Liturgy and Piety in Medieval Norwich
| Professors: | The Rev. Arnold Klukas, PhD |
| Dr. David Sherwood | |
| Canon Precentor Jeremy Haselock, Norwich Cathedral | |
| Date: | January 2nd – January 13th, 2014 |
| Location: | Norwich Cathedral, Norwich UK |
Course Description
Nashotah House is unique among American seminaries in its stress on the spiritual formation of its students, especially in terms of daily prayer and a rule of life based in the Benedictine tradition. Our heritage stretches back more than 150 years, but the roots of our unique traditions go back more than 1500 years! Our “hands-on” course is intended to expose its participants to the living traditions of the Church of England, especially to the "Golden Age" of English spirituality in the 14th century and to Benedictine monastic traditions which continue to this day in the ministry of Norwich Cathedral.
Norwich Cathedral was established soon after the Norman Conquest [AD 1066] as a Benedictine Abbey as well as the seat [cathedra] of the bishop of East Anglia. At the time of the Reformation canons replaced the monks, but the daily round of worship continued unabated. The City of Norwich was also alive with other monastic groups, such as the Franciscans and Dominicans; as well as more unusual communities, such as the Beguines and anchorites--most notably Julian of Norwich.
Norwich was also a center center for pilgrimage, along with Kings Lynn and Bury St. Edmunds, for the many foreign and domestic devotees of Our Lady of Walsingham en route to her shrine at Little Walsingham. The East Anglian region remains rich in medieval shrines and the arts of devotion--more than 600 medieval parish churches are still extant in the region, and many retain their original works of art in glass, stone and wood.
With the cathedral as our “base of operations” we will be welcomed into the religious and social life of the Cathedral community--sitting in what were the monks' choir stalls for the daily round of worship services, walking in and around the magnificent cloister to eat where the monks once ate, read where they copied their manuscripts, and discuss theology, liturgy and spirituality under the same roofs that echoed with their conversations.
From the Cathedral we will venture out into the city to learn about medieval piety as it was practiced by the laity in their marketplaces, and the hospitals and charitable institutions which they founded, as well as visit many of their parish churches [of which 47 are still standing]. We will focus especially on those churches connected with Mother Julian [St. Julians and St. John, Timberhill] and with the Paston family [whose numerous letters and diaries have survived and give a wealth of insight into lay piety], and the major city church of St. Peter Mancroft.
We will also venture farther afield to visit a number of village churches and experience them in the context of rural life. In doing so we will also be privileged to meet the people who still worship in and maintain them.
All participants will read a common set of materials to provide background and allow for discussion of the people, events, and sites that we encounter. Each participant will also be responsible for one aspect of our common learning, as well as pursuing an individual project with the guidance of the instructors.
