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| 1968: Oud-Katholieke
Parochie, Amsterdam, the Netherlands |
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Mystery Worshipper:
Variable Bede.
The church:
Oud-Katholieke
Parochie, also known as Sts Peter and Paul & Sts John
and Willibrord, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Denomination:
Old Catholic Church
of the Netherlands, Union
of Utrecht.
The building:
The present building dates from 1914 and is successor to the
hidden church of Sts Peter and Paul. (In the Netherlands, after
the Reformation, church buildings that could be identified as
Catholic were outlawed; thus, Catholics worshipped in private
homes, in rooms decorated with the trappings of a proper church.)
In 1953 the hidden church of Sts John and Willibrord merged
with Sts Peter and Paul. The building is of red brick, in the
style tourists generally associate with Amsterdam. The inside
is traditional in appearance. Many of the furnishings are older
than the building itself. There is a rotunda-style tabernacle
(cylindrical with a dome) on the altar, which, as it turned
out, had a false door – read on!
The church:
This is the only Old Catholic church in Amsterdam. They hold
a variety of services, including the eucharist and vespers,
and sponsor a concert series. Judging from their website, they
appear to encourage their parishioners to share their concerns
and make good use of their talents.
The neighbourhood:
It seems to be a typically nice "Old South" Amsterdam neighbourhood,
with canals, lots of bikes, some nice shops mixed in with the
residential area – and none of the seedy stuff that tourists
associate with central Amsterdam.
The cast:
Pastor Dick Schoon led the service, and pastoral worker Jarek
Kubacki preached. There was also an unnamed server.
The date & time:
24 January 2010, 10.00am
What was the name of the service?
Eucharistie.
How full was the building?
Only 18 in the congregation, so fairly sparse. A sudden snowstorm
had arrived, which may have kept people away.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
No, but I got there a bit too early (20 minutes or so). I helped
myself to the books and leaflet set out.
Was your pew comfortable?
Pews with fold-down kneelers, as found in most Roman Catholic
churches in the UK today.
How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
The choir and organist were rehearsing. That boded well, I thought.
What were the exact opening
words of the service?
Goedemorgen en welkom, followed by announcements I
couldn't understand. The priest opened the service itself with
In de Naam van de Vader, de Zoon, en de heilige Geest.
(OK, I admit I copied that out of the book to get the spelling
right.)
What books did the congregation
use during the service?
Gezangboek van de Oud-Katholieke Kerk van Nederland
(hymnal) and Kerkboek van de Oud-Katholieke Kerk van Nederland
(prayer book). There was also a two-page A5 leaflet with the
page numbers in the prayer book, hymn numbers, and the readings
for the day.
What musical instruments were played?
The organ accompanied a choir of three people, including a soloist.
Did anything distract you?
Because of the language barrier, I juggled the books around
a lot during the first part of the service. Once I realised
the liturgy was almost the same as my home church's and that
many of the hymnal page references were to musically notated
versions of the texts (which I wasn't trying to pronounce out
loud, much less to sing), I relaxed a bit.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
Smells and bells, with almost everything sung or chanted that can be done to music (including the creed). Despite the churches' different histories, the order of worship was remarkably similar to the Anglican liturgy I'm used to.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
16 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
5 – Most of the time I had no idea what he was saying,
but he seemed to have a good style.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon
about?
I don't understand Dutch well enough to know, although I picked
up a few snippets: I think he referred to someone from the Dutch
feminist movement, and later to the scroll of Isaiah (mentioned
in the day's reading from Luke 4:14-21 – Jesus tells his fellow
worshipers in temple that the passage from Isaiah that he read
was fulfilled that day in their presence), and I'm almost sure
he used the English expression "wishful thinking" twice.
Which part of the service was like being in
heaven?
The combination of good music, incense, a liturgy smoothly carried out with a serious approach to the sacrament, and friendly people.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
Nervousness about the unfamiliar church and the language barrier, which I overcame after the sermon.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
I didn't get a chance. At the end of the service, a woman came
to greet me in Dutch and invite me for coffee before I could
get out of my pew. Then she repeated it all in English for me.
How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
Good, freshly made, served in small cups with saucers – with
real cream!
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
9 – The priest told me there was an Anglican parish nearby
but that they were "rather evangelical." I replied, "Well, I've
come to the right place then."
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
It left me feeling joyous all day, and it was well worth the walk in the snow to get there. I would recommend this church to anyone passing through Amsterdam on a Sunday. (Unfortunately the community isn't big enough to provide weekday services.)
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
The false door on the tabernacle. At communion time, the priest
opened it by pushing it sideways, revealing that the "door"
was in fact the back side of a rotating cylinder, on the other
side of which the ciborium rested in a hollowed-out niche. It
reminded me of a door hidden in a rotating bookshelf in a film.
I thought it was splendid! |
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| The Mystery Pilgrim |
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| One of our most seasoned reporters makes the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Read here. |
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