The Very Rev. John Witcombe, Dean of Coventry Cathedral in the UK, will be our guest preacher Sunday Nov. 9 at all service 7:30 am, 9 am. He will be accompanied by his wife, Ricarda, who is also a priest in the Church of England.
Dean Witcombe will be here to induct Trinity Cathedral as partners in the Community of the Cross of Nails, which is an international network primarily of Anglican and Episcopal churches and cathedrals dedicated to social justice issues.
He will also speak at forum at 10:15 am that Sunday.
The Community of the Cross of Nails grew from the wreckage of World War II and the destruction Coventry Cathedral. The thousand-year-old cathedral was completely destroyed Nov. 14, 1940, by German bombers. The next day, Dick Howard, Coventry’s Provost (Dean) at the time, pledged that the cathedral would commit itself to forgiveness, and ultimately, reconciliation.
Two charred roof-beams and three medieval nails were found in the rubble in the shape of a cross. These became potent symbols of Howard’s pledge. Replicas of the cross are presented to member congregations at their induction.
After the war, Coventry formed a partnership with former enemies in Dresden where that medieval cathedral had been destroyed by British bombers. This partnership began to extend to other Christian communities, forming the Community of the Cross of Nails. There are now more than 250 such partners worldwide.
The mission of the Community of the Cross of Nails:
- Healing the wounds of history
- Learning to live with difference and celebrate diversity
- Building a culture of justice and peace
Dean Witcomb’s visit is the culmination of work by our Justice And Mercy team (JAM) developing our application to join this network. Our next steps will be to continue living into our mission.
