Welcome from Dr David Price

As the choirs have gone on a well deserved half term break, I have been thinking about the highlights of the last two months. Having choirs back in worship after such a long gap was such a tremendous experience. They have adapted well to the new procedures and I hope you will agree with me, that their music has added much to the worship in Portsmouth Cathedral. 

The building’s acoustics are unusual in that the sound produced is very generous, but when you stand next to each other, the sound goes upwards and it can feel like you are singing on your own. Add social distancing into the mix and you can understand how hard each person has to work.

After two weeks of being back, the girl choristers, scholars and lay clerks sang evensong live on BBC Radio 3, and we managed to record a Royal Marines Band Service memorial service, which is still available on YouTube if you haven’t watched it yet. 

I would like to highlight some of the things on the horizon. Over the next two weeks we have visiting choirs, something that we didn’t expect would happen for a long time yet.  Next Sunday, The Cavendish Choir will be physically in the building, and the week after, we will have recordings from The Wingrave Singers in our services. When it works, technology is fantastic. After half term, Monday Evensongs sung by the scholars and lay clerks will resume. At the start of November we have All Souls and then Remembrance with music by Duruflé and Fauré. Being a huge fan of Christmas, I am already planning the music for our carol services. I long for the day when congregational singing is allowed so that we are one voice in praising God. Until then we are working hard to do it for you. 

Dr David Price
Organist and Master of Choristers

Visiting the Cathedral

Portsmouth Cathedral is open every day and all are welcome.

Services and Worship

We hold services at Portsmouth Cathedral every day. Find out more about our services here.

Our choir will take a two week break over half term. Online Evening Prayer replaces Choral Evensong, Monday to Friday. Please check the service list for details of services over the next two weeks.

Online Services

Many services from the Cathedral are broadcast on Facebook. We also broadcast Morning Prayer and Compline daily from the homes of our ministry team. Find about more about our online services here.

Orders of service can be found on the Resources Section of our website here.

Prayers and Intercessions

Those who are to be Confirmed at the Cathedral on Saturday at 3.00 pm and who will receive Communion for the first time here on Sunday: Catherine, Donna, Georgia, Isabel, and Katharine.

We give thanks for improvement in health of Joey and baby Jonah.

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: Clare, Bob, Derek, Nigel, Trevor, Izzy, Jenny, Clare, Bishop Peter Hancock, Laurence, Sylvia, Robert, and all those in need.

All those who have died: Rachel Welch, Tracy Finn, Olive Gould and Margaret RIP.

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

In the notices this week:

Upcoming Services and Events

• Confirmation Service - Saturday 17 October

• Joint Meeting of Chapter and Cathedral Council - Tuesday 20 October

• New Bible Discussion Group - Thursday 22 October

• Author event: A Conversation with Sarah Meyrick - Wednesday 4 November

Community News

• Royal Marines Band Memorial Service

• Cathedral Shop Reopens from 19 October

• Portsmouth Cathedral announces a one-off grant from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage

• Welcome to Joseph Keele-Toms new Digital Marketing Manager

• Cathedral Offices

• One World Week

• The Roberts Centre - Family Friends 2020

• Thank you for supporting Portsmouth Cathedral

Upcoming Services and Events

Confirmation Service

As noted for prayer above, Bishop Christopher will be confirming five people at a service in the Cathedral this Saturday, 17 October, at 3.00 pm.

Joint Meeting of Chapter and Cathedral Council - Tuesday 20 October

The Chapter and Cathedral Council meet on Tuesday to discuss the provisional 2021 Cathedral Budget that was agreed and received in May 2020 and the recently launched Vision and Strategy. Your Congregational Representatives on the Cathedral Council are Shirley Grayson-Smith and Nick Speller, both of whom can be contacted through the Cathedral Offices. The agenda for the meeting is here.

New Bible Discussion Group 

Would you like the chance to deepen your understanding and discuss the Bible and faith with others in a relaxed conversation? Then give our new Bible Discussion Group a try! We will meet via Zoom every Thursday at 7.00 pm for an hour, starting this coming Thursday 22 October. No previous experience necessary.  The group will be facilitated by the Revd Lyn Comerford. We will begin by looking at John’s Gospel, starting with Chapter I. If you would like to look it up online, just go to bible.oremus.org and type in the reference. The Zoom link will be sent out with the email version of the notices each week. If you, or someone you know, does not yet receive the email version but would like to attend, please sign up, or encourage them to do so, or contact Canon Kathryn.

A Conversation with Sarah Meyrick: Wednesday 4 November at 7.00 pm

Sarah Meyrick’s novels, Knowing Anna and The Restless Wave, explore powerful themes of love, grief and grace.  As well as being a novelist, she is a Lay Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and the Director of the Bloxham Festival of Faith and Literature. Come and hear her in conversation with Canon Angela Tilby, via Zoom, at 7.00 pm on 4 November.  Further details next week. 

Canon Kathryn

Community News

Royal Marines Band Memorial Service

Due to Covid restrictions this year’s Royal Marines Band Memorial Service was broadcasted on Facebook at 11.00 am on Sunday 11 October and can be viewed through YouTube. The service was led by Revd Graham Hitchins RN, and featured both the Band of HM Royal Marines Portsmouth and the Fanfare Team from the Band of HM Royal Marines Collingwood.

Cathedral Shop Reopens from 19 October

Portsmouth Cathedral’s shop will be reopening from Monday 19 October. As part of our coronavirus measures, we will be reopening with a limited range of products including books, cards and CDs. With Advent and Christmas around the corner, we will also be selling festive products including Advent calendars, Advent candles and Christmas Cards.  We are very grateful to all the Shop Volunteers for making it possible to reopen and run the shop. 

Opening times are available here.

Portsmouth Cathedral announces a one-off grant from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage

We are thrilled and very grateful to have been awarded funding of £266,500 from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage, one of 445 heritage organisations to be supported. The funding will play a vital role in ensuring our financial viability in the short and long term, alongside us needing to increase fundraising, income from commercial events and fiscal restraint.

Read more about how this much-needed grant will support the Cathedral and our heritage here.

Welcome to Joseph Keele-Toms, new Digital Marketing Manager

We are delighted to welcome Joseph Keele-Toms to the Portsmouth Cathedral team in the new role of Digital Marketing Manager. This post is entirely supported by a special grant from the Cathedral Sustainability Fund, and we are very grateful for their support. Joseph was appointed following a highly competitive application process. He writes: 

"I’m so excited to be joining Portsmouth Cathedral, a landmark that has always been on the horizon from my home on the Isle of Wight. Growing up I attended services at the Cathedral as part of youth groups and scouting events, so it is a real honour to now be part of the team as we move forward in these challenging yet exciting times.  My background working across a variety of roles within the arts and non-profit sectors has given me a diverse wealth of experience which I hope to be able to draw upon as we move forward as an organisation. From working with large-scale music festivals through to grass-roots community projects, I have most recently been working and consulting with several religious organisations as they reposition their marketing and digital outputs going forward.   The challenges of 2020 have meant many organisations have had to rethink how they communicate with new and existing audiences, throughout my previous work I have always looked for new and innovative ways we can achieve this, and working with Sophie and the whole Cathedral team I believe we have some fantastic opportunities ahead of us which will be sure to put Portsmouth Cathedral on the map and help us continue to support our religious and community work.  I can’t wait to learn more about the Cathedral, the people, and all the fantastic work that happens here so that we can share it with more new audiences both in our local community and further afield." 

Joseph joins the team from Monday 19 October.   

Cathedral Offices

The Cathedral Offices are currently closed to visitors. A limited number of staff will be in the office on weekdays. Most staff are now working from home in line with Government guidance.

We are very grateful to Ronald Rabbetts for once again lending his skills and energy to the Cathedral. Having built the elegant perspex communion screens for the Cathedral, he has now created hanging perspex screens between the desks in the Cathedral office to enhance our Covid protections for staff. Many thanks again Ronald.

One World Week

This year, Portsmouth One World Week will be held from 18-25 October, with some events happening outside these dates.  All events will be online. Highlights include, A Green Recovery: the future of transport in Portsmouth on Monday 19, Moving Stories – Climate, Migration and Racism on Tuesday 20, Making the World Better on Thursday 22.  There will also be a Trade deals Day of Action on Saturday 24. For more information, visit http://www.campaign.exchange/campaigns/one-world-week-2020-2/ or speak to Sue Ward. 

The Roberts Centre - Family Friends 2020

Our friends at the Roberts Centre run a brilliant project called Family Friends which some members of our community already support. The project invites people to support a family in need at Christmas. To find out more or get involved, email carole.damper@robertscentre.org.uk or visit The Roberts Centre website.

Thank you for supporting Portsmouth Cathedral

A huge thank you to everyone who has responded generously to our requests to consider your support of Portsmouth Cathedral. Since March over twenty people have committed to making regular donations or increasing their regular support. Many have also made one off donations to help us through this difficult time.

Thank you for your generosity and your trust.

If you would like to find out more about supporting Portsmouth Cathedral, speak with our Head of Fundraising Sophie Henstridge-Brown on Sophie.Henstridge-Brown@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk or look at our website.

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

Cathedral Curate, Revd Catherine Edenborough: 023 9282 3300 extn 221 or Catherine.Edenborough@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk (Usual days at the Cathedral: Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday)

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.