Welcome from Kitty Price

Rites of passage, such as baptism, marriage and funerals (known in the trade as ‘hatch, match and dispatch!’) help us to mark the significant changes in life, and to prepare us for the next stage.

Because of geography and the timing during lockdown, one of my closest friends attended her father’s funeral online. It was not the way she expected to say goodbye to her father, “but it was all I had, so it was better than nothing.” It is strange how times of crisis alter our expectations.

On Thursday I led a socially distanced leavers’ service at Portsmouth High School. It wasn’t the more formal occasion that we are used to, but it was surprisingly more intimate despite the physical distance between them. The girls were fortunate to be able to have a chance to say goodbye, which was even more important because their schooling and preparation for A level exams ended so abruptly. They have experienced loss and it was good to recognise that.

Sunday marks the end of another choir year and it is certainly not the ending we expected or hoped for, but it is all we have. It seems odd to be stopping just as we are allowed to return to physical church services. It seems unfair that our departing choristers and choral scholars haven’t sung Handel’s Messiah, Holy Week and Easter services, or completed the year in the usual way.

In Sunday’s evensong, in place of a sermon you will see reflections from departing choristers, choral scholars and lay clerks. This is their chance to mark the ending of one chapter and the start of the next, whatever that might be.

Singing has numerous benefits, including being a great boost to mental health. It is an instinctive part of worshipping and praising God. We are so very blessed with our three choirs at Portsmouth Cathedral. During lockdown David has been rehearsing the choirs online so they keep singing and feel part of the group. Ensuring the safe but swift return to using choirs in worship, he has been on the music recovery group reporting to the Bishop of London, who is the Church of England’s lead for post lockdown recovery. On behalf of the Royal School of Church Music, he has been helping parish musicians navigate these stormy musical waters.

Championing the importance of Church music means that our choirs will still be around to sing together again and that is of benefit to us all. Hildegard of Bingen wrote ‘When the words come, they are merely empty shells without the music. They live as they are sung, for the words are the body and the music the spirit’.

Kitty Price
Cathedral Reader

Visiting the Cathedral

The Cathedral’s opening times have now been extended to 10.00am-2.00pm each day. A huge thank you to all the volunteers who have offered their time to enable us to open. You can find more information about what to expect when you visit, including the safety measures we are taking here.

Restarting Public Worship

Sunday 12 July

We look forward to welcoming you in person to the Cathedral on Sunday morning. It is still possible (at time of sending) to pre-book a place at the 8.00am, 9.00am, 10.00am, 11.00am and 12 noon services through Eventbrite.

Weekdays

There will be a Eucharist (in one kind only) in the Nave at 12 noon each weekday. The Cathedral will remain open for private prayer at this time and numbers in the Cathedral will be limited to 30 in total.

Online Worship

We know that not everyone will be able to visit the Cathedral for a service or to pray. We will be continuing our online services as normal on Facebook (see below for details), including a live-streamed service of Holy Communion every Sunday morning at 8.00am and 9.00am.

“Good to Go” Covid-19 accreditation

The Cathedral is pleased to have been awarded the “Good to Go” accretion from Visit Britain.  Acquiring this Industry Standard mark means that the Cathedral has followed government and Church of England COVID-19 guidelines, has a Risk Assessment in place and a process to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing.

We will continue to review our current practice and take into account any updates in Government and Church of England advice.  The clergy, staff and our volunteers will  continue to work to ensure the Cathedral is as safe a place as possible to visiting and worship.

In the notices this week:

• In memoriam Mary Dunning

• Chapter Meeting

• Finance and Investment Committee (FIC) News

• Cathedral building works

• End of the Choir Year 2019/2020

• Icon of St Thomas of Canterbury

• Friends of the Cathedral

• Weekly reflection from the Portsmouth Cathedral Ministry Team

• Online Resources

• Supporting Portsmouth Cathedral

• Online worship including the order of service for Sunday 12 July

• Regular details of prayers and intercessions and ways to contact the Cathedral.

In memoriam Mary Dunning

Last Sunday, just as worship restarted at the Cathedral, we were very sad to hear that Mary Dunning had died. Aged 93, her health had declined rapidly over recent weeks, but with the support of her daughter Pamela she was the first person to come in for private prayer when the Cathedral reopened in mid-June. Born in Tunbridge Wells and brought up in Yorkshire, Mary retired to Portsmouth and had been a faithful worshipper here for over 20 years. It was only a couple of years ago that she stepped back from reading at services, but she continued to enjoy the weekly lunch club. Her children Pam, Peter and John hope we can all gather later on after the summer for a Memorial service to give thanks for Mary’s life in the Cathedral she loved.

Chapter Meeting

A scheduled meeting of Chapter takes place on Wednesday 15 July 2020.  The agenda for the meeting is here.

Finance and Investment Committee (FIC) News

The FIC met on this Monday.  The committee reviewed the positive progress in managing this year’s budget and discussed the risk and audit aspects of the committee’s work.  A fuller report will be in next week’s Notices following Chapter’s meeting on Wednesday.

Cathedral building works

Next week there will be scaffolding on the South Side to enable repairs to the windows on the Quire roof. This is part of the planned preventative maintenance programme.  With lockdown easing other delayed scheduled works will now be restarted.  It is hoped that the refurbishment of the South-West door, made possible solely through the generous donations of members of the congregation and charitable trusts including the Limoges Trust and Portsmouth Cathedral Development Trust, will be completed by the autumn.

End of the Choir Year 2019/2020

We have had to mark the end of this year in a very different way to normal of course. We bid au revoir to a super set of senior boys and girls who have been excellent role models to their younger cohorts as well as being great singers and soloists in their own right. We have also been blessed with a great team of Gap Years including Sam Jones as Organ Scholar. They have brought huge energy and commitment to their year, and it is matter of huge sadness that their year has been curtailed by Covid. We hope to see them on visits to Portsmouth and wish them well for their next adventure! https://youtu.be/3oLCYME7zdo

We also thank Lay Clerk Tim Burrt for his sterling service of 14 years to our music programme. Tim has been a linchpin of our choir in so many ways and has we shall miss his dedication and experience beyond measure. We wish him good luck as he begins a teacher training course in Reading next term.

Icon of St Thomas of Canterbury

If you have visited the Cathedral recently or joined the online Choral Evensong last week, you will have seen the new icon of St Thomas of Canterbury, written for us by Rev’d Dr Ruth Tuschling. Ruth has generously gifted the icon to the Cathedral and it will now be a new focal point for prayer and pilgrims visiting Portsmouth Cathedral. Do take a look when you are next able to visit (due to its fragile nature, please do not touch the icon).

Friends of the Cathedral

The Friends’ Yearbook 2020 will be distributed to members at the end of the month. If you would like to know more about membership please contact the Friends Office

Weekly reflection from the Portsmouth Cathedral Ministry Team

For the past few weeks we have been sharing a short reflection from members of the Ministry Team. This week Catherine Edenborough, our new Curate, shares a reflection on being open to God, especially during times of change. You can see all of the previous videos on our YouTube channel here.

Online Resources

A reminder that resources for prayer, worship, and family activities at home can be found on our website here

Supporting Portsmouth Cathedral

Over past weeks we have been sharing some of the profound financial challenges that Portsmouth Cathedral faces. The Cathedral team has done everything possible to reduce expenditure and Chapter has approved revised budgets for 2020 and 2021 which see deep cuts of almost 40%. Even with such drastic measures, we will be unable to achieve balanced budgets and to continue our ministry in the way we aspire to without the support of our congregation.

We know many people are facing financially challenging circumstances. If you are able to, please consider making a new or increased regular or one-off donation to support our work. Every gift is hugely valued and very gratefully received. If you are a UK taxpayer, signing up for Gift Aid will enable us to claim an additional 25% of your donation from HMRC.

Ways to make a regular donation:

• By Direct Debit – via the Parish Giving Scheme by calling 0333 002 1271. Lines are open Monday-Friday between 9.00am and 5.00pm. You will need your bank details ready as well as this reference information: Church name: Portsmouth Cathedral, Parish Giving Scheme parish code: 290629001

• By Standing Order – please contact sophie.henstridge-brown@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk for our bank details and reference number

Ways to make a one-off donation:

• By bank transfer – please contact sophie.henstridge-brown@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk for our bank details

• By cheque – payable to ‘Portsmouth Cathedral Chapter’ and sent to the Cathedral Offices

• Online here. Please note that online donations incur a fee from the online provider, if you wish us to receive all of your donation and Gift Aid, please use bank transfer or cheque.

Thank you to everyone who has generously increased their giving recently, we are hugely grateful.

If you would like to talk about how your gift can make a difference, please contact our Head of Fundraising Sophie Henstridge-Brown on sophie.henstrdge-brown@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk.

Online worship

Monday-Saturday                            

8.15am Morning Prayer                    
5.30pm Evening Prayer              
8.30pm Compline

Plus Toddler Group on Wednesdays at 2.00pm via Facebook

Sunday

9.00am Holy Communion
5.30pm Evensong followed by Sunday evening drinks via Zoom
8.30pm Compline

How to join the services

You do not need to be a member of Facebook to join the services. Please use this link. when the service is about to begin. You will see a prompt asking you to join Facebook, just click ‘not now’. Orders of service for our Sunday Eucharist’s, Compline, and special services, can be found on the Resources Section of our website here

Order of Service for Sunday 12 July

The order of service for Eucharist on Sunday 12 July can be found here. Evensong on Sunday 12 July can be found here.

How to join the online Sunday evening drinks via Zoom

Sunday evening drinks will be hosted on Zoom at 6.30pm after Cathedral Prayer. In order to maintain security, details will be sent with our emailed notices.

Prayers and Intercessions

Cathedral Prayers

All those affected by COVID-19

We remember the following for whom prayer has been asked by members of the Cathedral Community: Christopher, Stephen, Paul, Marinus, Philippa, Terry, Sally, David, John, Bob, Derek, Nigel, Trevor, Emrys, Reuben, Andrew, Jonathan, Peter, Melissa, Laurence, Clare, Izzy, Jenifer, Jenny, Benji and all those in need.

All those who have died: Jackie Taylor, Alma Marrow, Peter Wright and Gerald Reddington (priest) and Mary Dunning RIP.

Requesting an addition to the prayer list

To add someone to the prayer list, please email info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk

Getting in touch

We know that this is a lonely and anxious time for many people. Please feel free to get in touch if we can help in any way, or if you just want to hear another voice!

By phone:                                                                                                                                      

The Dean: 023 9282 4400                             

Canon Kathryn Percival: 023 9289 2967

Canon Jo Spreadbury: 023 9275 2335

Cathedral curate, Catherine Edenborough: 023 9282 3300 extn 221 (Usual days at the Cathedral: Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday)

Messages can also be left on the cathedral phone system 023 9282 3300 and will be responded to as necessary.     

By email:

The Dean Anthony.Cane@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk

Canon Kathryn Percival Kathryn.Percival@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk

Canon Jo Spreadbury Jo.Spreadbury@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk

Cathedral curate, Catherine Edenborough: Catherine.Edenborough@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk

For pastoral matters pastoral@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk

General matters info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk