Upper Fourth Religious Studies pupils this week visited Westminster Cathedral and St Paul’s Cathedral. The educational visit began with a Latin mass at Westminster Cathedral: several Catholic pupils received the Eucharist, whilst many others took the opportunity to receive a blessing in the awe-inspiring Byzantine surroundings, during a short service with a thought-provoking homily on the Sermon on the Mount.
This induction into Catholic practice was followed by a tour of Westminster Cathedral, which covered points of divergence between Catholicism and Protestantism (including everything from baptism to confession, and, of course, the particularly thorny and controversial issue of transubstantiation).
After a brief coach journey, part two of the educational visit brought pupils to St Paul’s Cathedral: a Protestant (or Anglican – controversy struck again) cathedral bearing several features that illuminated the interesting roots of Anglicanism and its points of divergence from Catholicism (and some mainstream Protestant practice, too).
The education department at St Paul’s Cathedral provided a tour of the spectacular site, a question and answer session with one of their priests (including the best questions they claimed they had ever heard), and a climb of the world-famous dome.
The pupils were excellent ambassadors for the College and a credit to themselves throughout, an astonishing achievement given how theologically technical the day was.
By George Greenbury
