Cathedral of St Bartholomew, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Mystery Worshipper: Portola
Church: Cathedral of St Bartholomew, Frankfurt am Main
Location: Germany
Date of visit: Saturday, 8 March 2025, 2:00pm

What was the name of the service?

A Service of Thanksgiving Celebrating the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

How full was the building?

The main nave in front of the altar was full. I estimate that about 300-400 were present.

Did anyone welcome you personally?

A quiet greeting from one of the two persons handing out the glossy, colourfully printed order of worship, which displayed the specially made icon of the Council of Nicaea on the cover.

Was your pew comfortable?

It was cushioned, so it was comfortable.

How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?

Quiet conversation. A trumpet ensemble practised before the service.

What were the exact opening words of the service?

Two Greek Orthodox priests sang an opening acclamation in Greek: ‘We celebrate the anniversary of the council. A new, venerable icon comes to us in Germany. The Fathers gave us a Creed of Faith and confessed that Christ, the Son of God, is Light from Light and One Being. We praise Him.’ The first spoken words: ‘We celebrate this festival of faith in the name of the Father, who… In the name of the Son, who…. In the name of the Spirit Power, who….” (I could not write down quickly enough what came after the ‘who‘). Spirit Power (Geistkraft) is preferred by those who are concerned about gender equality in the Trinity. In German there are three definite articles: der (masculine); die (feminine), and das (neutral). These do not necessarily correspond to gender – a girl is an ‘it’, for example. Holy Spirit has a masculine article in German; Geistkraft has a feminine.

What books did the congregation use during the service?

The printed order of service had all relevant information, including two hymns and an Orthodox Kyrie with musical notes.

What musical instruments were played?

Organ and trumpets. The service was enriched by choirs from the Syro-Malankara Church, the Maronite Church, and a choir of Eritrean children, dressed in yellow robes and hats, ornamented with green crosses, and accompanied by a drum.

Did anything distract you?

A lot of people in my vicinity took photos and videos repeatedly during the service; some stretched up their arms to get the optimal photo. There was a clergyman, dressed in surplice and cassock, who acted as traffic director for the ministrants during the processions; he also carried a basket containing bread to the altar. It was not his actions which distracted me, but his identity: up until a year ago, he was the highest ranking Catholic in Frankfurt, having been the City Dean of the Roman-Catholic Church for 14 years. In this service he played the humble role of usher. I kept looking at him, trying to figure out if it was indeed the City Dean or a lookalike.

Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?

This was a service full of color and diversity. A focal point of the service was an icon, standing to the left of the altar, which was painted especially for this anniversary (pictured above). It depicts 33 of the 318 bishops (a symbolic number) assembled for the Council of Nicaea. Two well-known hymns were sung, accompanied by organ and trumpets. There were three processions: the opening procession, as clergy from more than 15 congregations marched down the main aisle, some of whom were dressed in colorful liturgical apparel, carrying candles. In a second procession, 17 Bibles in various languages were carried through the church and brought to rest in front of the altar. In a third procession, accompanied by a choir singing a eucharistic prayer in Aramaic (the mother language of Jesus), bread which had been baked by representatives of various congregations was brought to the altar, where it was blessed and distributed after the service. The language of the service was German. However, John 3:16 was also read in at least 12 languages. The Nicene Creed was spoken simultaneously in the mother tongues of those present. It was spoken in the original version, in which the Spirit ‘proceeds from the Father’ (alone). The Lord’s Prayer was also spoken simultaneously in various tongues.

Exactly how long was the sermon?

15 minutes.

On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?

7 — This sermon cannot be reduced to a nutshell, because it addressed several topics which were not related to a common theme. The rhetorical question, ‘Who are you, God? Who do you want to be for us?’, repeated several times, served as a meditation mantra and as a division marker between segments.

In a nutshell, what was the sermon about?

The Council of Nicaea in 325 addressed the question: How can we talk about God? This assembly, representing Christianity from all parts of the Mediterranean world, searched for a common language of faith. We carry within us the histories and traditions of the various churches which have the Nicene Creed in common. In this cathedral church I can hear a ‘cloud of witnesses’ who are present among us. For example, wealthy parents who buried their 4-year old daughter in the 7th century at a place below the floor of this church, covering her in a white cloth ornamented with a gold cross, thus witnessing to their hope of resurrection. At the beginning of the 13th century a relic of St Bartholomew was donated to this church, providing a focus for prayer. In the 14th century the present church was built in cross form to accommodate the many pilgrims streaming into Frankfurt. In the 15th century a side altar was built, depicting the death of Mary surrounded by the apostles. After 1533 the cathedral church temporarily became Lutheran. Thus, this church embodies in its structure and texture various aspects of faith. We need one another, so that we can share with one another how God has revealed himself.

Which part of the service was like being in heaven?

Only in heaven would one expect to see such a global diversity of people from many denominations, confessions, nations and languages worshipping together in harmony and gladness. Another heavenly sign: no collection was taken during or after the service. Who are you going to collect money for in heaven?

And which part was like being in... er... the other place?

For most of the denominations assembled for this service, the Eucharist is the heart of worship. However, it was impossible to celebrate the Eucharist together without sacrificing the theological integrity of the participating churches. There was a feeling of fellowship among those gathered together, because we all had the Nicene Creed in common, but this fellowship could not be realised in a celebration of Holy Communion, which gave this service a somewhat hollow feeling. The closest we got was the sharing of a bread of blessing, individually, after the service.

What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?

After the service, all were invited to come forward to view the icon up close, showing respect for it in whatever way seemed appropriate, subsequently receiving a postcard of the icon, an information brochure about Nicaea, and a piece of the bread which had been blessed at the altar. After this, everyone was standing around in all parts of the church, alone or in small groups. There would have been no point in waiting for someone to notice me.

How would you describe the after-service coffee?

There was an invitation to coffee, tea and bread in the adjacent Cathedral House, but because of space limitations, it was restricted to the representatives of the congregations and to the seminar participants. I wanted to get a peek at this coffee fellowship, but two people standing at the door of the Cathedral House were monitoring the entrance to keep out casual visitors, so I felt unwelcome and moved on.

How would you feel about making another visit (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?

9 — Because this church has a warm atmosphere, with red sandstone walls, Gothic style and attractive, sacred artwork, it is always a joy to attend a service here.

Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?

I would have felt better about being a Christian if the service had addressed more specifically what was at stake 1,700 years ago when the council was convened. A volatile dispute was dividing Christianity because of a priest by the name of Arius, who was insisting that Jesus was something less than God, asserting, ‘There was a time when the Son was not.’ Proclaiming that Jesus was ‘true God’ in this situation was not, I believe, just a matter of dogmatic correctness; for the assembled bishops it meant safeguarding the healing, liberating power of the gospel. The purpose of this service was to celebrate the Nicene Creed, but what this creed accomplished was, I felt, not properly acknowledged.

What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time ?

What has remained with me is something which only a religious nerd would appreciate. At the opening acclamation in Greek (see ‘opening words’ above), I could only understand two or three words, but one word which I heard distinctly was spine-tingling for me: homoousios, which means ‘same in being’, or ‘same in essence’. This word was the key to clarifying authentic Christian faith at the council, which dealt with the question: Was Jesus ‘one in essence (homoousios) with the Father’, or was he ‘of similar substance (homoiousios)’? It has been suggested that the existence or non-existence of Christianity depended upon the difference between these two Greek words which differ by just one letter.