Two of our Canons have been representing the city overseas by welcoming new members to the Community of the Cross of Nails in the Netherlands and Germany. The Reverend Canon Dr David Stone, Canon Precentor, was in the Netherlands recently to welcome in to the Cross of Nails the Protestant Chaplaincy of the Dutch Armed Forces at their Naval Base in Den Helder. It felt a little strange to be presenting a Cross of Nails, supremely a symbol of peace, to a military chaplaincy... But it was very clear to me that those I met and spoke to were committed to using the apparatus of war, not to deepen conflict but to resolve it, not to undermine peace but to preserve it. On the day we were in Den Helder, this was emphasized by the presence in port of a ship being equipped to go to Africa as part of the international effort to help those caught up in the Ebola crisis. A really good way of building the friendship between peoples which lies at the heart of what the Community of the Cross of Nails is all about, commented Canon Stone. The Reverend Canon Dr Sarah Hills, Canon for Reconciliation visited Germany to welcome two new members to the CCN – the home of which is Coventry Cathedral. “Welcoming new members to the Community of the Cross of Nails is a real privilege. The Community of the Cross of Nails is flourishing across Europe and other parts of the world (I have also just returned from South Africa where I presented five cross of nails), and is the foundation for building strong relationships from Coventry across the world,” explained Canon Sarah, “The community is a network of organisations who are dedicated to building a lasting peace and working towards celebrating diversity in their communities – making a real difference to the everyday lives of people – now and for the future.” Canon Sarah presented a Cross of Nails to St Petersberg (Halle) who are involved in international exchanges and ecumenical worship. She then travelled to the parish of St Barbara in Munich, just 20km away from the location of the former concentration camp at Dauchau. The church had requested that the base of their Cross of Nails is a stone from the concentration camp as a permanent reminder as to the devastating impact of conflict.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:19:55 +0000
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