One of the places that I visited during the 2024 Open House event across Brisbane was a place (and a person) holding a special place in my heart: All Saints Anglican Church🙏
The church, of course, is a special place simply as it is the oldest Anglican church in Brisbane, and is a magnificent historical building, the location of which has been made available for Street Feed in the carpark on Tuesday evenings.
Along with the place where I have spent many evenings outside, it is the resident clergyman and attendants who bring the friendly warmth to the interior. Fr Duncan has become a good mate since I met him a while back, initially because he is a fellow biker, but now because we are able to enjoy conversations across many diverse subjects.
On Saturday morning, whilst chatting with Duncan as we explored and discussed the historical elements of the church, I asked, ‘So, what’s behind that door?’
The first three photos here are of additional ‘special mates access’ behind the scenes as it were that was not a section of the church that was accessible as part of open house😉
The sacristy is the room in which sacred vessels, books, and vestments are kept, and as you would expect, not usually a place that non-clergy would have access to🤔
Duncan was more than happy to explain the significance of each piece of clothing worn for various church services and functions, and showed me the wide variety of beautifully made robes stored in the wardrobe ready for use as required.
I have been promising Duncan that I would experience one of the High Services on a Sunday morning, so to start the day off, I did just that. I was not comfortable taking photographs during the majority of the service, however nearing the end, I did snap one showing the incense and robes of the clergy completing the service.
As someone who is always keen to experience new things, this was one that I’d often wondered about – so now I know, and am glad to have made the time to witness it. I learned a lot about the history of the Anglican faith, and of All Saints church that weekend😀
I love learning and experiencing new things, so Brisbane Open House is a wonderfully informative and interesting way of achieving that 👌