faith in the city

Nancy's wait is over, and she is ordained. The service was brilliant and the cathedral well filled with well wishers.
Wakefield cathedral is in an amazing place, integrated into the pedestrian precinct.
So that means that from where I sat in the cathedral I could see past the bishop, past the altar and the communion vessels, past the waiting priests to be, past the supporting congregation and proud families, past the cathedral vergers guarding the clear glass doors to the market outside where in the rain the people walked to and fro.
I was talking to a group of people the other day about what churches could bring to their coomunities. The least religious person in the group said; "I need you to be a peaceful haven, a place, a space that's different, so that we can regenerate."
I guess that's what was so clear as I looked through the cathedral today.