At the end of April, fourteen members of the Friends of the Cathedral travelled to the city of Dresden, Germany. This followed a similar visit to Coventry last year celebrating our membership of the Community of the Cross of Nails, which seeks to heal the wounds of history. Both Dresden and Coventry suffered huge destruction and loss of life during the Second World War and are now twinned communities.

During our stay we had a guided tour of the Frauenkirche, a huge baroque church destroyed during the fire storm of 1945 and not rebuilt until 2005. We joined worshippers there in reciting the Coventry Cathedral Litany of Reconciliation, a prayer we say every Friday in our Cathedral. Also during the weekend we had a fascinating talk by one of the architects helping to restore Dresden to its former historical glory. We worshipped with the local congregation in German on Sunday morning and with the Anglican community in the evening. It was a poignant visit as we reflected on the past and looked forward to a more peaceful future for all people. We are grateful to Kate Dean for organising such a wonderful visit.

Canon Michael Rawson, Sub Dean