Dear Dr. Marquis,
I am in receipt of your letter of March 27, and note that the formal opening of the cathedral will be on Wednesday, May 17. You may be very sure I shall come out at that time. If possible, I mean also to bring Mrs. Cram with me.
As for the lectern………….
You flatter me when you ask my advice as to the dedication ceremonies. I will think this over and report later. In the meantime, the only clear ideas I have are, first that the great dedication service should be a celebration of the Holy Communion, with the priest, deacon and sub-deacon, no one receiving except those in the choir. Second: that after the people have been assembled in the church, the doors should be locked, the Dean and the architects and a few attendants being within. Then the great procession should be formed in the parish house; Bishop, choir, diocesan clergy, visiting clergy lay officials, etc. and this procession should come out by the south door of the parish house, pass west along Hancock Avenue, and when the cross reaches the west doors, the ranks should open permitting the Bishop with his attendants to pass between and up to the same doors, where the Bishop of the Diocese, whereupon the west door are thrown open and the procession enters, this time with the Bishop and his attendants in front.
Certainly a solemn Te Deum should be sung, and I should suppose that the time for this would be before the Communion service. Probably it would be best for the procession, with the Bishop leading, to go directly upon entrance up into the chancel, where all the diocesan authorities with the Bishop in the center would group themselves around and facing the altar and the Te Deum would then be sung, this is followed immediately by the Communion service and sermon.
It is a good practice for the representative of the architects to hand over the keys to the Dean, who in turn hands them to the Bishop. This might be the very first thing that would take place after the procession had entered and taken it’s position in the choir and sanctuary. Better still, why should not the procession from the west door be formed as follows?
Cross Bearer
The Dean
The Cathedral Chapter
The Representative of the architects,
Behind would follow the Bishop at the head of the great procession. Arrived at the entrance to the choir the dean and the representatives of the architects would take position on either side of the choir steps. The Chapter would open out on either side, the Bishop would come forward, when the architect would deliver the keys to the dean, the dean would hand them to the Bishop and then the Bishop would lead into the choir, the dean behind him, the architect fading off into some inconspicuous corner, his work having been accomplished.
Here are some suggestions and I may be inspired to send others. By the way, should not the proper psalms be sung or said as the procession goes up the aisle? This I think, would be better than a hymn, though at some place in the service we must have “The Churches One Foundation”.
There are, I know definite rules and regulations for the conversation that take place through the door between the Bishop and the dean, but just what is said I am not sure. You ought to be able to find out from some Bishop who has has occasion to take possession of his cathedral under similar circumstances.
Very truly yours,
Ralph Adams Cram
P.S.
Just for the dignity and beauty of the procession outside and inside the cathedral you must get some banners. If you have one connected with the cathedral parish, cannot you acquire some for the occasion from other churches in the diocese?
