If I had to sum up my worship experience at high mass in the Köln Cathedral, I would choose fascinating. This was the first catholic mass I have attended and it certainly was an interesting first experience. This cathedral is the complete opposite from the church I attend back home, but I enjoyed every minute I spent sitting under the towering ceilings and listing to the organ amplify throughout the massive sanctuary.
The service was just as formal as I expected it to be. Normally, I am not a huge fan of extremely formal and ceremonious types of worship, but it was actually quite fitting for the medieval structure . And although my comprehension of the hymns and preaching was slim, I still enjoyed participating in the different aspects of the service. My favorite part was the introduction and closing of the organ music. I’ve never heard such a beautiful performance of an organ before and it was absolutely amazing to hear it ring out throughout the church.
Another exciting part of our Köln adventure happened after the service. We had the opportunity to climb to the top of the bell tower and look out over the city. After climbing about 532 stairs (kindly counted for us by Toby and Ryan), we finally reached the top platform! It was a breathtaking view (both figuratively and literally because those stairs were rough) and it was interesting to see what the cathedral structure looked like from up above.
I’m very thankful we got to join the many, many other tourists and visit the Köln Cathedral. It was crowded and hectic there, but I completely understand why. Who wouldn’t want to come visit a church that took over 600 years to build? It’s a “must see” in Germany. I think that such a beautiful and ornate structure is a wonderful way to use our human capabilities and bring honor and glory to our Lord.