Community of the Cross of Nails
Growing together in hope
Peace and reconciliation in a global community:
The Community of Cross of Nails.
Cross of Nails in St Marien
In 1971, St. Mary's became a Nagelkreuzzentrum (Nail Cross Centre) and a member of the Nagelkreuzgemeinschaft (Nail Cross Community).
In our memorial chapel, you will see a special cross next to the shattered bells: the Cross of Nails from Coventry. After the destruction of Coventry Cathedral on 14/15 November 1940 by German bombing raids, the then Provost Richard Howard had the words "FATHER FORGIVE" carved into the choir wall of the ruins. These words define the Coventry Prayer for Reconciliation, which describes the task of Christianity worldwide.
Every Friday (May to October, except on public holidays) at 12:05 p.m., as in all Nail Cross Centres, a prayer for peace is held in St Marien with the Coventry Litany of Reconciliation. In view of countless wars and violent conflicts worldwide, we pray for reconciliation and peace and remind ourselves of the Christian responsibility to work for peace, justice and the preservation of creation. You are warmly invited to join us.
We have a special connection with the City Centre Churches in York and visit each other regularly. Personal encounters are the best way to achieve understanding and reconciliation.
Peace & Forgiveness
Litany of Reconciliation
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
(Romans 3, 23)
That is why we pray:
The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,
Father forgive.
The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own,
Father forgive.
The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,
Father forgive.
Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,
Father forgive.
Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee,
Father forgive.
The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children,
Father forgive.
The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God,
Father forgive.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4, 32)
AMEN
