By Revd Canon James Mustard
The Church of England is being encouraged by its Archbishops to adopt the mantra “Simpler, Humbler, Bolder”. The Enthronement of our new Bishop provided an opportunity to consider how we might take a “Simpler, Humbler, Bolder” approach to this important moment in the life of our Diocese and Cathedral. There is no fixed rite or service for this occasion: each cathedral can provide an act of worship using local custom or tradition. The required action, the reading of the Mandate and the Installation of the Bishop in the throne could be done in ten minutes. So, the task of the act of worship at an enthronement surrounds and sets the context for those actions, giving more context to the bishop’s ministry, celebrating the life of a diocese, and establishing a new phase of episcopal oversight and leadership.
Our starting point for the planning of last week’s Enthronement was to consider the past three enthronements, in 1985, 2000 and 2014. Each had significant common features, a greeting outside (in 1985, on the site of the former “Broadgate”, with the distribution of gold coins to choristers), and, since 2000, anointing, greeting of civic representatives, and a civic procession.
On an afternoon in November, it is unwise to plan for too much action outside. It could be wet and, after the service, it is likely to be dark. In addition, the Green is heavily populated with Market sheds. So, the planning of this enthronement had to focus on indoors. Bishop Mike had some very helpful suggestions from the outset: inviting children and young people to take a prominent role, one short Bible reading, and eliminating formal “greeting” of the Bishop by various representatives of the County. His wish, instead, was to make his own way through the Cathedral and greet people during the service.
Anointing is a significant moment for ministers: it marks our commissioning for pastoral ministry and the gift of the Holy Spirit. In contrast to previous installations, where the new Bishop was anointed by other bishops, it seemed appropriate to recognize the handing over of the ministry of Acting Bishop from the Bishop of Crediton in this act: a moment of intimacy and commissioning between them.
Using children’s voices in the service enabled them to ask – on all our behalf – the obvious questions that we might be afraid to ask: “Who are you?” and “What are you doing here?”, and the prayers of young people enabled us to hear the rising generation’s concerns and hopes expressed before us all.
Musically, we wanted to achieve an act of worship that expressed some of the breadth of worshipping traditions in the Diocese. In particular, my desire was to start with the “middle of the road” congregant in mind, choosing hymns and anthems familiar to the widest range of congregations. I was pleased by the Bishop’s suggestion to use a hymn by the contemporary hymn-writer Ally Barrett, to the familiar tune “Abbots Leigh”. Forming our own “in house” Worship Band to accompany two of the hymns enabled us to keep a consistent worshipping style. The singing of the “Te Deum” after the Enthronement enabled the new Bishop to make his way through the congregation, greeting people as he wished.
In the end, I was very pleased with the flow of the service, keeping action in the Nave “moving”, maximising congregational numbers in the nave, only seating clergy and choir in the Quire. We enabled the Bishop to be seen by as many as possible, we gathered the clergy and readers of the Diocese as closely as we could around the Throne, we expressed as best we could a range of the worshipping tradition of the diocese, we used unfamiliar voices, and we completed the whole in eighty minutes – a record time, so the Archdeacon of Canterbury told me!
I am enormously grateful for the tireless work of so many in the Cathedral and diocese for the delivery of Saturday’s Enthronement, in particular, but not exclusively, our Custos and Virgers, Musicians, Dean and Chapter colleagues, our Chief Operating Officer and Catering Team, the Dean’s PA for her tireless work fielding enquiries, flower arrangers, sidesmen, Diocesan Colleagues, Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust, Cubs, Scouts, Cadets and many more. I think we can all be proud that, between us, we hosted an Enthronement that was simultaneously rich in content and symbolism, but also Simpler, Humbler and Bolder. Thank you all.