In Advent, we are reminded of the Christian message of hope, peace, joy and love. These are feelings which are brought alive for many by the music of St Giles’ – at all times of the year In this newsletter, we give thanks to Michael Harris, Master of the Music, as he approaches his well-earned retirement Michael’s contribution to St Giles’ cannot be overstated, although the thoughtful tribute penned for this edition by our Treasurer and member of the choir, Amanda Forsyth, goes some considerable way towards capturing both Michael’s impact and legacy and the depth of our gratitude for his 28 years with St Giles’
Advent is a season of preparation and anticipation As we journey through December, we reflect on our recently concluded 900th anniversary year and all it involved (in effort and impact, both of which were incredible) Our thanks are with Anne Whiteford, Convener of the 900 Committee, for her tireless work, dedication and good humour which has been evident throughout the planning and bringing together of the St Giles’ 900, and to all who assisted her in shaping, developing and delivering the celebrations, be this on the Committee, as a staff or congregation member, a volunteer at St Giles’ or part of our wider community of friends and contributors You have our deepest appreciation.
In the spirit of Advent, in this newsletter, we also look forward. We hear of our Under-40s group preparing to take the next step on their journey of fellowship and we explore the continuing good work of our Neighbourhood Group who, with our annual Advent Appeal, are responding to massive demands In our ongoing volunteer spotlight series, we meet Ann McConnell whose duties in the shop include serving and stocktaking, while elsewhere in the newsletter, our Treasurer takes stock of the last year. For all this, and more, please read on!
Welcome
When picking a hymn for use in Advent most ministers will have been in the habit of reaching immediately for “O come, O come, Emmanuel” We know that its omission would be the subject of complaint from some of our members for whom the ancient words and the minor-key French tune have always signalled the turn towards the Festive Season
Like many of the traditional carols which will be so much in demand in the coming weeks the words can seem a bit odd and even awkward when they are examined in the cold light of our time
These hymns which everyone knows and which the gathering crowds expect to sing were written in other times and the imagery and terminology for which the writers reached would not be the ones which we would use if we were starting again.
Yet these carols have become indispensable in the celebration of Advent and Christmas. For the “regular worshipper” who comes to church every twelve months these are the songs they know and they evoke memories and associations of other days and loved ones They do not look for the cold light of day but the warm glow of a flickering faith and a shared tradition
In some ways their experience is shared by those who come to church most weeks – we don’t always dwell on the actual hymn words for that would rule out many of the favourites but instead we enjoy the tune we know, the easy familiarity of the tried and tested, the continuity which pulls together succeeding generations, the flight of fancy which still stirs the soul All this, often despite the lyrics
So we who are now choosing the praise which will be sung in St Giles’ must think first of those who will carol merrily within our strong walls. Friend and stranger, member and visitor seek the experience of being close to the child in the manger. They come to hear and make their own the promise of peace and goodwill through the carols they have sung so many times before
The words and the images might be a bit odd and more than a little awkward – but the hopes and fears of all the years have hardly ever been more pressing
So come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel
George
Advent Appeal (for more white rhinos)
“Recent figures suggest that more than 670,000 Scots, including 170,000 children, struggle to access food on a regular basis.” Josh Pizzuto-Pomoco (Sunday Herald, 27th October 2024)
Many newspaper readers might have found such a claim to be scandalous, even incredible. Yet, within Edinburgh alone, the Edinburgh Food Project food banks find ever-increasing numbers of people in need referred by the Council and by support agencies Within the first 6 months of this year, the EFP food banks distributed food parcels to 11,482 people, including over 3,300 children Every month, over 10,000 Kg of food is distributed to people in crisis- all of whom had been referred officially
So a real need there certainly is For the past 12 years, the Edinburgh Food Project has sought valiantly to meet ever-increasing demands on its resources as it seeks to feed those in need Especially in the earlier part of this year, demand exceeded the supply of food from voluntary donations
Since 2015, the St Giles’ Neighbourhood Group has endeavoured to support this worthy charity by sending weekly or bi-weekly deliveries of particular food items in specific shortage Each time, this involves a carload of 150Kg-200Kg of carefully chosen, bulk-bought food To quote Sheila Sneddon, the Food Provision Manager: “Almost every week donations of items that we desperately need are delivered to the warehouse to be included in the food parcels- often arriving just in the nick of time.”
Annually, the St Giles’ food contribution amounts to 5 tonnes: in the words of an Edinburgh Food Project representative, “the equivalent of two white rhinos.” The Advent Appeal underwrites the annual cost. This is the 10th such appeal and it is hoped that, once more, the generosity of St Giles’ members will enable us to continue our support for our fellow citizens who, in increasing numbers, find themselves in such need that they have to seek help in a very public way.
Yellow gift-aided envelopes marked ‘Advent Appeal’ will be available during the four Sundays of Advent. Cheques should be made out to St Giles’ Cathedral. Bank Transfers to: St Giles’ Cathedral (reference: Advent Appeal) Sort Code 80-02-24 Account No 01976128
Join Us in Decorating Our Christmas Tree!
Each year, we are honoured to receive a Christmas tree from Balmoral, gifted by His Majesty The King. This year, we invite you to be part of the magic and help us decorate the tree to brighten our Christmas season.
Event Details:
• Dates: Saturday, 14th December & Saturday, 21st December
• Time: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
• Location: St Giles' Cathedral
Whether you’re near or far, we would love for you to join us in crafting a decoration to brighten our tree. We will have two decorating sessions, and everyone is welcome to participate!
If you’d like to lend a hand or help facilitate the event, please reach out to Sarah Phemister at sarah phemister@stgilescathedral org uk
The Treasurer Takes Stock
As we approach the close of 2024, I look back at what seems likely to be another recordbreaking year Our visitor numbers have been trending higher than ever; by the end of October, we had already welcomed more than 1.5m people to St Giles’, more than in the whole of 2023. This has translated into higher visitor donations, although the average donation remains only around 30p per visitor, compared to the £6 suggested donation on the door; this more than ever demonstrates the imperative for making even a small charge for tourist visitors as soon as we can. We are seeing a strong contribution from paying tour groups, again higher than last year The shop has been doing very healthy business, and the programme of concerts has seen the Cathedral in use many evenings of the week; new partnerships with our most frequent performing groups have been a real boon.
The generosity of congregation, pilgrims and other visitors to our worship services continues to be truly heartwarming. Whether it’s Easter, or the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, the willingness of worshippers to support our work is tangible Major donors, too, have stepped forward: whether by joining the 1124 Society, which has provided the wherewithal for the suitably momentous 900 celebrations which are described elsewhere in this Newsletter, or in backing standalone projects such as the conversion of the interior lighting to LED, or the restoration of the illumination of the crown spire
All of this has provided a solid underpin for the costs the Cathedral faces – which is just as well! The cost of insuring St Giles’ continues to rise. There is always a heavy backlog of repairs and maintenance for our beautiful, ancient building, and 2024 has been no exception. Past Newsletters have detailed the work on internal and external LED lighting, which has been by specific and very generous donations; we have also done a lot of work on the sound system which came in for specific commendation from the BBC team recording our festive ‘Three Choirs’ Choral Evensong in November The Thistle Chapel saw major refurbishment of its lighting systems ahead of the Installation service in July The less-than-glamorous but utterly necessary repairs to the cloakroom in the vestry are essentially complete; this and all the other work has been taking place against the background of constant and careful maintenance of St Giles’, for which the General Committee and its convener, John Andrew, are to be thanked
But to speak of thanks without thanking you, the reader, would be remiss – whether you are a regular attender, an online worshipper, an occasional visitor, or one of our widely-spread population of enthusiastic supporters. The chances are that you have given of your money, time or talents – or all three – to St Giles’ this year In the ongoing battle to balance the books and keep the roof secure and the doors open, your contributions have made a crucial difference.
Thank you.
Amanda Forsyth, Treasurer
An Appreciation
As Michael Harris’s time at St Giles’ comes to a close, we take a moment to look back and to say thank you.
On 31st October 1996, Michael Harris took up the role of Organist and Master of the Music of St Giles’ Cathedral – only the fourth person to hold the position since the Reformation. He took over from Herrick Bunney, and brought with him a fruitful combination of fresh ideas and respect for the traditions and the people he was joining Before coming to Edinburgh, he was SubOrganist of Leeds Parish Church and Assistant Organist of Canterbury Cathedral
He was, in fact, taking up a dual role here: as well as his duties at St Giles’, Michael was to teach at Edinburgh Napier University. The inspired partnership with Napier brought benefits to the Cathedral and the University, giving St Giles’ strong links with the Ian Tomlin Academy, and in particular, a source of excellent young singers from the university’s Chamber Choir which Michael founded – some of whom have gone on to successful international singing careers.
The choir first began touring in 2004 with a trip to the United States Since then, their travels have taken them all over Europe as well as returning to North America, bringing a uniquely Scottish take on the music of the cathedral tradition to diverse new audiences One particularly resonant tour took the choir to Gunsbach in the Alsace region – the town where Michael and his wife Brigitte had first met.
In 2007, Michael was the driving force behind an initiative which gave new strength and sustainability to the musical life of the Kirk, in the creation of a new registered charity – the Friends of the Music of St Giles’ Cathedral Its purpose is chiefly “the advancement of the arts and of education in and public appreciation of the arts, and in particular the art of music, through the maintenance and promotion of public musical performances in St Giles'”. As annual and life membership subscriptions flowed in, the funds began to be put to use: over the years the Friends have funded a broad range of activities in furtherance of that purpose, including concerts, CDs, brass musicians on Easter Sunday, and most recently, the commissioning of five new compositions by Scottish composers which now comprise the St Giles’900 Choirbook.
In 2014, Michael took the decision to set up St Giles’ own record label, Aegidius – again, an initiative made possible by the financial backing of the Friends. The first two CDs on that label, ‘O clap your hands: A Century of Inspiration’ and ‘On Christmas Night’ were given a special launch at a concert in June of that year Since then, high quality recordings of choral and organ music have provided a tangible record of the broad range, both in chronology and style, of the choir’s repertoire.
Michael hasn’t just promoted the work of St Giles’ own musicians. Through the St Giles’ at Six programme of free concerts on Sunday evenings and the annual programme of Celebrity Organ Recitals, he has ensured that the building’s wonderful acoustic and famous Rieger organ are shared with talented musicians from all over the world
At the heart of Michael’s successful tenure is his deep knowledge and appreciation of church music, but also the sensitivity to deliver an appropriate response to each new challenge in a cheerful, calm and authoritative fashion Nowhere was this more evident than in the Royal Services, of Thanksgiving for the life of HM Queen Elizabeth and for the presentation of the Honours of Scotland to HM King Charles III. In the former, the majority of the music was performed by the Cathedral Choir and Assistant Organist under Michael’s direction; in the latter, he also collaborated with some of Scotland’s finest musicians (even conducting two other conductors) to deliver a wide-ranging and uniformly excellent performance to a worldwide TV audience.
A very different challenge, but one that will thrive in the memories of those present, occurred during one winter wedding; it was in the late afternoon, darkness was falling and the cathedral was decorated with festive flowers and candles About ten minutes before the bride was due to arrive, the local electricity substation suffered an outage: the organ music died away and all the lights went out. Nothing daunted, Michael dug out some boxes of votive candles to distribute around the choir stalls, the piano was pushed into place by the Holy Table and Peter Backhouse descended from the organ loft to play as best he could the organ music for the occasion It was a more-than-usually magical ceremony, and the pièce de résistance came at the very end: Michael pulled up a second piano stool next to Peter, and the pair improvised a piano duet version of the Toccata from Widor’s Symphony for Organ No 5 A true marriage of expertise and cheerful inspiration.
Michael leaves the musical life of St Giles’ in thriving good health and on a sound financial and artistic footing. He will be greatly missed.
Amanda Forsyth, Member of the St Giles’ Choir
In this edition the Newsletter we hear about the work of Cunningham House, a local charity who St Giles’ have worked with for many years.
Here at Cunningham House, we offer a safe and supportive environment for those experiencing homelessness through a variety of reasons and circumstances. Cunningham House has 23 rooms, 20 for men and 3 for women. It’s a supported hostel, which means residents have their own room and self-catering facilities but can also access support while getting their lives back on track For many service users this can take any amount of time from months to years depending on the circumstances of the individual We offer 24-hour support for our service users and all our staff are SVQ trained and trained in trauma informed practice to offer the best possible service to those who need us.
For many people, life is difficult. Faced with various physical, emotional and social challenges, we aren't always equipped to cope on our own.
But at CrossReach we believe that with the right support, at the right time, every person can flourish, and every life can be fulfilling
Our service users are asked quarterly about their experience at Cunningham House, to ensure needs are being met
One service user said: “I feel fortunate to be here at Cunningham House and feel it has been a huge blessing Staff have been superb, especially in such circumstances ”
For many years Cunningham House and St Giles’ have shared a close relationship, and we are very grateful for the support and donations offered by members of the church. This has allowed us to offer extra activities and benefits for our service users that otherwise would not have been accessible
Thanks to kind donations from members of the public, including St Giles’, we have managed to successfully refurbish much of the service this year This has helped brighten up the building.
By meeting with our service users to discuss what colour schemes they would like to see we have managed to create a more homely and welcoming environment for our residents. This would not have been possible without donations from the public
Every Christmas we try to offer some festive activities for our service users to get involved with Last year this was a trip to the Castle of Light and the Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh which was a great experience for those taking part. These trips are funded by donations and allow our service users a nice experience away from the service.
Looking to the future we would love to continue offering these trips and activities.
We would also like to add more activities throughout the year such as cinema trips, bowling and other days out. We feel these offer a vital break for our residents and help offer a welcome distraction from what are often difficult struggles
Finally, we would like to reiterate our thanks to those at St Giles’ for all their support over the last few years Our staff and service users are extremely grateful for all your kind donations, and we are very glad to share this update with you all.
Get Involved
The Neighbourhood Group will carry out their annual street can collection on Friday 20th December and Saturday 21st December. The beneficiary this year is Cunningham House. If you can spare an hour to assist us on either of these days you would be very welcome. Look out for further details in the Weekly Bulletin.
Homeless Sunday Concert – Save the date
On Sunday, 26th January, a St Giles’ at Six concert will be given by the Kevock Choir Always a popular visitor, this choir has often given concerts in St Giles’, offering varied and interesting musical programmes
Proceeds from the concert will go to Bethany Christian Trust, which does wonderful work with homeless people and those in need, not only in Edinburgh but throughout Scotland
Karen Brash, Team Leader, Cunningham House
Volunteer feature: Ann McConnell
You are a volunteer at the St Giles’ shop – tell us what’s involved?
I serve behind the till and stock shelves mainly I report to Irina, the shop manager I volunteer two afternoons a week but have been known to do more if required.
Which part of your role do you most enjoy?
We get visitors from all around the world, and I really enjoy meeting people from different countries.
How long have you been volunteering?
I have been a volunteer at St Giles’ for 10 years I used to work at the shop at the Marie Curie Hospice and prior to that had a career in banking. When I retired, I wanted to find a volunteering role which would make the most of my skills – and I did!
What brought you to St Giles’?
A friend who worked at St Giles’ suggested I might like it. It was meant to be temporary, but here I am, a decade later!
What’s your first impression of St Giles’?
I hadn’t been in St Giles’ before my friend recommended that I consider volunteering here – I just remember thinking, when I entered the building, just what a beautiful church it was.
Does faith play a role in your volunteering journey?
I am Christian and a member of Marchmont St Giles’ Faith plays an important role in my life, and in my volunteering.
St Giles’ has a profile in tourism, as a performance venue, and important civic duties. How does that affect your view of our church as a place of worship?
I am pragmatic about the use of the Cathedral for activities other than worship, as it is part of what it needs to survive
What advice would you give to someone considering volunteering at St Giles?
Do it! It is a lovely place to work, with very friendly people The people I have met at St Giles’ have made me feel like family; I have made really good friends
The last musical notes
As we come to the end of the year the music team are inevitably turning their minds to Christmas The Cathedral Choir’s Sounds on Saturday Christmas concert on Saturday 7th December sold out – this has become an ever more popular event as the years go by.
We will of course have much splendid music on offer at the Christmas services, including the Lessons and Carols on Sunday 22nd December at 6pm.
We are rounding the year off as we began, with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, in the shape of the final three cantatas of the Christmas Oratorio (sung in German). This part of the work takes the story on to Epiphany concluding with some of the most glorious music Bach ever composed If you have not yet got tickets, hurry – they always sell fast and are only available from the Edinburgh’s Hogmanay website.
And so, following that concert, I will be signing off, and handing over the baton to Jack Oades. It has been an immense privilege to be able to make music in St Giles’ for the past twenty-eight years and I will look forward to keeping in touch as St Giles’enters a new era
Michael Harris Master of the Music
Uniting for Peace and Friendship Service
Imagine the Cathedral on a dark autumnal evening, shimmering with promise on the city skyline and sparkling inside with its many lights and colours Now add to that an incredibly diverse group of people of all ages and from many different religious traditions, in multi-coloured national costumes and liturgical clothing, coming together to share in a service of prayers for peace On 13 November, this is what was happening in St Giles’ as we were acting as hosts to a service organised by the Edinburgh Interfaith Association (EIFA) and coordinated by Iain Stewart, the Executive Director of EIFA.
Our beadles and the stewards had their hands full with helping the many speakers and musicians with their particular requirements for floor space and microphones, and it all came together beautifully
Those of us who were able to attend the service experienced over an hour of contributions from just about all the religious communities and others in and around Edinburgh This made for a lively and colourful experience, as well as times of deep reflection and prayerfulness There were moments of great poignancy: for example, to hear prayers and music from the Jewish community directly followed by a prayer from a Shia Muslim – in the light of the complex, volatile and violent situation in the wider Middle East that felt like a small miracle
We may not all have been able to join in each prayer that was said, but as a whole, there was a wonderful atmosphere of graciousness and friendship which transcended many differences The willingness to come together and pray for peace was stronger than the things that might separate us.
The evening concluded with a Pledge for Peace which was said by everyone together:
“We join together as citizens of Edinburgh. We pledge to stand united against the spread of disinformation and propagation of hate and violence towards others. We pledge to stand united against all forms of violent extremism. We pledge to live by the values that are inherent within our traditions –values of compassion for the needy, love for the neighbour, and respect for one another.
We pledge to do all that we can to promote understanding, respect, and mutual love for all.”
It was an honour and a joy to welcome people from all backgrounds to St Giles’ Cathedral This service felt like a beacon of light and hope in dark times.
Rev. Sigrid Marten, Associate Minister
“I like many people have been searching for hope and light in what feels like a very broken world. I am grateful to the St Giles’ team and to all who took part in the ‘Uniting for Peace and Friendship Service’ for giving me that hope that there is a path out of this darkness to the light. The service brought together people from diverse faiths and cultures all united in their vision and hope for peace. And throughout the service and especially when everyone stood to sing the words, ‘stand together’ we were given hope that that path to peace just might be possible.”
Iain Stewart, the Executive Director, Edinburgh Interfaith Association
A High Calling
900 and counting
At the end of our 900th year, we look back on the activities which formed part of our celebrations.
In 2021, the Kirk Session set up a committee to plan for the anniversary celebrations This obviously fell during COVID, so the planning started with the Cathedral closed to visitors, worship only available online and St Giles’ in a precarious financial position as there was no visitor income for many months The Committee however overcame these challenges, in addition to a change of Minister a few months before the celebrations began International culture consultant and artistic director Mary Miller joined the Committee early on, charged with creating and shaping the anniversary’s large-scale events The Committee also benefited from the experience and enthusiasm of St Giles’ Heritage and Culture team and that of the Master of the Music The 900 Committee met 25 times with approximately 250 person hours of discussions and decisions!
Rev. Dr George Whyte, our Interim Moderator appointed in September 2023, developed a concept of ‘A High Calling’ as a very useful framework for our celebrations
The High Kirk of Edinburgh
➢ located in the High Street, a gathering place for visitors and businesses
➢ celebrating High Days and Holy Days in liturgy and worship
➢ creating High Notes in events, concerts and music for worship.
➢ providing High Quality interpretation of our heritage and culture.
➢ having High Ideals to have a Christ-like shared life
➢ setting High Ambition for what can be done in Christ’s cause
➢ fulfilling High Aspirations to engage with people of all faiths and none
➢ realising High Hopes for the future.
This provided a framework for our celebrations and was shared with the team of Ministers for a focus in worship. A short video was developed for our website to explain the concept of ‘A High Calling’ and how it might be played out within the St Giles’ Community Advent Services
We decided at an early stage to focus the celebrations on the Christian year – from Advent in 2023 to Christ the King Service on 24th November 2024 This helped us to focus on the different aspects of the Christian year, which have significance in St Giles’ with the displays of fabulous banners which mark the progression of the Christian Year
The ‘Heart’
Unique Events have regularly provided installations for ‘Burns and Beyond’ and in partnership with ‘Unique’ the installation of ‘The Heart’, by Michael Pendry, was supported as part of the 900th anniversary celebrations The Cathedral took the opportunity of this amazing installation to host a launch of the 900 celebrations and 300 friends and supporters joined us for this special celebration with music provided by Live Music Now Scotland It was a lovely evening and great ‘soft launch’ for our 900th anniversary
Parliament Motion
A motion was laid down in the Scottish Parliament by Miles Briggs, a Lothian MSP, recognising St Giles' Cathedral as "a prominent part of the life of Edinburgh and Scotland for 900 years"
Interior Lighting
The start of our anniversary year saw the completion of the improvements to the internal lighting and the upgrade to LED operation In addition to have the capacity to be more creative in lighting the different parts of the Cathedral, it has resulted in a significant reducing in running costs.
Video Game
Through a partnership with the University of Glasgow, visitors to the Cathedral and the St Giles’ website can explore how the Cathedral building evolved during its 900-year history This is an important step in developing our visitor experience, worthy of 900 years of history To date almost 8,000 people have accessed this game, 2,000 online and around 6,000 have explored the evolution of the building with the touchscreen in the Cathedral
St Giles’900 Choirbook
An exciting project came to fruition during the 900th anniversary but had its origins many years before The idea of a choirbook, which dates back to pre-reformation times, was developed and five composers of sacred music from across Scotland commissioned to create new music for the organ and choir.
The composers with the year of commission were:
➢Kenneth Dempster: All sons of Adam Premiere (18th December 2020)
➢Savourna Stevenson: Psalm 121 Premiere (13th June 2021)
➢Tom Harrold: Prayer (1) (Premiere 12th June 2022)
➢Helen Grime: Missa brevis (Premiere 29th October 2023)
➢Sir James MacMillan: Jerusalem Jubilate (Premiere 9th June 2024)
This imaginative project was funded by Friends of the Music of St Giles’. Each of these works can be heard on the Cathedral Choir’s CD “Jubilate Deo”, recorded in August 2024
900 years of Choral Music
The St Giles’ Choir Fringe Concert featured choral works from almost 900 years of sacred music with the early music repertoire being performed by Hortus, an early music vocal ensemble consisting of four singers from the Cathedral Choir
900 Voices
An imaginative soundscape project, entitled 900 Voices, was created by Mary Miller and Zoë Irvine Early in the production process 900 Voices was invited by the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh International Book Festival to be included in their programme for August 2004, giving the work and St Giles’ a global platform
The design of the participative aspect of 900 Voices was led by public artist Lindsay Perth. Recording was undertaken by members of the 900 Voices team in the Cathedral and locations throughout Edinburgh including libraries, community centres, within community groups, sports clubs, schools, local businesses and in individual homes.
The aim was to be open and responsive, facilitating meaningful conversations about ideas of belonging, connection and community with the widest and most diverse range of Edinburgh citizens Conversations varied in duration from 10 mins to 3 hours The youngest participant was 4 and the oldest was 94
Zoë worked with composer and programmer Jules Rawlinson to develop the composition, seeking words and terms many people used in relation to the idea of belonging, connection and community such as family, loneliness, friendship, landscape, health, poverty, nature; even words few, or only one person used, such as skateboarding or hairdressing
900 Voices ran for nine evenings in the Cathedral, each session busy and many sessions sold out Overall, audience figures exceeded 2,500. The Book Festival event was also well subscribed, and with video and recordings, provided a comprehensive insight into the whole project´ s development
The 900 Voices database of conversation recordings, which includes recordings with over 300 individuals, will now be donated to a national archive.
External Lighting
Thanks to a few generous donors the external lighting on the Cathedral Tower was updated and the tower is now a beacon of light in the High Street in the evenings. The colours can change to reflect on key days in the life of the nation and Cathedral e.g. red around Remembrance Sunday
St Giles’Day Service and Reception
It was fortunate that St Giles’ Day, 1st September, fell on a Sunday this year, enabling the wider St Giles’ community, congregation, staff, volunteers and friends, to join together for one combined service Following the service the congregation gathered for a reception in Parliament Hall, which we had been generously granted use of for the occasion. Refreshments, cake and conversation were enjoyed by all. It has been suggested this service of celebration becomes an annual event
Creation and Dedication of Banners of St Giles
Another project that started a few years in advance was the project to create new banners for our 900th anniversary Sheana Stephen Ashton was invited to create a design which was based on the seal given to St Giles’ by the Pope, which was captured in a new badge for the Choir members’ robes This lovely image was then transformed to four new banners, a pulpit fall and bible tabs This took many hours of creativity and work from Sheana and the dedicated embroidery group that she leads. It was a joy to the visitors over the summer months to see the group at work in the Holy Blood Aisle, transforming the silk, lace, gold braid into the marvellous banners The banners were dedicated at the St Giles’ Day Service As part of the 900th Celebrations, Sheana also presented a talk on the embroideries.
St Giles’Guidebook
A new guidebook was produced to help people understand the historical aspects of the Cathedral and its role today as a place of worship with its civic, national and Royal connections Sections on music, the stained-glass windows and a descriptive walk around the chapels, combine an informative read with stunning photos.
St Giles’900 Merchandise
• Coasters – former staff member Hazel Frost who is a ceramicist developed some coasters that featured ‘stone mason’s marks’ from around the Cathedral
• Fountain and Rollerball Pens – with many broken oak chairs, some creative thinking identified that these could be turned into hand-crafted pens, stained in different colours –natural, brown and black This was undertaken in partnership with the Grassmarket
Community and their woodworking project Pen pouches, using fabric from new cushions in the Thistle Chapel were created for the pens
• Silver Jewellery – Sheana Stephen Ashton has developed some new items of silver jewellery, based on the new visual image
• Pop-up Card – Stuart Smith-Gordon, who has created pop-up cards of theatres was commissioned to develop one for St Giles’ Cathedral This A6 card highlights some of the historical events that have taken place in the Cathedral and are unique.
Doors Open Day
Saturday 29th September saw the Cathedral participate in Doors Open Day in Edinburgh As the Cathedral is open every Saturday some special events were organised for the visitors which included:
• Tours of the Thistle Chapel by Lord Cullen
• Tours of the Rieger Organ by Jordan English – Assistant Organist
• Information on the Banners
• Participation in flower decorating
• Children’s activities
• Information stands from our partner organisations - Bethany Christian Trust, Fresh Start, Streetwork, Edinburgh Food Project.
Cathedral: Into Tomorrow
A major music, poetry and movement event combining diverse local artists with international performers was performed in the Cathedral on 9th October as part of the 900 anniversary celebrations.
The Edinburgh Makar (city poet) Hannah Lavery, was commissioned to create a poem reflecting Giles the saint, which would provide
provide the narrative for the event The poem was designed to be divided into sections, interspersed with music. The project was part processional, part theatrical. While the audience remained in place, the performers moved between various spaces in the church
Choirs were identified and developed and performed their own music, inter-woven as a combined ensemble which came together for a spectacular finale Choirs included the Edinburgh Ukrainian Choir, the multi-cultural Amazing Harmonies, and Sound Tribe, a multigenerational choral ensemble. Pupils at Abbeyhill Primary School developed their own responses to Hannah’s poem which they performed in the overall event
A solo brass piece, introducing the instrumental music for the event written by John Wallace, greeted the audience as they arrived in Parliament Square The distinguished brass ensemble, the Wallace Collection (St Giles’ 900 artists-in residence) led the collective; the Cooperation Band, along with12 young players from Portobello High School, performed and Mae Murray, Head of Music Education Partnership Group, assisted the team as production supervisor
The event was extremely well received by those present on the night. For those who were not present on a short film can be viewed on the Cathedral's YouTube channel using this link: https://youtu be/j-xsE4RGv8U The performance received a great review the following day in the Scotsman, making the front page, and has been superbly reviewed for St Giles’ News by Alan Dewar (see page 21)
The 1124 Society
Towards the end of 2023 it was decided to re-launch the 1124 Society of St Giles’ Cathedral to provide some much-needed funds for the programme of events This was done and to date there are almost 40 new members of the 1124 Society This has been very valuable in providing funding for aspects of the programme and to give ‘added value’ to some of the events that had already received some funding A full report of the accounts will be provided to the Finance Committee in due course A reception for the new and existing members was held on 16th October and enjoyed by all.
The Time-Capsule
This will include some items over the past year, key orders of service, our newsletters, some reflections from members of the St Giles’ community and visitors.
Christ the King Sunday
Our anniversary year came to an end on Christ the King Sunday at the end the Christian year. Interim Moderator, Rev Dr George Whyte indicated that we are at the ‘omega' of the Christian year and our 900th anniversary year We now enter into the ‘alpha' of the Christian year and all that is possible as we move forward to appoint a new Minister and look forward to the next chapter in the life of St Giles’ Cathedral, walking with God and being a sacred presence in Edinburgh
Evensong
A fitting evening service to close our year was the joint Evensong with the Choirs of St Giles’ Cathedral, St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral and Paisley Abbey The music was recorded by BBC Radio 4 and broadcast as the first Sunday morning Service in Advent with the worship led by Rev Sigrid Marten, Associate Minister, St Giles’ Cathedral and Rev Neil Gardner, Minister of Canongate Kirk.
Our thanks
On behalf of the 900 Committee, I would like to offer my sincere thanks for everyone who helped organise, support and promote the celebrations, the multitude of whom are simply too numerous to list here You know who you are, however! St Giles' 900 would not have been possible without your assistance and backing, both throughout the planning process and during our 900th year. We are very grateful to everyone directly involved, and also to those attended events or otherwise helped us mark this momentous occasion
Anne Whiteford, Convener, St Giles’
900 Committee
Cathedral: Into Tomorrow, a review
This event was a triumph I am so glad I attended the Cathedral to find out what it was all about It seemed rather mysterious. A poem called Into Tomorrow? With choir and brass accompaniment? What on earth had that to do with St Giles’ in its 900th year? I suspect that very few in the audience had much of an idea what they were going to see and hear Little did they know that they were about to experience something spectacular and ultimately very moving. From a personal perspective, it was the most enervating of the events I attended during our year of celebration Thankfully, those of us who were not present, or who wish to re-visit the experience, will have the chance to do so using this link: https://youtu be/4Qnpra1UnC0 If you didn’t attend, you will not be disappointed; if you were there and give the event a second airing, you will hear many wonderful things that you didn’t quite pick up first time round
Into Tomorrow? What message was the poet, Hannah Lavery, trying to convey to us? No-one could or should pin down just one theme from the wide-ranging images invoked It resonated in all sorts of directions as it quietly praised the unsung heroes who bring light to our varied communities. It started with St Giles and his beloved deer, pierced by a hunter’s arrow, forever to be remembered as caring for the vulnerable and the dispossessed. In an estate somewhere, with onlooking viewers, as in lockdown, standing like a forest, as a cathedral even, just for a moment That led to haunting images of a boy dancing in the rubble, possibly in a warzone, of a girl in a refugee camp sitting at the entrance to her tent with her maths books spilling out in front of her. And then a father queuing for a food bank, tucking his pride away like strands of his daughter’s hair Followed by the nurse staying after her shift so her patient didn’t have to be alone And the mum, answering a lifeboat call, rushing out the front door, shouting out goodbye While grandmothers waited at the school gates, taking small hands into their open palms, holding out their stories, their glistening jewels All of them meeting under a canopy of birdsong, their songs dropping like invitations to an inherited path we thought we had lost And so much more, leading, just for a moment, as we were invited to view a better …… Tomorrow.
Hannah’s evocative poem was interwoven and accompanied by an amazing array of musical talent, conducted and held together by the musical director, Stephen Deazley. Plangent, uplifting brass playing came from the Wallace Collection (outside and inside the Cathedral) and the Cooperation Band, while choral music, with stunning soloists, was provided by Ama-zing Harmonies, the Edinburgh Ukrainian Choir, the Songtribe Choir and pupils from Abbeyhill Primary School and Portobello High School.
It all added up to a one-off, immersive, wonderful experience in verse and music. Thankfully, you can still catch it on YouTube I urge you to do so
Alan Dewar
Poppy appeal
Over recent years one of our members has bought a wreath from Poppy Scotland to be placed in the Albany Aisle around Remembrance Day. It remains in place for the ensuing year in that setting where there are so many significant war memorials They would now like to step back from that commitment and I wondered if someone else might like to take on this task in the coming year? Please drop me an email or give me a call if you would be interested in doing this
Rev. Dr George J. Whyte
Open Lecture and Pilgrimage 2025
On Wednesday 12th February 2025 at 7pm, there will be an open lecture here at St Giles’, organised by the under-40s group Our speaker will be the Rev Dr Richard Fraser, who will be reflecting on the topic ‘When Catastrophe Strikes, Go for a Walk,’ based on a new edition of his book on Pilgrimage.
Rev Dr Frazer will also lead our younger adults’ Lent pilgrimage from Melrose to Lindisfarne from Wednesday, 9th April, to Sunday, 13th April 2025. Overnight stops will be made at Harestanes, Morebattle, Yetholm, and Wooler The walk will conclude in Lindisfarne on Palm Sunday with a short service led by Rev Frazer and Sam Nwokoro
There is some space available for members of the congregation to join the walk for some or all five days Those who wish are welcome to participate on the final day, walking from Wooler to Lindisfarne and attending the short service there. If you would like to join, please email Sam Nwokoro at sam nwokoro@stgilescathedral org uk With gratitude, we also invite anyone interested in sponsoring this adventure to email our finance manager, Suzanne Whitehead, at suzanne.whitehead@stgilescathedral.org.uk.
Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. Proverbs 9:9
St Giles’ News celebrates the remarkable achievements of Rev Sam Nwokoro and Kevin Hall, both of whom have recently successfully defended their PhD theses.
Sam’s thesis ‘Proto-Melkites and the Making of Melkite Christianity in Early Islamic Syria: A Study of the Manṣūr Family of Damascus, Anastasius of Sinai (d. 700), and John of Damascus (d. 754)’ explored how Greek-speaking Christians in eighth-century Syria adapted socially and religiously during the rise of Arab Islam Kevin’s thesis is entitled ‘Social Problems and Urban Governance in Edinburgh and Canongate, 1560-1640’ and focuses on the experience of authority from the perspective of marginalised groups such as migrants, gypsies, sex workers, criminals, and single women, arguing that, amongst other things, the establishment of social and economic networks with settled citizens along with an awareness of jurisdictional boundaries gave the marginalised poor agency, seriously curtailing the power of local authorities.
The award of a PhD is a testament to Sam and Kevin’s dedication, hard work, and unwavering commitment to advancing knowledge in their respective fields of study and we offer our congratulations.
Christmas Cookers
Fresh Start is an Edinburgh-based charity helping people who have been homeless set up their new home & settle in their community. They provide essential goods to set up a new tenancy, coupled with social and practical support to live independently. St Giles’ has supported them in various ways over the years.
As they do every year, they are running their Cookers for Christmas Campaign whichhelps those in need by providing cookers and other essential white goods. If you would like to make a donation to this excellent project, they have a dedicated JustGiving page here, or look at their website to find out more.
Contact information
St Giles’ staff and office bearers can generally be reached by email on addresses in the style firstname.lastname@stgilescathedral.org.uk or jobtitle@stgilescathedral.org.uk. Some commonly needed addresses are:
Sigrid Marten, Associate Minister SMarten@churchofscotland.org.uk
Michael Harris, Master of the Music michael.harris@stgilescathedral.org.uk
Mark Batho, Session Clerk sessionclerk@stgilescathedral.org.uk
Sarah Phemister, Head of Heritage & Culture sarah.phemister@stgilescathedral.org.uk Beadles beadle@stgilescathedral.org.uk
Several members of the team also monitor the comms@stgilescathedral.org.uk address, which can be a good way to get a general question directed to the right person!
Useful telephone numbers:
The Cathedral Secretary 0131 225 4363
Beadles' Office 0131 226 0672
Cathedral Shop 0131 226 0673
Finance Office 0131 225 8683
Heritage & Culture 0131 226 0674
Picture credits
We wish to thank Peter Backhouse, Tom Duffin, John Andrew, Anne Whiteford, Stephen Preston, Keir Eunson and Edinburgh Interfaith Association, who have provided their photographic skills for several of the images in the Newsletter.
