A visit from Saint Thérèse

St Thérèse of the Child Jesus: patron of missionaries, Doctor of the Church, a woman of profound spirituality whose popularity has grown around the world. She died in 1897, at the age of 24, and achieved no fame in her lifetime. It is her autobiography, 'The Story of a Soul', that brought her renown. Millions have read it and seek to follow the 'Little Way' which she wrote of and practised in her life.

After her death she achieved astonishing fame very quickly. This impressive Basilica was built to accommodate pilgrims coming to visit her shrine at Lisieux. It must surely be one of the most magnificent churches built in Europe in the 20th century.

St Thérèse wrote that she would spend her heaven doing good on earth, and she promised to 'let fall a shower of roses' on the earth. Her promise is simply that, through her prayers from heaven, many people would experience God's grace in their lives. She has been true to her word.

Her relics have visited many countries in the world, and at each place there has been renewal in people's lives and in the local Church. The above picture shows the relics in the Philippines. It is fitting that her relics travel, for she had a great desire to be a missionary, but ill health prevented her from travelling.

In 2001 the relics were taken to Ireland, arousing a great deal of interest and bringing many people closer to the Lord. Next year they will be visiting England, and will make a three week tour of the country beginning in Portsmouth and ending at Westminster Cathedral. The relics will be coming to Lancaster Cathedral on the afternoon of Monday 28th September 2009, and will leave on the morning of Wednesday 30th, the anniversary of her death. It is sure to be a time of great prayer and spiritual benefit.

Last November St Thérèse's relics went to the Vatican, where Pope Benedict prayed before them. Christians have always venerated the relics of the saints, by which we recall their holiness and seek their intercession. As holy men and women, the saints made their bodies dwelling places of the Holy Spirit, and even after death they invite us to seek a deeper holiness in our own lives.

There will be an important period of preparation before the visit, with national and diocesan events allowing us to learn more about Thérèse's life and spirituality and to understand more about the veneration of relics in the Church. The visit itself will be accompanied by constant prayer, opportunities for confession, Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, spiritual talks and vigils. In effect, the Cathedral will become her shrine for the period of the visit. The Cathedral has a stone statue of St Thérèse, which may in time form the centrepiece of a permanent memorial of her visit. The Cathedral's website now has a section devoted to St Thérèse and to the visit to Lancaster: click here to view it.

The Ordination 'Thank You'

This week has brought back many memories of Bishop Campbell's ordination day in March: on Monday the DVDs arrived, giving us chance to relive the Mass, and this evening the parish held a 'thank you' party for those parishioners who helped. It was wonderful that both the Bishops were able to come to the event and to offer their thanks to those involved.

For many it was the first opportunity to meet Bishop Campbell. A lot of parishioners worked behind the scenes on the day but did not see the ordination or get to the reception, let alone meet the man at the centre of it all.

A great spread was laid on, which for once was not the work of Cathedral parishioners!

After everyone was satisfied, the Bishops each spoke a few words. This evening's gathering was organised by the Cathedral parish for the parishioners who helped on the day, and the Bishops were keen to thank them. Their thanks are also extended, no doubt, to the Knights of St Columba, choir members and others from beyond the parish boundary who helped at the ordination.

Bishop Patrick spoke of his delight at Bishop Michael's appointment, and how he knows he can leave the Diocese in safe hands. Bishop Michael said that Lancaster had 'done me proud' and warmly thanked the many people who had made the ordination so successful.

Over 100 people attended the party. It is a startling reminder of the goodwill of parishioners that so many people pulled together to make the ordination happen. The Cathedral, perhaps more than any parish in the Diocese, relies on the generosity of its parishioners; there is no doubt that for the ordination, they demonstrated a generosity of which all could be proud.

The English Martyrs

Today we celebrate the feast of St Alban, the first martyr of England. He proved to be the first of many who would give their lives for Christ in this country. The Cathedral has a stained glass window of the English martyrs - though in this case they are all post-reformation - from left to right, St John Fisher, St Thomas More, Blessed John Houghton, St Cuthbert Mayne. Even in our own city many gave their lives for the faith. The feast of the Lancaster martyrs is kept on 7th August, and is one of the high points of the summer liturgical calendar in Lancaster.

The DVDs arrive

For many patient people, the wait is over! There is a lengthy waiting list for copies of the DVD of Bishop Campbell's ordination. This afternoon we took delivery of the DVDs, which are now on sale. Each DVD comes in a specially designed box; there is also a design on the disk itself.

The ordination was filmed and edited by a local firm, 'Gorgeous Media', whose website can be found here. Our thanks are due to Janine, who oversaw this very complex operation, and who is by now quite familiar with the entire event, having spent many hours editing the footage!

Copies are available now from Cathedral House, priced £10. If you would like a copy sent to you, please add £2 to cover postage and packaging. All cheques should be made payable to St Peter's Cathedral. Copies may also be collected at Cathedral House. If you have already expressed an interest, we will be in touch with you over the next few days. For more information, please contact us.

First Holy Communions

This morning a number of children from the parish received Holy Communion for the first time. Supported by their families and friends, they came to the 10:30am Mass in their Sunday best! The traditional clothing is more a matter of custom than of faith - the children are free to wear whatever they choose - but the effort put into their appearance also signifies the huge amount of spiritual preparation that goes into this day.

After the Mass there were numerous opportunities for photographs: in the Cathedral, on the steps, in the garden... the children certainly have some understanding of what it feels like to be a celebrity! More importantly, may they also have an understanding of the great gift of Christ's Body and Blood that they received today for the first time. Please continue to remember them and their families in your prayers as they grow in faith and in love of the Lord.

A Mighty Piano Recital

This evening the Cathedral hosted a spectacular piano recital given by the American pianist Roman Rudnytsky. Roman has played in many parts of the world, and came to Lancaster after being as far afield as South America in recent weeks. He has also recently played in Africa, and over dinner before the concert he also told us that three weeks ago he was - quite literally - in Timbuctoo!

The concert was introduced by Caroline Hull, the Cathedral's events co-ordinator. Caroline oversees all the concerts and cultural events at the Cathedral, which are organised to open the building to a wider audience and to bring in money for important works. Money currently being raised is helping to pay for the organ restoration work, which is ongoing.

Roman played a mighty programme of works, including sonatas by Beethoven and Prokofiev, pieces by Chopin, Grieg and Liszt, and Mussorgsky's highly popular 'Pictures at an Exhibition'. A very full programme, and much appreciated by the audience.

The list of forthcoming concerts at the Cathedral reveals a great variety of styles: click here to see full details of events in the near future.

The morning light

Two images of the wall paintings in the Blessed Sacrament chapel, taken this morning before the lights were truned on. The natural light really picks out the gold paint in these images. Above, the numerous cross keys are a symbol of our patron, St Peter, while he himself sits at the centre of the picture, enthroned in heaven. Our Lady and many other saints are depicted on the south side, seen below. We believe that these images were painted by Henry Doyle, uncle of the author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, though no conclusive proof has yet been found.

Preparing for First Holy Communion

This morning twenty children from the parish who are preparing to receive Holy Communion for the first time came together for their last session. Over the last few months they have met many times as they prepared for first confession and then first Communion. Their parents have also been meeting regularly, to help them in their task of preparing the children at home.

This year the preparation has not followed a published course; instead, the Cathedral catechists and priests have devised a programme under the title 'My Lord and my God'. This title is taken from the words of St Thomas when he saw the Lord and no longer doubted; it is also a prayer which people often say at the consecration at Mass. We are invited, like Thomas, to doubt no longer, but to believe that the Lord is truly present in the Eucharist.

Yesterday the children and their parents came together for a joint preparation session. They talked about the dismissal at Mass; how we are to 'love and serve the Lord' in the week ahead, and how we must take the gift of Christ to others in our lives. Outside, they made some pot plants as a reminder of the need to care for and thank God for the whole of creation.

Each family also wrote a pledge. As we receive the gift of Jesus in Holy Communion, we are asked to respond to His gift by doing more out of love for God and for each other. The pledges are a sign of the families' commitment to do more in response to God's gift. The children also learnt of the famous saying of St Teresa of Avila: 'Christ has no body on earth but yours'. In receiving the Body of Christ we are called to do His will on earth.

Cards were prepared for some of the sick and housebound of the parish, who will be asked to pray for the children in the weeks ahead. The children have learnt that many housebound people receive communion at home, so much do they value the Lord's gift to us. The children will receive Holy Communion for the first time next Sunday. Please remember them in your prayers.

Year 4 on retreat

Over the last couple of days children from Hayhurst class (year 4) at the Cathedral Primary School have been at Brettargh Holt near Kendal on a short retreat. The house is run by Salesian Sisters, who provide a range of activities for groups - especially the young. Their website can be found here.

The main theme of their time away was 'teamwork'. The children were encouraged to work more closely together and to look out for one another in their work and play. A range of workshops gave them opportunity to practise; the one above made good use of Brettargh's rather grand staircase!

The extensive grounds were the setting for another task: a nature trail. Yesterday evening, there was also a walk to a spot in the woods for a short time of reflection and prayer.

The grounds are also great for burning off a little excess energy, and the children made enthusiastic use of their break times!

Throughout the time away there were reminders that teamwork comes from God. The children were reminded of St Paul's analogy of the Body of Christ: we each have a different part to play in the Church, and this too involves teamwork. God has made us social beings and given each of us different talents so that we might work together for the greater good. Yesterday Mass was celebrated in the chapel, and there were regular times of prayer and meditation throughout the retreat. It will hopefully be an experience that the children will benefit from for many years.

Life as a Bishop

It is hard to believe that two months have already passed since Bishop Michael's ordination. After the excitement of that day, he is now getting to grips with his role as bishop. Already he has adminstered the sacrament of confirmation in several parishes, and made some parish visitations. Within a few weeks he will also preside at an ordination for the first time, when he ordains three deacons for the Venerable English College, Rome. A couple of days a week he is in his office in Lancaster, and those who work in Cathedral House are getting used to seeing him around the place. These pictures of him were taken in the glorious sunshine earlier this week. A number of photos were taken, some for family and friends and others for official use and for the press. Meanwhile people are still ordering copies of the DVD of the ordination. Editing is now complete and copies are being made, so the long wait is nearly over! There will be a post on the blog when we receive them.

The Book of the Apocalypse

This evening sees the beginning of the last series of talks in our 'Curious about Scripture' year. Tonight we look at the Book of the Apocalypse (or 'Revelation'), one of the most misunderstood books of the Bible. Many people find themselves confused by the strange imagery, frightening visions and use of numbers; many others wonder what possible relevance it could have for Christians today. Hopefully tonight we'll at least begin to work out some answers! This image of St John, the seer of Revelation, is taken from the Whiteside Chantry in the Cathedral. It depicts his vision of the woman in Revelation chapter 12.

More from the North East

In addition to yesterday's posting, a few more images from Saturday's visit to Ushaw and Durham. All of these pictures have been sent in by two parishioners - Ray and Josie - who were on the trip. Above, the group assembles outside the front of Ushaw as we wait to go in.

The screen which separates the choir from the ante-chapel in St Cuthbert's is highly impressive. It was originally designed by A.W. Pugin, then enlarged for the present chapel which opened in 1884. The decoration on the screen is by Bentley, the architect who designed Westminster Cathedral.

To the right of the screen is Ushaw's most famous statue, Our Lady of Help. Tradtionally students are given a photograph of this statue when they finish at the college.

Beyond the screen is the main body of the chapel, where there was a chance to rest weary legs while taking in its beauty.

This picture gives a good sense of the size of the refectory. Above the fireplace at the far end is a contemporary portrait of Cardinal William Allen, who founded the English College at Douai, Ushaw's predecessor.

Just outside the refectory is a large portrait of Dr John Lingard, mentioned in yesterday's posting.

And for those who didn't make it up the tower, here's a glimpse of the view, looking south-west. We were very lucky with the weather!

A Day in Durham

Yesterday a coach-load of parishioners travelled to Durham for a day trip. The day fell into two parts: first, a visit to Ushaw College, a seminary (college for training priests) a few miles outside the city, and then a visit to Durham itself.

At Ushaw, where Fr Andrew had trained, he took on his old role of college tour guide. The first stop was a rather impressive model of the college, which illustrates just how big the site is. The college opened in 1808 - so celebrates its bicentenary this year - but much building work took place in the 1840s and 1850s; new wings were also added in the 1930s and in 1964.

Having looked at the model, we headed for St Cuthbert's chapel, the largest of fourteen chapels in the college. Later we celebrated Mass here, for the feast of the Visitation.

At Ushaw's impressive refectory, we paused for a cup of tea...

... and then those who wished made a brief visit to the cemetery. Many bishops are buried here, as is John Lingard, who was for many years parish priest at Hornby near Lancaster. Lingard had been Vice-President of Ushaw 1810-11, and is well-known as a fine historian. Some parishioners also knew of a relative buried here, and were able to find his grave.

Back in the college, we had a quick look inside Ushaw's theatre hall, a place often used for lectures or conferences, but in the past the scene of both fun and fear: many college plays and shows were staged here, but it was also the scene of public oral examinations - a frightening prospect indeed!

After Mass we travelled to Durham city where there was chance for lunch and a look at the sights. Most people headed, naturally enough, to Durham's spectacular cathedral. A few even braved the heights and climbed the 325 steps to the top of its tower. All in all, it was a very enjoyable day; hopefully we can make similar day-trips in future.