One of Antarctica's Most Celebrated Relics Isn't What It Seems
Every year, in anticipation of the austral summer—in October, if you’re going by the northern calendar—a silver communion cup is escorted from Christchurch, New Zealand, to one of the southernmost permanent religious edifices on Earth: the Chapel of the Snows, a small church that serves the scientists, civilians, and military personnel who populate the United States’ primary Antarctic research center.
The journey kicks off with a splash of ceremony and somber ritual. Inside Christchurch’s main Anglican cathedral, the cup, which is known as the Erebus Chalice, receives a blessing in a special service attended by international dignitaries, polar-exploration celebrities, and high-ranking U.S. military personnel. The chalice, which, by tradition, overwinters at the cathedral, stands at the center of a draped altar behind the dean of the cathedral as dignitary after dignitary comes forward to the altar and orates about the chalice’s value as a symbol of Antarctic hope and faith and the promise of cooperative international research.
At the culmination of the service, the
