Liverpool Visit

Yesterday I travelled by coach with a number of English and Welsh Christians from the Amlwch area of Anglesey to visit Liverpool. We have formed a group called Churches in Amlwch to explore what the different denominations in the small town can do together. Each year we meet during Lent and Advent to discuss our faith and how we relate as Christians to the world in which we live. We organise a Harvest Supper where we share a little entertainment after our meal. It is held at Bull Bay Golf Club which has become a popular venue for our meals together. In January we end the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with another supper at the Golf Club.
But in July we have a day out. Last year we visited Bodnant Gardens in the Conwy Valley. This year, as with the Bodnant visit, our coach was full. We set off at 8.30am on a day of doubtful weather. How should we dress if rain was threatened? I spent the whole day in the company of Father Michael Ryan from the Roman catholic church in Amlwch. He was great company! Mike comes from Birkenhead so he gave me a commentary on just about every landmark we passed, going into Liverpool. He remarked on the level of change since he was last in the city. It didn't seem long since I last was there but the landscape had changed dramatically.
Our first stop was at the Roman Catholic cathedral and it was a magnificent building indeed. I felt very comfortable inside it and very much connected with it. For me it is a "people's cathedral" and more relevant to present times than any of the Gothic cathedrals I have visited. I say this as someone who is very interested in cathedral architecture. I feel the older cathedrals are wonderful in terms of design and status but I have to admit that this place truly impressed me.
The building is crowned with a massive lantern of multi-coloured glass and the effect of this is to admit the most amazing colours. As our guide was speaking the sun came out for a minute or so and we thought a spotlight had been switched on. The altar in the centre has above it an array of light and sound equipment which, to the outward eye, is simply a great crown of thorns. All the equipment is concealed within the design.
Around the great church are many side chapels and only one has a door. It was in this chapel that we held a short service and what an experience this was. Every chapel contains modern, and sometimes extraordinary, artwork. There is a wonderful modern depiction of Abraham about to kill the lamb caught in the thorn bush in place of Isaac, his son. But one chapel contains the slate tomb of the late Archbishop Derek Worlock, the previous Archbishop of Liverpool. He and the late Rt. Rev David Sheppard, Anglican Bishop of Liverpool, did much to defuse the Toxteth riots some years ago. These two men cared deeply for the people of Liverpool and risked their lives as they toured Liverpool 8 at the height of the rioting. Archbishop Derek expressed a wish to be buried in the cathedral and his wish was granted. Although he must be the only Archbishop to be buried over a car park. His remains are within the tomb and not below ground because the cathedral car park is just below his last resting place!
Mike and I had a light lunch in the cathedral cafe which is a wonderful eatery in its own right. then we went into the gift shop. It was there that we each bought a "holding cross" made from olive wood in the Holy Land. A holding cross is a small cross with offset cross pieces so that it can be held comfortable. You can use it to help with prayer or simply hold it in silence. Either way you end up holding on to the cross of Jesus which all Christians should do.
It was soon time to rejoin our coach and drive round to the Albert Dock. There the two of us wandered around the shops that lined the Albert Dock in which a number of small craft bobbed alongside the dock. We decided to visit the Maritime Museum. The top floor was dedicated to Liverpool's involvement in the slave trade. We learned a lot about how slaves were taken and transported to work for plantation owners in the New World. Lord Penrhyn, the founder of Penrhyn Castle outside Bangor was heavily involved in this vicious trade in humanity. His profits went towards the development of the slate quarries of North West Wales. In the end he could afford to build a castle to brag with to his friends.
The rooms below contained exhibits showing the war at sea involving the Merchant Navy. Many ships set out from Liverpool and never returned. There were depictions of sea battles and views through a periscope. Another area was all about the great Transatlantic liners that sailed from Liverpool to America.
After the Maritime Museum we entered the Tate Museum. here we saw the most unusual objects arranged to become sculptures. I came away from this establishment wondering what was art and what was a confidence trick!
We met to board the coach at 4.30pm and set off home by way of a hotel where we had a pleasant meal together. I arrived home very tired but convinced the journey had been worthwhile. I looked back and saw us as a little group of pilgrims on a journey together. We had seen some extraordinary things, many created to glorify God. It was worth it!