This Sunday (20 March) sees a special blessing of the River Great Ouse, nature and our local environment, and everyone is welcome to join in.
The short ritual – which has been adapted from an ancient practice dating back to at least the 8th century – features prayers for the preservation of our local ecosystem and for all those who use and are affected by the river.
The blessing will take place by the footbridge connecting Riverside Bedford to St Mary’s Gardens at 11.20am and a wooden cross will be dropped into the water by the priest.
Canon Kevin Goss, Vicar of St Paul’s, who will lead the blessing said: “The event is an opportunity for people of all beliefs and none to come together, to thank God for our beautiful local environment, to stand together for its preservation and pray for God’s blessing on all who use the Great Ouse.”
Local clergy including Neil McLeery, Chaplain of Bedford school, and members of local rowing clubs and other water-sports will also take part.
The cross is being specially made by Fr. Luke Larner out of wood from a riverside tree damaged during storm Eunice.
Fr. Luke Larner, a former builder and Assistant Curate at St Paul’s, said: “This ‘windfall cross’ will be a symbol of the destructive power of natural forces and the promise of new life which comes with Spring and Easter, the high point of the Christian
calendar.
“As an amateur kayaker and lover of nature, I feel the abiding power of ritual connects human beings with shared meaning and transcendence, even in a more secular age.”
A similar service is held annually by Southwark Cathedral to bless the River Thames, and the practice is widespread among Eastern Orthodox Christians in many countries.
Water has been used in the rituals of the Church, and many other faiths, for thousands of years.
The blessing takes place Sunday 20 March at 11.20 am, Riverside North (Merchant Place), Bedford, MK40 1AR
