Dear Friends,
I’ve been off on my travels again, this time by train around France and Spain. It was a really good trip and the highlight for me was the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) in Barcelona. Do have a look at the website if you’ve not see it before: https://sagradafamilia.org/en/photo-gallery. It’s not your standard cathedral.
The project was started at the end of the nineteenth century and it’s still under construction, due to be completed in 2036. I’m not a fan of the architect Antoni Gaudi, whose wacky buildings can be found around Barcelona, but when I went inside the Sagrada Familia, I was awestruck. Literally. My breath was taken away. I had to stop and stare. The space is designed to look like a forest, with soaring columns and light streaming through stained glass windows. It spoke to me of the wonder and greatness of God. It was an amazing feeling, not something that I’ve experienced very often.
So now I’m back. Can I find that feeling of awe and wonder again? Of course! In nature, in music, in poetry, in worship in our own amazing St Nicolas church. It’s there, I just have to be more attuned to see it.
Yours, in awe,
Wendy
Wendy Neale, Churchwarden