On the 12th of November a group of sixth form students who are studying a humanities A level pathway visited St Alban's Church to meet Fr Gerry to explore the history of the church. This was not the first time we had visited the church; we visit regularly throughout the year at the end of term.
However, what was different was the opportunity we had to talk in depth about common issues relating to religion in Britain generally, and the history of the Anglican Church in particular.
About 15 of us made the trip and we began our tour in the main body of the church. Over about one and a half hours we had been given a tour of the side chapels and the main alter – parts of the church we had seen before but had not previously had the opportunity to explore.
Of particular interest was the role of representation in the presentation of Christ and his mother, the symbolic role of colour and its relationship to belief as well as the reasons behind architectural motifs in the church itself.
Students asked questions based on how religion and its role in British society spans across the academic work we are doing. What distinguishes an Anglican church from a Catholic church, who were the Pollock brothers and what was their role in Victorian Highgate, and how can we account for the changing sizes of the St Albans congregation over the years.
Father Gerry was a welcoming and informative host and was able to throw light on the common Abrahamic roots of both Christianity and Islam which helped us understand more effectively what we were experiencing during the visit. Our thanks to him and we hope further trips for sixth form students can be arranged in the future.
Nadia Dwayne - Year 13 - RE, Sociology, Maths