Mystery Worshipper: Jonah & the whale
Church:
Holy Spirit, Southsea
Location: Hampshire, England
Date of visit: Sunday, 7 July 2024, 10:00am
The building
The church is a huge brick barn on Fawcett Road. It is a rebuild of the Church of St Matthew which was founded as a mission church in 1889, but badly damaged by bombing in the Second World War. The new church was rebuilt within the remaining walls of the old church, and opened in 1958. The building was reordered in 2010, with four rough-hewn Portuguese limestone blocks serving as altar, font, tabernacle stand and ambo. A Christus Regnans sculpture dominates the east end. The church is difficult to photograph clearly due to the number of houses surrounding it at close quarters.
The church
The website describes Holy Spirit Church as ‘a Church of England parish church in the catholic tradition’. The services include mass, evensong and benediction, and a few weeks after my visit there was to be a parish pilgrimage to Walsingham. The church has a mixed choir, and is a venue for concerts by other choirs.
The neighborhood
Southsea is a seaside resort and a suburb of the city of Portsmouth. The neighbourhood around the church has solid housing, with the remaining effects of bomb damage still visible in modern rebuilds.
The cast
The parish priest was celebrating his silver jubilee (25 years a priest) and a retired colleague his golden jubilee (50 years a priest). The parish priest celebrated and preached.
What was the name of the service?
Solemn Mass.How full was the building?
There were people sitting in most rows in the main part of the building, but this church would look half-empty if the army was in!
Did anyone welcome you personally?
We were greeted at the door and supplied with a service sheet, a sheet of readings backed with notices, and a leaflet about events in July and August. We were also informed of the jubilee celebrations of the day. No more talking till afterwards!
Was your pew comfortable?
It was slightly old-fashioned wooden chairs, joined with long wooden horizontals in rows. Not terribly comfortable, but I didn't get numb. Kneelers were supplied, all beautifully cross-stitched, and all – apparently – different.
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
A quiet space, with some minimal chat, and lovely music from the organ. Pure silence for the last couple of minutes, which was indeed heavenly.
What were the exact opening words of the service?
The procession entered during the hymn, so the first words spoken were, ‘In the name of the Father...’
What books did the congregation use during the service?
The service leaflet and the page of readings gave us everything we needed. I got the impression that the service leaflet had been specially printed for this one day, though.
What musical instruments were played?
The organ. That was enough. Sensitively played, and garnished by the choir.
Did anything distract you?
I was indeed distracted! The Christus sculpture dominated the entire service for me. I could not work out if or how it was secured, or how close to the wall, and I wondered for some of the time if it were a trompe l’oeil! I had to look afterwards, and only then could I see the fishing wire holding it in place.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
This was a solemn mass, and although there were moments of levity in the sermon, the atmosphere was solidly ‘the Anglican church at prayer’.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
It was about 10 minutes. I was so distracted (see above) that I forgot to check my watch at the end.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
7 — It was a jubilee sermon, but cleverly related to both the Gospel reading and current events.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon about?
Our preacher started by saying it was all over. No, not the football, but the election. We now have a knight of the realm in No 10. He talked about said knight’s family, then related it to the Gospel, and how Jesus could do little in his home town due to lack of faith. It’s to be hoped the same will not apply to our new prime minister. The people of Nazareth failed to notice when Jesus returned to them that he had been transformed by God. He concluded by saying this was a time of Jubilee – where has the time, and our hair gone! – but with a feeling of gratitude for a total of 75 years of ministry.
Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
It was great to see a good choir, and they were easy on the ear. But that Christus does take some beating.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
The creed was sung disastrously slowly; it felt as if they'd used old batteries and not good ones! Such a dirge of a beautiful piece of music. It was disappointing to note that none of the servers were members of the Guild of Servants of the Sanctuary, which is not what I would have expected at such a high profile Anglo-catholic church.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
We had barely risen to our feet at the end before being invited to participate in tea, coffee, sparkling wine, and cake. We sat at a table and were promptly joined by a parishioner who started chatting, and we were introduced to others. The parish priest came over and introduced himself, too.
How would you describe the after-service coffee?
The coffee was fine. The sparking wine was very drinkable, but I was driving. There were paper cups for the hot drinks, but proper glasses for the wine. There were lots of takers. I hope they have a dishwasher! I didn't have the cake, but I gather that was a special for the celebration.
How would you feel about making another visit (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
8 — If I lived in this part of the world I could settle here happily.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
Yes. We left refreshed and rejuvenated.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time ?
The Christus.