The Cathedral is the 'mother' house of the Diocese of Coventry and of the international Community of the Cross of Nails. The Cathedral tradition attempts to be inclusive and welcoming to people from all the traditions within the Anglican Communion and elsewhere. It's liturgy is not the same as the High Anglican/Anglo-Catholic tradition, but the Cathedral respects those traditions, and so it uses some of its ceremonial to enhance special services. One ceremony we use in this way is the use of incense.

Incense is used about six times a year at the Cathedral. That requires the use of a Thurible. The Cathedral's Thurible was dedicated in 1930 and is a survivor of the war-time bombing. The incense is carried in what is called a "boat" but any matching boat did not survive the Second World War, so the Servers have presented a new one to the Cathedral.

The Thurible when swung emits clouds of incense that make a very dramatic scene in the large expanse of the Cathedral and fill it with a very special scent.

The services at which incense is traditionally used, include Epiphany, Easter Eve, Ascension Day, and the All Souls Requiem. It is occasionally used at other times.

Why use Incense?

Churches within the High Church and Anglo-Catholic traditions will use incense at all or most services. Incense was used in Christ's time as a precious perfume thought to purify. It was offered in the Temple as a precious offering to God. In Roman society it was similarly thought of as purifying and was used in some acts of worship, on a more mundane level Romans would use incense of a cheaper variety to deter insects and clean the air.

For those who think this a peculiarly high church issue, incense also has a biblical authority. It is mentioned in the story of the nativity in the New Testament as well as being mentioned in the psalms and elsewhere in the Old Testament. So for those who claim the only way to worship is to “raise your hands in prayer”, there is an equal authority to light and use incense!

The Cathedral does not use incense every week, rather it is used much less often to heighten its impact when it is used and thus it enhances those acts of worship. It is only in the last two years that this increase has occurred and only during that time has it become a duty of the servers team.