Mass that takes place every Friday at St Albans Cathedral. Fr Brian Reynolds and Deacon Justin Cross welcomed us all, and Fr Norbert Fernandes joined with Fr Brian to concelebrate the Mass in Word and Sign.
After Mass, and a hastily rearranged picnic thanks to the pouring rain that accompanied our summer day trip, we had a guided tour of the Cathedral. St Albans is a fascinating place, and is home to the shrines of St Alban and St Amphibalus, the priest who Alban sheltered. It has been a place of pilgrimage for many Christians of different denominations for hundreds of years. The
ecumenical nature of worship at the site is reflected in the new statues in the Nave Screen. The statues represent martyrs from the breadth of Christian worship and include St Alban and Oscar Romero, as well as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Elisabeth Romanova.
The tour was fascinating, and we had so many questions that we ended up being at the Cathedral until closing time!
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