Christian Presence at Grahamstown Arts Festival

by Admin · June 19, 2023

This year’s Grahamstown Arts Festival will again include a Christian dimension with the annual Spiritfest. The idea of Spiritfest is to celebrate the beauty, joy, and peace that Christian faith can bring. Following last year’s resurgence of the in-person experience, 2023’s events will include some familiar favourites and as well as newcomers to the Spiritfest scene.

The Kwantu Choir, with its dynamic performances, will set the sound of Spiritfest during its first week. Among other scheduled highlights are organ recitals by Isabelle van Rensburg, Theo Van Wyk, and Christiaan Carstens, as well as an “organ crawl” by Johnathon Hughes on Saturday, June 24.

Catholic weekday and Sunday Masses will be celebrated at St Patrick’s church in Hill Street.

Along with the various Sunday morning services, there will be a Sung Eucharist at Makhanda’s Anglican cathedral on June 25 and July 2.

One of the key components of our faith is prayer. From Monday, June 26 to Friday, June 30 both Christian Meditation and Guided Prayer will be offered in St Patrick’s church. The meditation will be led by visitors from the World Community for Christian Meditation and the Centre for Christian Spirituality. The Guided prayer will be led by prayer guides trained in Ignatian Spirituality.

An evening Taizé service — a meditative, repetitive form of praise and worship based on the community in France — will be held In St Patrick’s church on Wednesday, June 28 at 17:30.

The ever-popular Choral Evensong will feature the music of Purcell. The Cathedral Consort, one of the most anticipated events this year, is set to be joined by a string quartet and singers on July 1 at noon.

Spiritfest will also include lectures, a walk of meaningful prayer and witness, piano recitals, and choir performances.

“There is something unexplainable that is left with you when you enter the grand interior of the cathedral and hear music bellowing out of church doors. Your soul is changed, and I am certain many who seized the opportunity to attend last year felt the same,” said Amy-Grace Bessick, a promoter of Spiritfest. “If you wish to feel the Holy Spirit moving in all spaces, and be surrounded by a like-minded community, this is an experience you would not want to miss.”

Entrance to all events is free.

For more about Spiritfest and its programme, see grahamstowncathedral.org/spiritfest/