Rediscovering the past

As part of the ongoing work to chronicle the history of the Cathedral, this photograph was recently discovered. It shows the west end of the church, probably in the 1920s or 1930s. A small porch surrounds the west doors, before the building of the present (sadly, less attractive) narthex. The organ console is shown in its original position, facing west, before it was moved to the north side of the choir loft in the 1970s. During the current restoration work, the console is at the Willis and Sons workshop in Liverpool, but the plan is to restore it to the position seen in this photograph.

Get here if you can

Sunday, of course, usually sees more people through the Cathedral doors than any other day of the week. Today parishioners and visitors have had to negotiate their way through a variety of roadworks. St Peter's road, which runs past the west front of the Cathedral, is closed due to mains electricity renewal work...

...East Road, to the north of the Cathedral, is down to one lane...

... and below, Balmoral Road, running between Cathedral House and the Social Centre, is closed due to gas works. Presumably someone is ensuring that gas work and electrical work don't meet in the middle!

Texan Ambassador

Today is the last full day at the Cathedral for Nolan Lowry, a seminarian (trainee priest) from the Diocese of Tyler, Texas. Nolan is studying at the North American College, a stone's throw from St Peter's in Rome, but has spent the last month at our own St Peter's in Lancaster. Having grown up in Texas and spent the last year in Rome, England's endless rain must have come as a bit of a shock to him, although we did manage to take the photo above in a rare moment of summer sunshine yesterday. During his time with us he's been helping in many ways, as well as seeing some of the sights of England. He managed a day trip to Liverpool, a visit to the diocesan shrine at Ladywell and a wet afternoon in the Lake District.

The main excursion was an overnight trip to London, with 24 hours to see all the main sights. Lunch at the Texas Embassy (just off Trafalgar Square) was a must - the name recalls the days when there really was a Texan Embassy in London, before Texas joined the United States in 1845. Texas hasn't had an ambassador to the UK since then, of course, but Nolan has been a great ambassador for the Church in the US during his time with us. Our best wishes and prayers go with him as he returns to Italy tomorrow.

Let's hear it for the silent organ

On Tuesday, after two years of fundraising, work finally began on the restoration of the Cathedral's fine pipe organ. 1886 pipes to be cleaned; a complete overhaul for the console, new bellows (replacing the originals, installed 118 years ago, so overdue for retirement!) and a few other minor improvements... it's a big job, expected to take about four months. The console has been dismantled (see above) and taken away, leaving a great hole where once it stood...

Above, the hole; below, the console on Monday, before the work began:

The work is being carried out by Henry Willis and Sons Ltd, the famous Liverpudlian organ builder. They'll have further information on their website, at http://www.willis-organs.com/. The picture below shows the area where the console was, and the hole left by the removal of the old bellows from the casing behind.

Although at the moment it looks like a scene of destruction, it's wonderful to see so much hard fundraising work beginning to pay off. There's still some money to raise and a few months to raise it. For now, though, there is a sense of achievement: we are cheering the fact that the organ has, temporarily, fallen silent.

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

Today the Cathedral celebrates its patronal feast, that of Saints Peter and Paul. We are blessed with many fine images of St Peter, particularly in the stained glass windows. Above is one such image: St Peter sits enthroned, holding the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 16:19), with two churches at his feet: to the right, St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican (Peter's resting place, and a reminder of our unity with his sucessor, the Pope); to the left, our own Cathedral church of St Peter.

Along the north side of the Cathedral, stained glass windows tell the story of Peter's life from the time of his calling to his crucufixion. This evening, for the first time, we will use a new devotion based on these windows. The 'Way of St Peter' pauses at each window to reflect on the episodes of his life and relationship with Christ; prayers are also said at each stop. The text of the prayers and meditations are available in a new booklet, the cover of which is pictured above.

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Today is the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a day which celebrates God's unconditional love for His people. The devotion dates back to 17th century France, where St Margaret Mary Alacogque had a series of visions of the Lord. Most Catholic churches have a statue of the Sacred Heart, and the Cathedral is fortunate to have this fine statue, recently placed here in place of a plainer, unpainted wooden statue. Throughout the day parishioners and visitors have been lighting candles as a symbol of their devotion to and love of Jesus.

Corpus Christi and the 40 Hours

Today is the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (often referred to by its Latin name, Corpus Christi). We celebrate the great gift of the Eucharist - a gift in which Christ is truly present and the benefits of His death and resurrection are made present to us.

For the Cathedral, it also marks the end of the annual 40 hours Solemn Exposition. During this time, the monstrance (from the Latin monstrare, to show) is placed on the altar with the Host (the Body of Christ) inside. Members of the parish take turns to pray before the Lord, so there is forty hours prayer (spread over four days) in His presence. There are some guided hours of prayer, and we celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours and pray the Rosary together. There are also many hours of silent prayer, where each of us can bring our own needs to the Lord, and deepen our awareness of His presence.

The candles and flowers (magnificent, as always) add a certain solemnity to the occasion, reminding us of the importance of the Eucharist.

The feast of Corpus Christi can be celebrated with Eucharistic processions, such as the one which took place at Westminster Cathedral yesterday. Click here to see pictures.

From St Petersburg to St Peter's Cathedral

A large crowd turned up to see members of the choral group Lyra performing in the Cathedral last night. The group, from St Petersburg, have 25 members in total. Together they must sound magnificent, since the four of them who came for the concert made a wonderful sound. They performed a wide variety of sacred and secular music, mostly unaccompanied. The Cathedral's acoustics are perfect for this type of music, and performers often comment that it is a pleasure to sing here.

Pentecost 2007

Last night we celebrated a Pentecost Vigil - a service of readings and psalms inviting the Holy Spirit more deeply into our lives. During the vigil the apse was flooded with red light, symbolising the fire that was a sign of the Holy Spirit's coming upon the Church. The liturgy ended with Benediction, the litany of the Holy Spirit, and the 'Te Deum', an ancient hymn sung on important feasts.

Above, a scene from early in the vigil, before the red lights appeared. A fairly small congregation was present for the entire liturgy, though the numbers swelled as time went on, so most people got to see the lighting spectacular! The red light remains today. Below, a flame-like glow illuminates the Blessed Sacrament chapel during the 10:30am Mass.

More repairs

The scaffolding that had been on the south roof has now made its way round to Cathedral House. The chimney stack at the end of the house is leaning somewhat, so a rebuild is required. Let's hope it's not too windy in the meantime!

Pentecost Flowers

Eastertide comes to an end this weekend, as we celebrate the feast of Pentecost on Sunday. As ever, the volunteers who decorate the Cathedral with flowers have been hard at work, producing some wonderful arrangements in red - the colour associated with the Holy Spirit, manifested in the form of fire. Pictured are the Ambo (above) and the statue of St Peter (below).

Urban Regeneration

As seen from Cathedral House, another crane being assembled on Lancaster's skyline. There's a fair amount of building work going on near the Cathedral at present. In time it should bring more residents and visitors to this part of the city.

A day with the Cathedral School

As part of his ongoing Jubilee celebrations, the Bishop spent today in the Cathedral Primary School. Staff and pupils had worked hard to prepare for the day, producing a 'this is your life' photo display and making a collage portrait of the Bishop. After a morning assembly, he visited each class; the day ended with Mass for the whole school, celebrated in the Cathedral.

Bishop Patrick was keen to talk to the pupils, and managed to learn quite a few names during the course of the day! The school presented him with a new chalice and paten, which he used for the afternoon Mass, and promised to treasure. Below he is seen at the altar with his chaplain, Fr Robert Billing.

Bishop's Ruby Jubilee

On Friday, it will be 40 years since Bishop Patrick was ordained priest. Yesterday we celebrated this great milestone - his Ruby Jubilee - in a packed Cathedral. Other priests of the diocese who are celebrating Jubilees this year joined the Bishop on the sanctuary. In his homily, Canon Ned Carey (who is also celebrating 40 years as a priest) spoke of the Bishop's commitment to working with the poor and the young, and his passion for the spread of the Gospel. The Bishop was presented with a cheque, the result of a collection taken by the priests and people of the diocese in gratitude for all his work. Ad multos annos!

After Mass, the Cathedral parishioners performed the amazing feat of feeding a few hundred people in the Cathedral Social Centre and a marquee set up for the day.

Above, the marquee; below, the inevitable cake-cutting...

...the icing read, "Bishop Patrick: the first 40 years"! Below, the Bishop picks himself out on an old school photo, part of a display showing pictures from his life.

And here are some of the helpers: a remarkable team who've given up endless hours over the last few days. Great job!

One Big Weekend

Down the road in Preston, Radio 1 is hosting its annual free music festival, 'One big weekend'. The Cathedral also has a big weekend coming up - tonight, Morecambe Brass Band are giving a benefit concert in aid of the Cathedral's organ restoration fund; tomorrow the diocese will gather with the Bishop as he celebrates 40 years since his ordination to the priesthood; Sunday is the feast of the Ascension, and there's another concert in the evening.

Most of Cathedral House has been taken over as we prepare for the Bishop's Jubilee Mass: every inch of fride space, every spare table...

This, for example, is the sitting room - now laid out with plates ready to be transferred into the marquee when it arrives tomorrow morning - and this is the library, laid out with vestments for the canons and other jubilarians who have come to celebrate with the Bishop.

An early start awaits us in the morning!