St Nick's in Guildford is without an incumbent at the moment and the parish office asked some time ago if I would care to lead the mid-day prayers for St Catherine's Day at the ruined chapel on the hill south of the town. With the current restrictions coming in, we concluded that there wouldn't be a service after all: the Government guidelines state they only apply to 'places of worship' and not 'woodlands, cultural sites, and other outdoor spaces where worship may take place', but a service still meant people travelling for a purpose not officially authorised. I thought I might go on my own, though, just to make the point, as for me it would be Work.
I arrived at St Catherine's Hill to find the combination lock on the outer metal fence around the chapel had been replaced by an ordinary padlock. The inner door still had a combination lock, but short of trying to jump over the railings or squeeze in between them that put paid to any idea of actually going in. I stood wondering what to do when a lady I recognised from previous St Catherine's Day gatherings came into view and so we said some of the prayers and readings I had prepared, exchanged good wishes, and returned to our homes. 'I've been coming here for St Catherine's Day for thirty years', she said, 'And this is far from the first time we've not been able to get in.'
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