The Basilica of San Domenico, seen from the cloisters, is one of the major churches in Bologna (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Patrick Comerford
In this time between All Saints’ Day and Advent Sunday, we are in the Kingdom Season in the Calendar of the Church of England. This week began with the Third Sunday before Advent and Remembrance Sunday (12 November 2023).
The Calendar of the Church of England in Common Worship today (14 November) remembers the life and work of Samuel Seabury (1796), the first Anglican Bishop in North America.
Before today begins, I am taking some time for prayer and reflection early this morning.
Throughout the rest of this week, I am resuming my theme of Italian cathedrals and churches, and my reflections this morning are following this pattern:
1, A reflection on a church in Bologna;
2, the Gospel reading of the day in the Church of England lectionary;
3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.
The shrine of Saint Dominic in Saint Dominic’s chapel (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
The Basilica of San Domenico, Bologna:
Bologna has a rich collection of churches and basilicas, and one of the major churches in the city is the Basilica of San Domenico, which dates back to the arrival of Saint Dominic over 800 years ago in the year 1218.
The basilica is visited regularly by pilgrims and tourists who come to visit the church because Saint Dominic is buried inside in the exquisite shrine of the Arca di San Domenico..
The shrine is the work of Nicola Pisano and his workshop and of Arnolfo di Cambio, and there are later additions by Niccolò dell’Arca and the young Michelangelo.
When Saint Dominic, Dominic Guzman, first arrived in Bologna in January 1218, he was impressed by the vitality of the city and recognised the importance of the university city.
The first house for Dominicans was established at the Mascarella church by Reginald of Orleans. But this house soon became too small for the growing number of friars, and in 1219 the brothers of Dominic’s Order of Preachers moved to the small church of San Nicolò of the Vineyards on the outskirts of Bologna.
Saint Dominic also moved to this church and the first two General Chapters of the Order of Preachers or Dominicans were held there in 1220 and 1221. Saint Dominic died in that church on 6 August 1221, and was buried behind the altar of San Nicolò.
Between 1219 and 1243, the Dominicans bought all the plots of land surrounding the church. After the death of Saint Dominic, the church of San Nicolò was expanded and a new monastic complex was built between 1228 and 1240.
The church was then extended and grew into the Basilica of Saint Dominic, which in time become the prototype of many other Dominican churches throughout the world.
The basilica was divided in two parts divided by a ramp: the front part, or ‘internal church,’ was the church of the brothers, and the church for the faithful, or the ‘external church.’ The church was consecrated by Pope Innocent IV in 1251.
The remains of Saint Dominic were moved in 1233 from a place behind the altar to a simple marble sarcophagus. But most of the pilgrims could not see the new shrine, which was hidden by many people standing in front of it.
The need for a new shrine was identified, and in 1267 the remains of Saint Dominic were moved from the simple sarcophagus into a new shrine, decorated with episodes from the life of the saint by Nicola Pisano.
Saint Dominic’s chapel is the main chapel of the church. It has a square plan and a semi-circular apse, where the remains of the saint rest in the splendid Arca di San Domenico under the cupola which contains three sculptures by Michelangelo: Angel, Saint Proclus and Saint Petronius.
The chapel was built by the Bolognese architect Floriano Ambrosini, replacing the old gothic chapel from 1413, to match the splendour of the other existing chapels. It was decorated between 1614 and 1616 by important painters of the Bolognese school.
In the course of the next centuries, the church was enlarged, modified and rebuilt. New side chapels were built, a bell tower was added, the dividing wall between the two churches was demolished, and the choir was moved behind the altar. Then, in 1728-1732, the interior of the church was completely rebuilt in the Baroque style by the architect Carlo Francesco Dotti (1678-1759) under the patronage of Pope Benedict XIII, who was a Dominican.
The imposing Crucifixion in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel is the masterpiece by Giunta Pisano, ca 1250) It was strongly influenced by the Byzantine style and represents one of the best examples of 13th-century Italian painting.
Mozart played on the organ in the Rosary Chapel in 1769, while he was studying with Giovanni Battista Martini in Bologna.
The square in front of the church, now paved with pebbles, was also the original cemetery. In the middle of the square, a bronze statue of Saint Dominic (1627) stands on the top of a brickwork column.
Close-by are two unique Byzantine-Venetian-style tombs of the celebrated jurists of Rolandino de’ Passeggeri and Egidio Foscarari.
The relics of Saint Dominic in the richly-decorated shrine (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Luke 17: 7-10 (NRSVA):
[Jesus said:] 7 ‘Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”? 8 Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink”? 9 Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!”’
Inside the Basilica of Saint Dominic (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Today’s Prayers (Tuesday 14 November 2023):
The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), draws on ‘A Prayer for Remembrance Sunday and International Day of Tolerance’. This theme was introduced on Sunday.
The USPG Prayer Diary today (14 November 2023) invites us to pray in these words:
Lord, we pray for tolerance of differences of every kind and an awareness of the good in all.
‘Gloria di San Domenico’, a fresco on the cupola of Saint Dominic’s Chapel, was painted by Guido Reni in 1613-1615 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
The Collect:
Almighty Father,
whose will is to restore all things
in your beloved Son, the King of all:
govern the hearts and minds of those in authority,
and bring the families of the nations,
divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin,
to be subject to his just and gentle rule;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
The Post-Communion Prayer:
God of peace,
whose Son Jesus Christ proclaimed the kingdom
and restored the broken to wholeness of life:
look with compassion on the anguish of the world,
and by your healing power
make whole both people and nations;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Additional Collect:
God, our refuge and strength,
bring near the day when wars shall cease
and poverty and pain shall end,
that earth may know the peace of heaven
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Yesterday’s Reflection
Continued Tomorrow
‘The Crucifixion’ by Giunta Pisano, ca 1250, in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
The cloisters at the Basilica di San Domenico in Bologna (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
14 November 2023
Whaddon Way Church
In West Bletchley was
the first ecumenical
church in Milton Keynes
Whaddon Way Church on the corner of Whaddon Way and Beaverbrook Court in West Bletchley, Milton Keynes (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023; click on images for full-screen viewing)
Patrick Comerford
I took part in a lunchtime meeting last week in Whaddon Way Church, on the corner of Whaddon Way and Beaverbrook Court in West Bletchley in Milton Keynes.
West Bletchley is in the south-west of Milton Keynes. Bletchley takes its name from the Anglo-Saxon ‘Blecca’s Lea’ (‘meadow’ or ‘clearing’). It was originally bounded by the Roman Watling Street, the River Ouzel, an ancient Roman trackway and Rickley Lane.
Bletchley was originally a twin-centred village that grew up around the parish church of Saint Mary’s and to the south-west around the area marked as Far Bletchley. It grew and developed in the Norman period, along with Water Eaton.
Although they were connected throughout several centuries by land ownership and the church, these settlements did not grow together until the late 20th century, when they joined with Fenny Stratford.
Whaddon Way Church opened as a new building in June 2012 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)
With the development of Milton Keynes, Bletchley provided some of the early vital services. Parish Councils were formed in 2001 for all areas under Milton Keynes Council. However, Bletchley was considered too large to be served by a single parish council and it was split into two – West Bletchley Council and Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Town Council.
West Bletchley covers that part of Milton Keynes that is south of Standing Way (A421), west of the West Coast Main Line and north of the Varsity Line. The parish has a population of over 15,000.
The districts and neighbourhoods in the parish include Church Green, Bletchley Park, Far Bletchley, Old Bletchley, West Bletchley, and Whaddon Way – not to be confused with nearby Whaddon in Aylesbury Vale.
Whaddon Way Church, a combined Anglican/Baptist church, was the first ecumenical church in Milton Keynes (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)
The Revd Leslie (‘Les’) Jell (1933-2022), who died last year, was closely associated with setting up Whaddon Way Church in West Bletchley, which was founded by Spurgeon Baptist Church, Water Eaton, and Saint Andrew’s Baptist Church, Bletchley, in the 1960s. His wife, Dorothy Jell, was the founder and first chair of Willen Hospice.
Whaddon Way Church opened as a new building in June 2012. It is a combined Anglican/Baptist church and was the first ecumenical church in Milton Keynes. The members originally came from a variety of traditions, much wider than Anglican or Baptist, and they came together to form a united congregation drawn from all ages and a variety of backgrounds.
The Revd Peter Landry, who welcomed us to the meeting last week, is the Pioneer Minister at Whaddon Way Church. ‘We seek to share the love of Jesus in all that we do, and we want to bless our local community through the activities and events that we run as well as through our worship services.’
Sunday services at Whaddon Way Church are at 10:30 each week (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)
The worship at Whaddon Way Church draws on the riches of both the Anglican and Baptist traditions, so that sometimes it is liturgical and sometimes it is freeform. The music is mostly what is described as contemporary.
Church members are encouraged to take part in many activities. Several people lead, pray, read and they take part actively in worship. Members play an active part not just in services and church governance but in the many different activities that take place in the Church Centre during the week. The church also has close links with several mission organisations, both local and world-wide.
Sunday services at Whaddon Way Church are at 10:30 each week. During the week, church activities and programmes include home groups, prayer ministry, a seniors’ group (‘Time for You’), a toddlers’ group (Noah's Ark), and a youth group (Café on the Way).
The members of Whaddon Way Church came from a variety of traditions to form a united congregation (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)
Patrick Comerford
I took part in a lunchtime meeting last week in Whaddon Way Church, on the corner of Whaddon Way and Beaverbrook Court in West Bletchley in Milton Keynes.
West Bletchley is in the south-west of Milton Keynes. Bletchley takes its name from the Anglo-Saxon ‘Blecca’s Lea’ (‘meadow’ or ‘clearing’). It was originally bounded by the Roman Watling Street, the River Ouzel, an ancient Roman trackway and Rickley Lane.
Bletchley was originally a twin-centred village that grew up around the parish church of Saint Mary’s and to the south-west around the area marked as Far Bletchley. It grew and developed in the Norman period, along with Water Eaton.
Although they were connected throughout several centuries by land ownership and the church, these settlements did not grow together until the late 20th century, when they joined with Fenny Stratford.
Whaddon Way Church opened as a new building in June 2012 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)
With the development of Milton Keynes, Bletchley provided some of the early vital services. Parish Councils were formed in 2001 for all areas under Milton Keynes Council. However, Bletchley was considered too large to be served by a single parish council and it was split into two – West Bletchley Council and Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Town Council.
West Bletchley covers that part of Milton Keynes that is south of Standing Way (A421), west of the West Coast Main Line and north of the Varsity Line. The parish has a population of over 15,000.
The districts and neighbourhoods in the parish include Church Green, Bletchley Park, Far Bletchley, Old Bletchley, West Bletchley, and Whaddon Way – not to be confused with nearby Whaddon in Aylesbury Vale.
Whaddon Way Church, a combined Anglican/Baptist church, was the first ecumenical church in Milton Keynes (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)
The Revd Leslie (‘Les’) Jell (1933-2022), who died last year, was closely associated with setting up Whaddon Way Church in West Bletchley, which was founded by Spurgeon Baptist Church, Water Eaton, and Saint Andrew’s Baptist Church, Bletchley, in the 1960s. His wife, Dorothy Jell, was the founder and first chair of Willen Hospice.
Whaddon Way Church opened as a new building in June 2012. It is a combined Anglican/Baptist church and was the first ecumenical church in Milton Keynes. The members originally came from a variety of traditions, much wider than Anglican or Baptist, and they came together to form a united congregation drawn from all ages and a variety of backgrounds.
The Revd Peter Landry, who welcomed us to the meeting last week, is the Pioneer Minister at Whaddon Way Church. ‘We seek to share the love of Jesus in all that we do, and we want to bless our local community through the activities and events that we run as well as through our worship services.’
Sunday services at Whaddon Way Church are at 10:30 each week (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)
The worship at Whaddon Way Church draws on the riches of both the Anglican and Baptist traditions, so that sometimes it is liturgical and sometimes it is freeform. The music is mostly what is described as contemporary.
Church members are encouraged to take part in many activities. Several people lead, pray, read and they take part actively in worship. Members play an active part not just in services and church governance but in the many different activities that take place in the Church Centre during the week. The church also has close links with several mission organisations, both local and world-wide.
Sunday services at Whaddon Way Church are at 10:30 each week. During the week, church activities and programmes include home groups, prayer ministry, a seniors’ group (‘Time for You’), a toddlers’ group (Noah's Ark), and a youth group (Café on the Way).
The members of Whaddon Way Church came from a variety of traditions to form a united congregation (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)
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