A Wing and a Prayer

I wanted to visit Ripon Cathedral to see the cloud of angels! The project 'A Wing and a Prayer' was begun in the early days of lockdown, as a way of honouring our keyworkers on the frontline of the fight against coronavirus. Volunteers, many of them children, made 10,000 origami paper angels, which have been attached to netting and are displayed in the cathedral nave. They were rather a wonderful sight, especially when they were illuminated by the sun shining in the upper windows. 

They are being displayed until the end of September and the project aims to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance - a vital service that (bizarrely in my view) exists only because of charitable giving and, like all our charities, is now struggling because of the abrupt cessation of most fundraising activities. 

Angels, messengers from God, are present throughout the Bible, from Creation to the final pages of Revelation. They can be found depicted in most of our cathedrals and churches, in stained glass windows and carved in stone and woodwork. Their message is often 'Don't be afraid' and that is one we perhaps need to hear especially at this time.

The sculpture of Mary and Jesus, below, is one of three in Ripon Cathedral by Harold Gosney, crafted in copper. I thought she looked lovely with the 'heavenly host' flying above.