Out of the Ashes – Peace and Reconciliation for the 21st Century

Coventry Cathedral will mark the anniversary of the Coventry Blitz with a series of services and events.

Out of the ashes – peace and reconciliation for the 21st century

Tuesday 14 November marks the 83rd anniversary of the Coventry Blitz of 1940, a night which saw the Cathedral Church of St. Michael bombed to the ground.

Provost Howard chose forgiveness in response to the destruction of the Cathedral at that time, which was rebuilt as a beacon of hope for the future which placed peace and reconciliation at the heart of its mission and ministry – as it does today.

Coventry Cathedral will mark this year’s Blitz anniversary with a concert as part of the Coventry Peace Festival and special services.

There’s music by Rachmaninoff, a candlelit concert of reflective music for Remembrance with music by The Parliament Choir – part of the Coventry Peace Festival.

There will be a Remembrance Sunday Eucharist when the cathedral will observe the two-minutes silence in the old Cathedral Ruins at 11.00am and a Requiem Eucharist when the Cathedral Choir will sing Faure’s Requiem.

The Vigil for the Blitz Anniversary will take place in the Ruins and starts at 6pm.

A spokesperson for the cathedral said: All are welcome to join us for the Vigil for the Blitz Anniversary, as we remember all those who have died in war.

To do so in a place that bears such visible scars is a powerful reminder of all the loss that war entails, and an encouragement to commit once again to live as people of peace in our city of reconciliation.

“We give thanks as ever to those before us who chose a path of peace and reconciliation, and are proud to stand for these values today.”