The First Sunday of Lent

Advent has the wreath, Easter the Paschal Candle, and Christmas the crib. Lent, by contrast, is marked more by the absence of things normally present: there are no flowers in the church, the Gloria is not used at Mass, nor is the word 'Alleluia' heard at any point between Ash Wednesday and the Easter Vigil. Music is also much more low-key throughout the season. The Cathedral looks much plainer than usual today, the first Sunday of Lent.

The one addition is this banner - one of a series which are now familiar to regulars - giving a little background information about Lent for those who visit the Cathedral during these 40 days.

The Rite of Election

This afternoon people came from many parts of the Diocese for the annual Rite of Election. In this service some of those who will become Catholic at Easter are formally accepted by the Bishop at this important stage in their journey of faith.

The names of Catechumens (those who are to be baptised) and of Candidates (those already baptised but not Catholic) are registered in the 'Book of the Elect', which is presented to the Bishop. Their names are then read out, and they are invited to stand with their sponsors, who commit themselves to helping the candidates.

Each then comes forward to briefly meet the Bishop, and then stands on the Sanctuary until all are present. The people invited to this day are following the RCIA programme (the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), but there are many others around the Diocese preparing to become Catholic in a more informal way. During Lent especially, we keep them in our prayers, along with children and young people in our parish preparing to receive the sacraments of Reconciliation, Holy Communion and Confirmation later this year.

Opera at the Cathedral

Tonight the Cathedral welcomed a sizeable audience for the second of four concerts given by the Skipton Camerata. Each concert includes a section of Vivaldi's Four Seasons -tonight Winter. Tonight's concert was a bit different, however, as opera made an appearance in the form of a full performance of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas.

The Cathedral's main concert seasons run September-December and Easter-July, so this was a special treat. Earlier in the day over 150 children from local schools had come in to hear an open rehearsal; the musicians were excellent in engaging the children, hopefully deepening their knowledge of and enthusiasm for music.

A busy few days at the Cathedral continues... tomorrow many people from around the Diocese will come for the annual Rite of Election for those who will soon join the Church (more details tomorrow), and on Monday we celebrate 150 years since the first apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes. Kepp watching this space!

Lourdes Novena

All this week, at 6pm, devotions to Our Lady of Lourdes are taking place in the Cathedral Lady Chapel. This novena (nine days of prayer) leads up to the 150th anniversary of the first apparition at Lourdes, which took place on 11th February 1858. A day-pilgrimage to the diocesan shrine at Cleator took place at the start of the novena (see here).

These photos were taken at the devotions a few days ago, and show how beatutifully the Lady Chapel has been decorated. A statue of Our Lady of Lourdes has been placed there, surrounded by flowers - a rare chance for the Cathedral's flower arrangers to show off their skills during Lent! The chapel itself is very fine, and much underused because of its size, so this is a welcome opportunity to make use of it.

The devotions are accompanied by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, reminding us that true devotion to Mary always leads us closer to her Son. Each day there is a particular prayer intention. The Rosary is prayed, followed by the Litany of Our Lady of Lourdes and a novena prayer. Each evening the prayers end with Benediction, imparting Christ's blessing upon us as we go forth.

Ash Wednesday

A bowl of ashes in the sacristy before today's lunchtime Mass. Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the season of Lent. This is a season of penance, of repentance; we are encouraged to pray, to fast and to give generously to those in need. In this way we show our sorrow for our own faults, and find strength to turn back to God. The Cathedral was close to capacity at today's lunchtime Mass, as people came forward to have their foreheads marked with ash as a sign of repentance. Another Mass with distribution of ashes takes place at 7pm today.

Auction of Promises

This evening a modest but determined crowd gathered in the Social Centre for our Auction of Promises. A wide range of pledges had been made: offers to cook meals and do washing, provide tuition in languages, drama, maths, juggling and making mulled wine, those who had offered to make cakes, items of clothing or gifts - the list goes on.

This being Shrove Tuesday, pancakes were provided before the bidding began - the old custom of using up dairy products before Lent still survives!

Some people even made bids over the phone! An intitial count-up suggests that close to £1000 was raised - an amazing total and a real testament to the generosity of those who bid and those who offered their time and talents. Well done!

Echoes

This evening people came from various parts of the Diocese for a Mass marking the completion of the 'Echoes' course. The course was run by the Diocesan Education Service in association with the Maryvale Institute, and is designed to help catechists as they seek to deepen the faith of those they serve. Fr Luiz Ruscillo, head of the Education Service, was the celebrant.

At the end of Mass many were presented with certificates to show that they had completed the course. It was wonderful that nine people from our own parish were amongst them. Our catechists do a great deal of work within the parish, particularly in preparing children for first reconciliation and first Communion, and helping young people to prepare for Confirmation. All of these preparation programmes are now underway for this year: there is a busy time ahead!

Cantemus ad Dominum

"Cantemus ad Dominum" (let us sing to the Lord) - the words which adorn the logo of the Cathedral's new music trust, recently established to provide funds so that music here can be properly resourced. With the trust established, a Director of Music, Damian Howard, has been appointed. He has already been able to appoint Rachel Lee as Assistant Director of Music and Cantor, and has enlisted John Williams as Organ Scholar. These exciting developments will greatly help music here, both for the parish and for diocesan occasions. Our new musicians are warmly welcome!

The Cleator Lourdes Grotto

Nine days from now we celebrate 150 years since the first apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes. It is an important anniversary for our diocese, as Our Lady of Lourdes is the principal patron of Lancaster. Over these nine days there will be Marian devotions each evening in the Cathedral at 6pm, with solemn Mass and sung Vespers on the anniversary, 11th February. Today a coach-load of parishioners headed north to Cleator, where there is a Lourdes Grotto at the church of St Mary.

We were welcomed by the parish priest, Fr Manny Gribben, and by Fr Jim Burns, known to many in the Cathedral parish as he served here a few years ago. They spoke to us about the work of the shrine and the recent re-ordering of the church. Two seminarians resident at Cleator spoke to us about the work of the diocesan house of formation, set up there a few years ago to help those considering or training for the priesthood.

The day included Mass, Benediction and a procession to the Grotto, where we each lit a candle, entrusting our intentions to the prayers of Our Lady. A great day was had by all - and we were lucky with the weather! Many thanks to everyone at Cleator for their generous hospitality.

The Unsung Heroes

Spread across the Cathedral parish there are about 75 Catholics who are unable to come to Mass but still wish to; each of them is visited regularly by parishioners and/or one of the priests. Most of the housebound receive communion regularly and many receive the Sacrament of the Sick (often simply called 'anointing', pictured above). The housebound are in many ways the unsung heroes of the parish, contributing greatly to the life of the Church, particularly by their prayers. This week work begins to prepare a new team of students (from Lancaster University and the University of Cumbria) who will visit some of those who are unable to leave their homes. This is a new initiative, but hopefully one which will prove successful and continue for many years to come.

The Golden Couple

Our congratulations go to Keith and Margaret Barstow, who celebrated their Golden Jubilee of Marriage at the Cathedral's 12:15 Mass today. Margaret and Keith are great servants of the Cathedral, giving two days each week as volunteers. They answer the telephone and front door, and they carry out the relentless task of folding and stapling booklets, the parish newsletter and so on. Many congratulations to them on this wonderful milestone. There has also been joy for other couples in the parish in recent weeks: on Sunday at Mass, George and Edna Pardula celebrated 60 years of marriage, and three couples have been married in the Cathedral since Christmas. Best wishes to all!

Pipe Cleaning

A great hole is where the Great pipes should be... but it is a sign of progress. This week the organ restoration work has seen more pipes being taken to the Willis & Sons workshop for cleaning, along with some of the sound boards. Further cleaning work has been taking place on site.

From inside, there is a clear view through what should be the internal workings of the instrument; the ceiling of the Cathedral is clearly visible above.

A few pipes rest in the choir loft, awaiting their return to action. There are more pictures of the work on the Willis & Sons website - click here.

Wise men from the east

"After Jesus had been born in Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came from the east". So begins today's Gospel reading. Today's feast - the Epiphany of the Lord - marks the day when Gentiles (non-Jews) were invited to come and see the Messiah, thus opening God's offer of salvation to the entire world. Our 'three wise men' have now been placed in the Cathedral crib, which can be viewed until next weekend, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

Epiphany Party

This afternoon the annual parish Epiphany Party took place. Each year we invite some of the elderly and housebound members of the parish to this party. Transport is arranged for those who need it, and refreshments and entertainment are provided. For some of those who come, it's a rare chance to get together for a social event.

There was a fun raffle, various entertainment and a few mince pies doing the rounds... it is still Christmas, after all! Some children from the Cathedral Primary School gave up one of the last days of their holiday to come and sing and wait on the tables.

All those who attended received a present, donated by parishioners. Left-over presents will be distributed to some of the many housebound who were unable to attend.

Towards the end there was a mini sing-along, with words on a big screen so that everyone could join in. A few of the 'old favourites' were dusted off!

Everyone was willing to have a go, including (can you spot him above?) the Bishop - who is not usually known for his singing! He called in to meet and chat with some of the people who attended. We were lucky he was able to join us - he has just returned from a short break and travels to India on a working trip within a couple of days.

Mary, Mother of God

On New Year's Day the Church celebrates the feast of Mary, the Mother of God. The date of this feast is not chosen to mark the beginning of the year; rather, it marks the end of the Christmas Octave. Christmas is marked by eight days of special celebration, beginning on 25 December and ending today (though the Christmas season continues until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord). Today's feast recalls a title given to Mary at the Council of Ephesus in 431. There she was proclaimed Theotokos - God-bearer - as a way of showing that Jesus Christ is truly God. By being born of Mary His human nature was guaranteed; by this title of Mary, His divine nature is also assured.