Archbishop Rowan and the Bishop of Manchester have joined members of St Chrysostom’s church, children of the parish primary schools and others in writing haiku inspired by St Chrysostom’s Church, Victoria Park in Manchester.
The haiku is a short three lined poem whose origins lie in Japan. It is a popular form in schools today, encouraging children and adults to capture a thought or an impression in a brief poem.
We are in a multicultural area and received hundreds of haiku, not only in English but also in Japanese, Cantonese, Armenian, Welsh and other languages. Archbishop Rowan contributed two poems on saints depicted in the stained glass in Church, including St John Chrysostom himself, and the Bishop of Manchester wrote on his namesake, Simeon.
Making a selection from all the haiku offered proved to be difficult. We’ve now produced a lovely little book bringing together a selection together with photographs of some of the features of St Chrysostom’s building and church life which inspired them.
One, anonymous, contribution reads:
Within these stone walls
The architect of my soul
Quietly visits me
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