Pomp and circumstance

‘Did I mention I’m having tea with the Archbish?’
‘You might have, once or twice’

Well, it didn’t actually work out quite like that, but I still had a good day. The occasion was the investiture* of John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu**, Archbishop of York, as first Chancellor of York St John University.

The official part of the day was held in the Minster. A lovely day for it, too, unlike the day I graduated, when it was blowing a gale, and I had to chase after my hat.

Whilst I’m not religious in the slightest, I love York Minster. Whenever I pass it, I look at it with awe, and inside, when you look around, and think about when it was built, it’s easy to believe that the ability to create something so majestic must come from some higher power. It’s also a testimony to the belief of those who created it all those centuries ago.

St John’s started life as a Christian teacher training college and so it seemed appropriate to have a religious service as the focal point of the day, and the Archbish as the Chancellor of the Uni. I did find it all surprisingly moving. I think it’s that pomp and circumstance thing.

I found myself surrounded by teachers, some of whom trained long before I was born. The chap next to me told me he’d gone to the college in 1944 at 17, when there was a push to train male teachers after so many had been killed, but that once he graduated, he’d had to go straight into the forces. He was also one of those people who sing loudly and confidently even though he couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket!

As the procession progressed down the aisle, I was stuck by how small the Archbish seemed. I was also struck by the fact that there didn’t seem to be a single tutor from my course there!

The ‘arts’ students gave a performance*** which I thought pretty good, simple, yet effective, and using all the aisles so that as many as possible could see. Mind you, if it had been directed by one of my tutors, we’d probably have tried burning something, and they wouldn’t have appreciated that in the Minster, not after the last fire.

Afterwards there was a lunch, and then afternoon tea at college in a huge marquee in the Quad (scene of various ‘fire shows’!). The Archbish didn’t come for tea, in fact he didn’t actually circulate at all, which was a bit of a disappointment, but I soon drowned that in a couple of glasses of champagne.

I did like something he said in his address though, so I’ll leave you with it

Live today, as though you die tomorrow
Learn today, as though you live for eternity
…and never stand between a lamp post and a dog!

*The official title is ‘installation’, but I think that makes him sound like an electric cooker
**However you look at it, that name’s a hell of a mouthful
***The pic at the top is the representation of the first student!