Welcome from Dr David Price

Nearly six months after our cathedral choir voices fell silent in our building, we are gradually working through plans for our phased return to regular choral worship in the building. We have, of course kept in touch with our choristers and their families through on-line rehearsals – but even our most flexible technology and IT savvy children found it of only limited use. It will be a joy to return to singing together and in person once again!

Dare I hope that Lockdown has reminded us all that the ministry of music is the church’s most powerful way to connect with young people of all backgrounds, abilities and experience? Music connects them subtly yet profoundly with the language of the bible, shows how church can be a welcoming and familiar place and at the same time helps proclaim the word of God to all who are open to our message.

Dr David Price
Organist and Master of Choristers

Visiting the Cathedral

Opening Hours

The Cathedral continues to be open daily from 10.00am to 2.00pm and on Sundays from 11.45pm to 2.00pm, thanks to the support of our volunteers. You can find more information about what to expect when you visit, including the safety measures we are taking here.

Face Coverings in the Cathedral

It is now necessary to wear a face covering when you are in the Cathedral for any purpose, unless you are exempt under the Government regulations. If you do have an exemption, please let us know when you arrive, as you will still be most welcome to enter the building. 

Changes to Service Patterns

As we move into autumn, our Sunday and weekly service pattern is changing to reflect the fact that we can now hold choral services and accommodate increased congregations in the Cathedral. We have worked carefully to plan how we can achieve this within Government and Church of England guidelines.

This new pattern of worship will be in place for some weeks as we take a phased approach to restarting full public worship. Regrettably, congregational singing is still not permitted.

Services on Sunday 6 September

Holy Communion - 8.00am (BCP), 9.00am , 10.00am and 11.00am. Places for these services can be pre-booked through Eventbrite.
Choral Evensong - 5.30pm with Installation of Choral Scholars (live-streamed only, you cannot attend this service in person)

Choral Evensong

Choral Evensong will restart from Thursday 10 September. You are welcome to attend in person and the services will also be broadcast online. The regular pattern of Choral Evensong will be:

Tuesdays at 5.30pm
Thursdays at 5.30pm
Fridays at 5.30pm
Sundays at 5.30pm

Sunday Services

From Sunday 13 September we will introduce a new pattern of Sunday services.

8.00am Holy Communion (BCP, this service will be broadcast online)
9.30am Holy Communion (with a cantor)
11.00am Sung Holy Communion (this service will be broadcast online)
5.30pm Choral Evensong (this service will be broadcast online)

Midday Communion on Mondays to Saturdays and our other livestreamed services remain unchanged.

Online Worship

Monday-Saturday                            

8.15am Morning Prayer                    
5.30pm Evening Prayer or Choral Evensong       
8.30pm Compline 

Sunday 6 September

8.00am Holy Communion (BCP)
9.00am Holy Communion
5.30pm Choral Evensong followed by online refreshments at 6.30pm      
8.30pm Compline

Sunday 13 September

8.00am Holy Communion (BCP)
11.00am Holy Communion
12.30pm Annual Parochial Church Meeting (via Zoom, email info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk to request to attend)
5.30pm Choral Evensong (no evening refreshments this week)
8.30pm Compline

How to join the services

Service are broadcast on Facebook. You do not need to be a member of Facebook to join, simply 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 can be found on the Resources Section of our website here.

Order of Service for Sunday 6 September

The orders of service for Eucharist on Sunday 6 September can be found here.

Sunday Refreshments via Zoom

Sunday Refreshments will be hosted on Zoom at 6.30pm. In order to maintain security details will be sent with our emailed notices.

Prayers and Intercessions

Cathedral Prayers

We pray for all those affected by COVID-19.

We remember the following for whom prayer has been asked by members of the Cathedral Community: Christopher, Clare, Sally, David, Bob, Derek, Nigel, Trevor, Izzy, Jenny, Des, (baby) Jonah, George, Clare, Bishop Peter Hancock, Florence, Alan, Lawrence, Joey and all those in need.

All those who have died: Jack Owens, Robin Spruce and Jim Flamank RIP.

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

In the notices this week:

• Annual Parochial Church Meeting and Elections

• Finance and Investment Committee Meeting

• Safeguarding meeting

• Cathedral Offices

• BBC Radio 3 Choral Evensong

• Lunchtime Live returns

• Thank you from the Percivals

• Thank you from Nicky and Sean

• Thank you from Sachin and Hannah

• Ride and Stride - sponsor Dean Anthony

• Christmas Market 2020

• Online Resources

• Supporting Portsmouth Cathedral

Annual Parochial Church Meetings and Elections

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) will be held on Sunday 13 September at 12.30pm via Zoom. While it is not ideal to hold this meeting via Zoom, it is the only way we can do this within the required timeline without severely limiting the number of those able to attend. The agenda is available here.

To join the APCM on Zoom please email info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk.  An invitation to the Zoom meeting will be sent to you in time for the meeting. 

Elections

• Churchwardens: the annual election of two churchwardens will be held at the meeting of parishioners. Following the 2018 revision of the Constitution and Statues one Churchwarden is also elected to serve as a lay member of Chapter whilst holding the office of Churchwarden. Should the person holding this appointment not be re-elected then a further election (for a Churchwarden serving as a lay member of Chapter) will be held. The nomination form for churchwarden is here, and for churchwarden serving as a lay member of Chapter here.

• Deanery Synod: representatives of Deanery Synod will be elected at the APCM. Our thanks to the current representatives: June Purvis, Kitty Price and Marion Syms. For more information about this role please contact Canon Kathryn Nomination forms are available here.
  

Launching the new Cathedral Vision

The APCM will include the launch of our new Cathedral Vision, details of which will be shared with the whole Cathedral Community by post.

Annual Accounts

The 2019 Annual Accounts are now available here and on display in the Cathedral. If you would like a printed copy please contact info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk.

Annual Reports

The Annual Reports to the APCM will be published next week. We had hoped to have posted these to members of the Electoral Roll already. Regrettably this has not been possible due to unexpected staffing pressures.

Electoral Roll

The revised roll is on display in the Cathedral. Applications to join the roll will be added after the APCM. If you are uncertain as to whether or not your name is on the roll please contact the Electoral Roll Officer, Terry Ward.

Those wishing to attend the APCM should email info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk for details giving full name and postal address to receive the details of the meeting.

Finance and Investment Committee Meeting

The next meeting of the Finance and Investment Committee takes place on Tuesday 8 September 2020. The agenda for the meeting is here.

Safeguarding Meeting

The next Cathedral Safeguarding meeting takes place on Thursday 10 September. The agenda for the meeting is here.

Cathedral Offices

To comply with Government guidance and ensure a safe working environment for our staff and volunteers, only a limited number of individuals may be in the Cathedral Offices at any one time.  Staff are on a rota and therefore may be working at home instead of in the office. It will therefore be necessary to call or email ahead to make appointments rather than dropping by as was our practice. The same warm welcome awaits, but in a slightly more planned way because of our Covid precautions.

BBC Radio 3 Choral Evensong

We are delighted to announce that Radio 3 will be broadcast Choral Evensong from Portsmouth Cathedral live on Wednesday 23 September at 3.30pm. This will be their first broadcast of a Cathedral Choir and the first from an English Cathedral outside of London since lockdown.

Please do listen via your radio or on the BBC Radio 3 website. With regret, this service will not be open to a physical congregation.

Lunchtime Live returns

We are pleased to announce that our Lunchtime Live series of recitals will resume on Thursday 10th September. This term we will be welcoming a variety of pianists, organists and string players. The first performance of the autumn series will be given by organist Carl Grainger. Details of future performers will be released soon.

All recitals will take place in the Nave at 1:10 p.m on Thursdays, lasting for up to 50 minutes. Admission is free with retiring collection.

Please note that we’re unable to offer refreshments until further notice.

Ordination of our Cathedral Curate

Following her licensing as a Lay Minister in July, Catherine Edenborough will now be ordained Deacon in the Cathedral by the Bishop of Portsmouth at 3pm on Saturday 10 October.  Numbers in the building will be strictly limited, but the service will be livestreamed so that as many people as possible can support her through prayer and worship on this very special occasion.  Further details to follow.

Thank you from the Percivals

Kathryn, James, Dominic and Eliza, and Polly the dog, are very much enjoying being the Percivals of Penny Street, and are so grateful for all your cards, presents, good wishes and prayers for their move - thank you!

Thank you from Nicky and Sean

Nicky and Sean write:

A huge thank you for all the good wishes, cards and gifts for our wedding. We especially love the serving dish, it is really beautiful. We have been really overwhelmed by everybody’s generosity. We had a lovely wedding day and weekend in the end! Looking forward to seeing everyone again as life slowly gets back to normal. With love from Nicky and Sean.

Thank you from Sachin and Hannah

Sachin and Hannah write:

Having had a very special and wonderful wedding at Portsmouth Cathedral, Hannah and I would like to thank everyone who gave their time and effort to make this possible. There were many challenges, but in the end everything came together and gave us a better day than we imagined possible. Our particular thanks to Canons Jo and Angela, David, Malina, Maria and the Flower Guild for all their hard work, and also to Kitty for the spectacular cakes! We are also very touched by the generous donations received from members of the Cathedral community. A tremendous start to our new life together. Thank you all so much, from the new Mr and Mrs Gunga!

Sponsor Dean Anthony for Ride and Stride 2020

The annual Ride and Stride will be taking place on Saturday 12 September, raising money for the Hampshire and the Islands Historic Churches Trust (HIHCT) which work to preserve our region’s historic churches and chapels of all denominations. The event invites people to walk, cycle, drive, ride or run to as many churches in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight as you wish in one day, whilst raising sponsorship money for the HIHCT.

Dean Anthony will be taking part and attempting to cycle to as many churches in the Isle of Wight as possible! You can sponsor his efforts online here. Half of your donations will go to the Cathedral and half to the HIHCT.

The Cathedral will be open and welcoming Ride and Stride participants during the day.

Christmas Market 2020

We have now launched applications for local independent traders, artists, craftspeople and businesses to buy a table at our Christmas Market on Saturday 5 December.

If you know someone who might be interested, please do share our Traders Information, available here.

How can you help?

• Volunteer – we will need extra volunteers this year in a number of roles including as a steward and helping to set up and take down the Market. If you’d like to volunteer at this year’s Market, please email Sophie.Henstridge-Brown@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk

• Make preserves – during this traditional season for preserve making, please do make jams, marmalades, honey, curds and chutneys for the Preserves stall.

• Collect donations – of Christmas decorations and silk flowers for the Flower Guild stall, bottles for the bottle tombola and chocolate for the children’s chocolate tombola. Please set aside contributions at home and details of how to donate will be given closer to the time. Requests for baked goods will be made closer to the time.

• Please note that this year we will not be inviting donations of books and CDs, clothes and jewellery, chocolate, children’s clothes and toys, china and glassware, toiletries and needlework.

Online Resources

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

Supporting Portsmouth Cathedral

Give As You Live

Support Portsmouth Cathedral whilst doing your usual online shopping! Simply sign up to Give As You Live and Portsmouth Cathedral will receive a donation every time you shop through their website.

Sign up here and add ‘Portsmouth Cathedral Development Trust’ as your charity of choice. Do also set a donation reminder to remind you to shop via Give As You Live.

Ecclesiastical Trust130

Insurance provider Ecclesiastical are marking their 130th anniversary by donating £130 to a church or Cathedral when a new home insurance policy is taken out before 31 December 2020. If you decide to take a policy with Ecclesiastical this year, please take advantage of their Trust130 promotion and nominate Portsmouth Cathedral. You can find out more on their website here.

Regular Giving

Over past months 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.

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.Henstridge-Brown@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!                                                                                                                     

The Dean: 023 9282 4400 or Anthony.Cane@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk

Canon Jo Spreadbury 023 9275 2335 or Jo.Spreadbury@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk

Canon Kathryn Percival: 023 9289 2967 or Kathryn.Percival@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk

Messages can also be left on the Cathedral phone system 023 9282 3300 or by email to info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk or pastoral@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk.