Pilgrimage of St. Alban – 24 June 2007

by Martin Swanzy

Every year Christians from all over the country descend on St. Alban’s to celebrate the martyrdom of St. Alban, and this year as an added bonus Desmond Tutu, the former Archbishop of Cape Town, would join them as Principal Celebrant. These are two great characters from different eras and lands, united in faith and acts of love and both fighters against persecution.

The procession began from Roman Verulamium, the site of St. Alban’s trial. Giant puppets representing St. Alban, Roman soldiers, and horsemen in chariots gathered, followed by children dressed as monks and Roman soldiers, with some in lion costumes and some dressed in colourful red costumes symbolising red roses, the flower of St. Alban. At the front of the procession came the full complement of Anglican clergy – bishops with mitres and staffs, deans, canons, ministers, priests, lay clerks, vergers, Desmond Tutu himself in a small buggy, and clergy all dressed in their white robes, and finally the thousands of pilgrims keen to see the re-enactment of the martyrdom of St. Alban. St. Alban’s Park and the River Ver provided the backdrop to the last journey of Alban’s life, after he had helped a Christian priest fleeing from Roman persecution. Inspired by the priest to become a Christian, he exchanged clothes with the priest allowing him to escape; Alban, a Romano-British soldier, was duly arrested by the soldiers, tried, and condemned to death for being a Christian.

The procession began and crossed the river, mirroring events nearly twenty centuries ago when the saint had parted the fast-flowing river. The puppets walked down a corridor of large billowing blue banners held by children, which expertly portrayed the parting of the river. Having crossed the river Alban had prayed for water and a spring rose up immediately at his feet. So the puppet representing the saint flanked by two Roman soldier puppets walked down a floating pontoon and, watched by thousands of modern pilgrims gathered along the opposite banks, a miraculous fountain rose in the air at the feet of the puppet.

So the procession climbed the hill towards the abbey of St. Alban’s. A reconstruction of the execution took place and the first English martyr’s head fell, symbolically represented again by the falling head of the puppet. As legend has it, the eyes of the executioner fell out, leaving him blinded.

This too was symbolically shown. All around, the children dressed in their pretty rose costumes lay as quiet as mice depicting the roses that had grown where St. Alban had fallen.

And so the re-enactment over, the pilgrims from all over the country and many from overseas gathered into the abbey, while loudspeakers relayed the first service outside. Archbishop Tutu led the service and Canon Michael Oakley, the bishop of Germany and Northern Europe, gave a rousing sermon witnessing to the glory of the true God and dismissing all the false modern gods. He ended by concluding that the world needs another Alban to represent the innate selflessness of humans, the fact that we are not consumers but citizens of the whole global society.

After communion and the ending of the service, pilgrims were left to lunch and to watch some of the other events taking place, lion taming and chariot racing adding to the carnival atmosphere. Thankfully the rain held off and the abbey gardens were bathed in sunshine.

Solemn evensong followed later in the day. The great organ boomed out the hymns and thousands of voices joined in song. But we had all come to hear one single voice, the climax of a stunning day, the warm familiar voice of the former Archbishop of Cape Town, Desmond Tutu.

He did not disappoint. Here was a man who had defied apartheid in South Africa through his own personal courage. The former Archbishop of Cape Town with the help of God had helped to create a better and fairer world in South Africa. Again and again he referred to the need to confront evil and persecution wherever it was found, whilst realising a perfect world could never be achieved and acknowledging the paradoxes that make up a world where good springs from evil.

The archbishop’s sermon was a suitable conclusion to an unforgettable day. His final plea was for us all to help in the crusade to make God’s world a fairer and more loving world. And so to the final rousing hymns and the laying of roses on the martyr’s shrine. A day like this in St. Alban’s certainly reveals the strength and vitality of the Anglican community and refreshed the faith of all those who were lucky enough to be there.

Among the roses of the martyrs brightly shines St. Alban!