The Revd Abby Rhodes, Priest-in-Charge of St Paul's Foleshill, writes about "From Ruins to Resurrection: A day to pray, ponder and understand our shared history in North Coventry."
The pilgrimage, "From Ruins to Resurrection" was a wonderful day on Saturday 5th July, walking between some of the "ruined" churches of North Coventry and sharing their stories, in the light of verses from Isaiah 61. Pilgrims from lots of different churches heard stories of courage, bravery, loss, sacrifice, creativity, hospitality and, most of all, rebirth.
The group assembled at St Laurence's, where they heard about the amazing bravery of a young air raid warden whose rapid actions led to saving most of the ancient building and the important contents of the church, only two weeks before losing his life in another air raid. Children enjoyed finding how the destroyed roof had been repaired with pews!
Walking on to St Luke's, Holbrooks, the group heard the story of a church which had only been finished for a year when the blitz destroyed much of it and how the repairs have continued until the present day, with the outdoor pulpit and altar only just restored.
At St Paul's Foleshill, they learned about the time it took to rebuild after the complete destruction of the church building in November 1940 and then the church hall a year or so later. But they also remembered how the church family has changed since the building reopened, to reflect the incredible diversity of the area, and what a joy that continues to be.
Moving on to St Francis, Radford, pilgrims were told of the local hotel's hospitality to the church when their brand new building was destroyed during an air raid in 1940, offering space to meet and worship. We also learned about how the church has become a centre to offer similar hospitality to those in need of help and support.
At St Nicholas Radford, they heard of the double loss experienced by the church, having lost its first building in the war, along with four members of the youth fellowship who died whilst on firewatch on that night. Their second building has been lost in more recent years. Their story is one of continued hope in God's faithfulness as they maintain a space to worship and pray at the heart of the community.
At the city centre, they listened to the story of the ancient ruins of the Priory, and remembered that whilst Holy Trinity survived the blitz, it had been ruined long before in a fire in 1257 and rebuilt in the 1400s-1600s. There are many ruins in Coventry that long pre-date the air raids in WW2 and which often create the footprint of something new
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And the pilgrimage ended at the Cathedral, with pilgrims praying the Litany of Reconciliation and taking the journey from ruined church to a story of resurrection, as they ended their time together looking back down the building and taking in the story of life depicted in the stained glass.
Revd Abby Rhodes said, "It was a day rich in meaning and story and a sense of shared history around this part of Coventry, as well as unity, fellowship and many, many steps! We would love to do it again and go deeper into the stories of these and other churches."