I attended the 10 am eucharist at the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania this morning. The only thing missing was bells. Otherwise it was worship as it should be in an Episcopal cathedral. Verger, dean, lots of clergy, acolytes, organ, full choir and incense.
Our cathedral is hardly a huge imposing awe-inspiring stone structure, at least on the inside. The wood and the colors make it warmer, more welcoming in my opinion, than many churches, let alone cathedrals. I especially enjoyed hearing a really good choir and organ for a change. So many of our parishes are too small to have choirs large enough to sing and chant well. One thing bothered me and that was during the Prayers of the People. The bulletin said "Silence" but the reader did not allow any time for private intercessions. I know too many people to say how friendly the people are.
This photo was taken during the postlude from the back of the church between the slightly raised divided choir loft. Incense lingering. It was good to see so many people staying to listen to the postlude. As you can see there is no super long center aisle. The cathedral is rather small, perhaps even intimate for a cathedral.
This is a closer photo of the cancel. It is rather large. Well, it's huge compared to the rest of the church. The "haze" is glare from the window. The sun would not allow a good photo of that.
There are more photos taken in 2008, I believe, here.
The photos are embiggenable.
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