A few years back, Lenore, Henry, Curtis and I went to this very old church in Georgetown South Carolina. I think it was the oldest church in SC, built in the 1600's. There was a cemetery around the church and as I walked around, I just had this very calm peaceful feeling, and thought "oh, this is the communion of saints." It was one of the more profound spiritual experiences of my life. Well, today, I went to the oldest church in continuous use in England. St. Martins. It has a good thousand years on the south Carolina church. There have been services there since 597. Part of the marriage settlement for Princess Bertha from France was that she have a place to worship and so, being a princess, she got what she asked for.
Anyway, it was very much the same feeling. Cemetery around the church, uprooted ground, moss, trees. Tom also asked if anyone would like to lead a prayer and one of the students, Phillip, offered a really lovely one of thanksgiving and we ended with the Lord's Prayer and it was really amazing, to be in whatever way I consider myself to be part of a tradition with that kind of history. To participate in it via that particular place.
Canterbury has been a destination location for pilgrimages since shortly after Thomas a Becket's death in 1170.
we spent the day up there, there's more to write, but that's the highlight.
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