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Kneeling prevented
From the Revd Dr C. J.-B. Hammond Sir, — I wonder whether other readers may share my disquiet at the fact that kneeling down in church is being prevented by the layout of our worship spaces? On Maundy Thursday, I was seated among the other clergy at the annual chrism mass and renewal of ordination vows. When we came to the parts of the service at which kneeling was indicated as an appropriate posture, I had a kneeler, attached to the chair in front of me; but no room to kneel down. A ten-second check would have shown those responsible for arranging the furniture that no one sitting there could kneel down. At Easter, on holiday with the family, I went to a cathedral for the morning service, and was shown to a row of chairs towards the rear of the nave. This time, no kneelers were provided — understandably, given that this was obviously overflow seating. Once again, however, the rows were so close together that kneeling was impossible. I was left in the awkward spiritual dilemma whether to remain in a hunch-crouch position for the prayers or to embarrass my children and draw attention to myself by kneeling down in the aisle (which I did, with misgivings and painful knees). The following week, I attended a church in the city for a mass in a side-chapel for the feast of the Annunciation. Different venue, same problem: seating pushed too close together. I have no objection to anyone’s wishing to hunch-crouch rather than kneel; but I do find it worrying that our seating arrangements in Anglican churches across a wide geographical area are routinely precluding even the possibility of the traditional Christian posture for prayer. Is it time for a seating audit in places of worship to ensure that enough space is allowed for this ancient and firmly scriptural devotional practice to continue? CALLY HAMMONDDean Gonville and Caius College Cambridge CB2 1TA |
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