The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 12 letter word COMMENCEMENT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
C
O
M
M
E
N
C
E
M
E
N
T
More clues leading to the result COMMENCEMENT
- Opening remark about church people
- Like in Le Monde, new setter makes a start
- Start with a remark about soldiers attending church
- Church people having opinion about Genesis
- Commanding officer and male crew fix launch
- Care of Bond’s boss, hands Bond opening
- Start business with 1000 workers and stick together
- Opening remark about church and people
- Opening remark interrupted by 100 English fellows
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "opening" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case opening = commencement.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does COMMENCEMENT mean?
COMMENCEMENT noun- The first existence of anything; act or fact of commencing
- The day when degrees are conferred by colleges and universities upon students and others.
- A graduation ceremony, from a school, college or university.