Roses from the heart

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April 2007

Roses from the heart

For International Women's Day on the 8th of March there was a most unusual service in St David's Cathedral.

Christina Henri, a Tasmanian artist, has inspired women from all over the world to make bonnets - one for each of the 25, 266 women transported to the Australian colonies. To date more than 6,000 bonnets have been made. They have come from Australia, the United Kingdom and the Americas.

The Cathedral was filled with 500 women (and some men), many in colonial dress and the women wearing the bonnet they would later in the service place with more than 5,000 others in the lovely Huon pine vessel at the front of the Cathedral.

World class soloists Vince Brophy and Emily Burke sang, the Claremont Signing Choir sang without words and the South Hobart School Choir in colonial dress sang 'All Things Bright and Beautiful'. Bishop Phillip Newell gave the final blessing and the Dean prayed the following prayer of blessing.

Blessing of the Bonnets

Bless oh Lord, your daughters in the struggles, indignities and harsh labours of a new land; may these bonnets symbolise for us their story and may we learn not to repeat the wrongs of the past;
Father hear our plea.

Bless oh Lord, the artistry of Christina Henri and our hopes that this project may be for us a symbol of reconciling love, generous faith and a living hope.

Jesus stand among us.

Bless oh Lord, our spirits, our hopes, our aspirations to love you and our neighbours;

Holy Spirit may these bonnets inflame us by your power to live, love and speak your truth.

And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.

Amen.

The completed artwork (including the bonnet pictured above), will go to the mainland, Ireland and Great Britain and perhaps Canada and the USA in about a year's time. We hope it will be displayed in the Cathedral.

A postscript from the Dean

Some have asked why the Cathedral no longer uses the Book of Common Prayer in its primary worship services. It is simply because services from week to week require a common ethos and pattern. Nobody speaks in 450 years-old Cranmerian English today and yet some like, for tradition or aesthetics, to continue in the worship of this most influential book. Personally I am committed to the theology of the BCP (note what it says about robes, plain English and the communion). But I must love all my people and so we offer BCP services outside the regular Sunday hours.

One of the 6,000 bonnets that have already been made, in memory of the 25,666 women transported to the Australian colonies.

	The Anglican Church in Tasmania Search
	a healthy church...transformingLIFE
	Home About Contact us News Issues Parishes Prayer Calendar Youth Resources

				April 2007

		Roses from the heart For International Women's Day on the 8th of March there was a most unusual service in St David's Cathedral. Christina Henri, a Tasmanian artist, has inspired women from all over the world to make bonnets - one for each of the 25, 266 women transported to the Australian colonies. To date more than 6,000 bonnets have been made. They have come from Australia, the United Kingdom and the Americas. The Cathedral was filled with 500 women (and some men), many in colonial dress and the women wearing the bonnet they would later in the service place with more than 5,000 others in the lovely Huon pine vessel at the front of the Cathedral. World class soloists Vince Brophy and Emily Burke sang, the Claremont Signing Choir sang without words and the South Hobart School Choir in colonial dress sang 'All Things Bright and Beautiful'. Bishop Phillip Newell gave the final blessing and the Dean prayed the following prayer of blessing. Blessing of the Bonnets Bless oh Lord, your daughters in the struggles, indignities and harsh labours of a new land; may these bonnets symbolise for us their story and may we learn not to repeat the wrongs of the past; Father hear our plea. Bless oh Lord, the artistry of Christina Henri and our hopes that this project may be for us a symbol of reconciling love, generous faith and a living hope. Jesus stand among us. Bless oh Lord, our spirits, our hopes, our aspirations to love you and our neighbours; Holy Spirit may these bonnets inflame us by your power to live, love and speak your truth. And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen. The completed artwork (including the bonnet pictured above), will go to the mainland, Ireland and Great Britain and perhaps Canada and the USA in about a year's time. We hope it will be displayed in the Cathedral. A postscript from the Dean Some have asked why the Cathedral no longer uses the Book of Common Prayer in its primary worship services. It is simply because services from week to week require a common ethos and pattern. Nobody speaks in 450 years-old Cranmerian English today and yet some like, for tradition or aesthetics, to continue in the worship of this most influential book. Personally I am committed to the theology of the BCP (note what it says about robes, plain English and the communion). But I must love all my people and so we offer BCP services outside the regular Sunday hours.		One of the 6,000 bonnets that have already been made, in memory of the 25,666 women transported to the Australian colonies.