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Cathedral News

JULY brings a month of ‘festival’. There is the Southern Cathedrals Festival hosted this year at Winchester – don’t miss this glorious opportunity of three Cathedral choirs of distinction on home turf.   (Tickets are from our own box office on 01962 857275 and online at www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk). There is also the Winchester Festival as well as our own celebrations around St. Swithuntide including the Friends’ Festival.  It is interesting that one of the things that marks out the ministry of Jesus from a normal prophet, including the John the Baptist, is the dimension of festival in his ministry.  “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;…” (Luke 7:3-2).

Festival was key to the ministry of Jesus for two reasons.  Firstly people always found in their lives something to celebrate when they were with him.  They found self-respect, they found friendship within community, their eyes were opened to the goodness of creation as God’s gift.  Jesus’ parables are often about weddings and banquets, rain and sunshine, the relief of discovering that which was lost, the profligate goodness of God as the seed grows.  The world is not simply brute fact or something to be taken for granted, it is a gift and worthy of celebration and rejoicing.  Festival says something about the worth and value of life as the creator’s gift.
Secondly, Jesus makes the point that people must celebrate while the bridegroom is with them (Mark 2:18-19).  Jesus’ ministry is God’s moment; he comes with the good news of God’s love and of God’s work of redemption in transforming the world with his goodness. That Jesus insists is something to anticipate with rejoicing, to break the costly perfumed oil and press upon the hopeful the cloak of celebration and the ring of festivity. 
Among the moments of festivity will be the Pre-Lambeth hospitality. All are welcome at the service on Monday 14th July at 11am. It is hosted by the Mothers Union, and celebrates our particular links and those of the Diocese within the world-wide Anglican Communion.  The Anglican Communion is going through a difficult time, but that is because it is a realistic family.  There are differences within it, and they are to be expected across an enormous spectrum of culture and geography.  That family remains something to be valued, and it is very important that we persist in friendship and dialogue.  The Lambeth Conference, one of ‘the instruments of unity’ of the Anglican Communion, is a remarkable event on the international scene on any reckoning.  Of our five twinned provinces as a Diocese, three are likely to be with us – Burundi, the Congo and Burma.  Unfortunately we shall probably not be welcoming either Rwanda or Uganda on this occasion.  The Cathedral itself is twinned with Burma and Uganda.  Monday 14th July will be an opportunity to show solidarity with the Burmese Bishops in all they have been through recently. It will also be an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to those significant overseas partnerships which I hope can become more realistic in the coming months. We need to find ways to ‘own’ those partnerships, for which we pray weekly, as a Cathedral Community.
At the end of July we shall be saying farewell to Adrian Munns (Receiver General) at the end of August to Sandy Hardacre in the liturgy office. Both have given devoted service to the Cathedral. If you would like to contribute to a farewell presentation for either of them please leave your gift in an envelope at the Cathedral Office (No 1) clearly marked as to purpose. Meanwhile, do make the most of your Cathedral in festival mode.  ‘Blessed be God, who has created joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride…’ (traditional Jewish prayer).   

Canon Michael writes...
Firm Foundations. The most effective way of giving thanks is to be transformed within ourselves and our life style. Without such things our gratitude is pretty shallow. July is a month with several significant opportunities to put all this into practice. The Patronal Festival, Friends’ Festival, Liturgy of the Foundation; these are all occasions for taking stock of all the many blessing we receive from God day by day and taking time to consider where we are in our pilgrimage as Christians, how effective we are at drawing others to know and love the Lord, and how best we might develop and maintain the highest standards of the jewel in the crown – the Cathedral itself.
Without the spirit filled community of faith, the building is a mere shell, but with it, it becomes what it was always intended to be  – an Easter Palace – speaking powerfully about the life and presence of Christ. True, one does not have to be a committed Christian to stand in awe at the beauty and glory of the place, and that is one of its strengths. It can speak to people at many different levels, the Cathedral can envelope all human feelings and needs. It is a place with a huge heart. Yet it is not somewhere which simply exists on the whims of a particular moment. It needs prayer and worship, it needs the searchings of the person towards Christ and above all it needs Christ to reign as Lord and King.
That is why in our plans (and those are a hot topic at present), whatever our experience or status, whatever we become involved in through the life of the Cathedral, there should be the realisation that the place is bigger than the individual. Therefore humility is a much needed ingredient if we are to continue to move to where God wants us to be, in both people and place. The most telling way of whether this is working can be seen in the way we treat each other and particularly visitors. The so called Benedictine way of hospitality is frequently mentioned, but how deep does in flow within us?
We can do no other than check our own attitudes alongside those of Jesus Christ. We will always fall short but that is no excuse and never is. Time and again we have to drag ourselves back to him, our leader, our guide and the template for our lives. A complete lack of judgement and an overwhelming sense of loving kindness, especially to those rejected by everyone else was and is his way. We acknowledge that some people find this an easier way to be than others. The Cathedral must be a place where we can be ourselves and realise that for many people this is their one experience of what Christians are like. If we are to be icons of Christ, that when people look at us and the way we are they see something of Christ, then the onus is on us to be at our most positive, generous and welcoming.
To show that we are glad that others are here and long for them to know what we know, never ever to discourage and come to be known for the spark of love within us; that our faith is one worth having and sharing, can literally change the course of people’s lives.
Those of us who claim to truly love the place also need to connect with the other aspects of ministry and sharing if our sense of awe is to ring true. One without the other is a non starter, in both ways.
More than most others, we have so much here and our hearts this month should be full of thankfulness to God, praying for each other and ourselves that we might live fully and share willingly.

Philip White-Jones. For over five years Phil has been associated with the Cathedral and we are to say a very fond farewell at the end of this month when he takes up his new appointment as Assistant Director of Music at Southwell Minster in Nottinghamshire. His organ playing, conducting and excellent musicianship have been hugely appreciated, as has his humour and friendship. Phil has proved time and again that he has a deep love and understanding of liturgy and his contribution has been inspirational. During the last months he has shared the workload with Andrew Lumsden since Sarah Baldock left and has proved to be a first class colleague, hard working and totally dedicated. We wish him every blessing and happiness in his new home and work at an exciting time for the choir there. I know that his new colleagues and the whole Minster community are much looking forward to his arrival. We all hope to see him from time to time at this place, where he has felt very much at home and where he will always be welcome.

I am pleased to announce that we have made a new second appointment along with that of Simon Bell. Richard McVeigh, who is presently Organ Scholar of York Minster, will be joining the team as Assistant Organist also in September. This is a one year appointment. Along with Andrew and Simon, Richard will enter fully into the life of the Cathedral and work with them to maintain and develop the excellent playing and singing we all enjoy. We look forward to welcoming both of them soon.

Friends’ Festival and AGM – Janet Green writes...
Friends of Winchester Cathedral’s Festival and AGM take place on 12th July.  The programme includes breakfast in the Refectory, a lecture by Keith Walker, and the opportunity to visit gardens in the Close.  The AGM takes place at 2pm, followed by tea, Evensong at 4.30pm and Compline at 9.30 pm.  Apart from services, events are open only to members so for information on joining telephone 01962 857245 or email: friends@winchester-cathedral.org.uk.

NB. Details of all of our ‘festival’ activities are on pp 4-9 of this newsletter, but please note the times carefully as there are a number of changes to our normal routine in July

Christmas Carol Services, 2008 – 19th, 20th & 22nd December, 6.30pm
In the past, it has been customary for seating at all three Carol Services to be unreserved except for seats allocated to the Cathedral’s official guests. Until 2005, this arrangement worked satisfactorily, because the first Carol Service was all-seated and restricted to the Cathedral Community who were guaranteed a seat, thus minimising queuing.  For the two Public Carol Services, the Cathedral was kept open all day, and people could arrive whenever they wished, again minimising queuing.  The Fire Safety Reform Order (2005), however, set a limit on the number of people allowed into the Cathedral for Services and, to comply with that Order, it has been necessary to close the doors prior to each Service to ensure that the Cathedral is empty.  The Clerk of Works’ staff have also had to issue tickets at the door to account for the numbers inside the building.  Apart from being a manpower-intensive exercise, this policy has resulted in overlong queues and some criticism of the Cathedral.
To overcome the above problems, Chapter has agreed that all three services will be ticketed through the Cathedral Box Office and have a mix of 1250 reserved seats with 750 standing spaces. There will be a priority booking period from Monday 29th September to Friday 10th October for the Cathedral Community Roll and Friends of the Cathedral not on the roll, each of whom are allowed two tickets. All staff, volunteers and chorister parents are automatically members of the Community Roll – please contact the Cathedral Office if you think you are not on the list. Bookings during this priority booking period may be made only by telephone or in person at the Box Office. Tickets will be made fully available to the public from Monday 13th October through the Box Office or online.
There will be a 75p postage fee for all telephone and internet bookings.  We hope that you will understand the rationale for setting in place the above policy which, it is hoped, will provide an efficient and fair means of administering the Carol Services for all concerned.

Community Meetings 2008 – 24th & 25th September
This is forward notice that these will be held in the Prior’s Hall (3pm) and Nave (6.30pm) respectively. Please do come if you can as, amongst other things, they are our opportunity to hear and enquire about Chapter’s activities for the past year and what they have planned for the future. All are welcome, but only Community Roll members will be sent the papers in advance, along with an Annual Report. If you are a regular worshipper and/or volunteer at the Cathedral, you can join our Community Roll at any time. Please ask at the Cathedral Office for details.

ARC Students Add to Summer Welcome – Canon Roly writes...
Between 21st July to 10th August we shall be hosting four international students from a charity called ARC (Accueil, Rencontre, Communauté). They will be living at the University but working in the Cathedral, helping with the welcome we offer and the tours that we give to our overseas visitors. They will also be joining in our worship. This scheme is already run very successfully at other cathedrals such as Christ Church Oxford and St Paul's. The Guild of Guides are looking forward to the challenge of intensively training these young people to support their work; the hospitality team will be making them feel at home (a good excuse for some summer partying); and the various kind members of the community will be offering pastoral and practical support. Please do say hello to these volunteers, who will probably be from France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Muchas gracias! If you would like to know more about ARC, please go to www.encounterarc.org.uk.

'With Angels and Archangels'
A residential retreat at Old Alresford Place led by our Pastoral Assistant, Jackie Browning. Monday 15th to Wednesday 17th September
Jackie writes… Three things – an old lady, the beautiful Guardian Angels Chapel in Winchester Cathedral, and the book by Jane Williams called Angels – these three things have confirmed my belief in angels and the inspiration for the title of this retreat. It is the hope that as we begin to learn a little bit more about angels, we might also begin to learn their song. They long to teach it to us, so that we can join in and sing their hymn of praise with them. The song of the angels is all around us, if we but listen – and as the Archbishop’s wife says, it is “beautiful, endless, joyful and terrible.” The cost is £140  per person and booking is through OAP on 01962 732518;  enquiries@oldalresfordplace.co.uk.

Danger, Decay & The Diver
We asked a family group to visit our summer exhibition on William Walker...
The exhibition at the Cathedral is fascinating. As a family we all knew a little about what had been undertaken to save the Cathedral from collapse, but the exhibition showed us in detail what had been achieved by William Walker and the whole team.

 Our ten-year-old commented “I knew a lot had been done to save the Cathedral, but I could really “see with my own eyes” why it had to be done”.  The accompanying leaflet led one round the Cathedral in an eye-opening way:  from the Crypt, said to be “cool” in all senses of the word by our seven-year-old and still flooded in June(!), to the sunken floors, leaning walls, the steel rods in the vaults, and the different levels and angles of the stone seating.  The display panels gave a factual and detailed insight into the whole operation.  The air pump and the diving suit, together with the boots and weights, was a good example showing children how modern diving equipment has moved on a long way in the last 100 years or so, and is not the sort of equipment you would expect to be used to save a Cathedral from collapse!

And finally…
Don’t forget our outside theatre in the Inner Close over the August bank holiday weekend. Two performances of Romeo & Juliet (23rd & 24th) and a family performance of Sleeping Beauty (25th). Tickets are from the Cathedral Box Office on 01962 857275.

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