York Minster turns to Zoom for connection to the heavens

So it was natural that a period of contemplation be arranged to help them make sense of the experience. And in the prevailing climate, the technology that is making it possible is closer to the heavens than anyone might have imagined.

The Minster announced yesterday that it would use the online video conferencing platform Zoom to facilitate its new short course for those wanting to discover more about the Christian faith.

It had planned to run the group sessions in person but has turned, like much of the rest of the communications world, to the cables and satellites that constitute the world wide web.

“People are searching for something, and that is only increased by the pandemic,” said Canon Maggie McLean, who was appointed last year as the Minster’s “missioner” and who will run the courses.

“There is a lot of anxiety, and people have more time and look beyond themselves. Someone told me in a pub that they had gone into the Minster at a moment of bereavement and had felt the experience changed them.”

There may be something of a disconnect between the grandeur of the cathedral and the landscape of modest sitting rooms and home offices that have become Zoom’s terrain, she acknowledged. But the questions would remain the same.

“Research by the University of York found that 80 per cent of visitors to the Minster experienced a spiritual moment, something bigger than themselves. It’s my job to engage with those moments and while it’s something that churches do all the time, we are having to do it differently right now.

“In a way it’s quite appropriate, because so many of our visitors come from around the world and we can now reach out to them anywhere.”

From the window of her 15th century house in the Minster’s shadow, it was easier to put the current crisis in perspective, she said.

“Henry VIII walked past this window. And you wonder how many pandemics and plagues this building has been through. But it’s still here and faith is still here, and people still want answers to life’s big questions.

“Many people want to enquire further but are not sure where to turn for help, and we wanted to provide people with a way.”

Her 90-minute courses, which begin on October 1 and will be followed by more in the winter and spring, could not guarantee answers and expected nothing of their participants, but would provide a “safe and supportive space” in which to discuss where, if anywhere, their faith may take them, she added.

“There is no agenda other than curiosity about the Christian faith.”

Those taking part will be invited into “breakout” discussions and will see a video address from York’s new Archbishop, Stephen Cottrell.

Admission to the course is by invitation, with details available by emailing [email protected].

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