Weekly Notices | 13 April 2025
A Reflection from
Dean Anthony
The French clinical psychologist Marie de Hennezel has written a book exploring what it means to age well, with an unusual title: The Warmth of the Heart Prevents Your Body from Rusting. She writes movingly about a friend of hers, whose life was ended by the sudden onset of a serious cancer. ‘When there is nothing left’, her friend said, ‘really nothing left, there isn’t death and emptiness, as one might fear, not at all. I swear to you, there is nothing left but love.’ And that is just what we will see through this coming Holy Week and Easter: when it seems that everything is lost, in Christ, love remains.
Christ’s final days began with the Palm Sunday procession into Jerusalem of a humble King, mounted on a donkey. ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ is the cry, as the enthusiastic crowd spread palm branches on the road. So for us the word ‘Hosanna’ represents a joyful shout of praise. We hear it in the Eucharistic prayer week by week: ‘Heaven and earth are full of your glory: Hosanna in the highest’.
Nicholas Mynheer’s painting of Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem, still on display in the ambulatory along with the rest of his ‘Sarum Cycle’, brings out the darker side of this event. ‘In the maelstrom of swirling humanity Jerusalem sucks in another prophet’, he writes. In the light of this, and these turbulent times, it is worth remembering that Hosanna was originally a cry for help, meaning ‘Save us!’ It came into use in the worship of Israel; for example in the one hundred and eighteenth Psalm, verse 25, where it means ‘Save us, we pray’.
Walking in heart and mind with Jesus to the cross, we may begin to understand what is asked of us in a disturbing and dangerous world, and our hosannas might become true prayers of yearning and longing for the healing of creation: ‘Save us, we pray!’ And then through the tremendous miracle of Easter, our hosannas are once again shouts of jubilation, to the one whose justice, compassion and peace we are ever called to serve. Just when it seems that everything is lost, in Christ, love remains.
So today, and through this coming week, let us pray: ‘Hosanna - Save us, we pray!’. Imploring God, that through entering as fully as we are able into Holy Week, with the help of The Very Revd Jane Hedges’ addresses on the Body of Christ, we may become more like our crucified yet risen Saviour. And so find ourselves on Easter Day, praying with all our hearts, ‘Heaven and earth are full of your glory: Hosanna in the highest’.
With my prayers and good wishes,
The Very Reverend Dr Anthony Cane
Dean of Portsmouth
Dates for your diary…
Mynheer Exhibition - Sarum Cycle - 5 Mar - 20 Apr, at 8:00am – 4:00pm
Love Southsea - Spring Market - 12 Apr, at 10:00am – 6:00pm
Palm Sunday #PompeySundays - 13 Apr, at 9:30am – 10:30am
Palm Sunday Procession of Palms and Sung Eucharist - 13 Apr, at 11:00am – 12:15pm
Anna Chaplaincy Holy Week Worship - 13 Apr, at 2:30pm – 4:00pm
Holy Week Address followed by Compline - 14, 15 and 16 Apr, at 7:00pm – 8:00pm
Chrism Eucharist - 17 Apr, at 11:00am – 1:00pm
Maundy Thursday Eucharist of the Last Supper - 17 Apr, at 7:00pm – 8:00pm
Watch of Prayer – 17 Apr, at 8:30pm
Good Friday - Children's Service - 18 Apr, at 10:00am – 11:00am
Good Friday - The Three Hours - 18 Apr, at 12:00pm – 3:00pm
Community News
Maundy Thursday - 17 April
Anyone wishing to take part in the Foot Washing during the 7:00pm Eucharist of the Last Supper is invited to contact Canon Jo. Also, people are encouraged to sign up for the Watch of Prayer which follows the service - 30-minute slots from 9:00pm to midnight. Please sign the list in the Welcome Area to say what time you are able to do. Further details from Canon Jo
Members of the Ministry team will be available during Holy Week if anyone would like to arrange an appointment for a conversation this week or for confession.
Christian Aid Week: 11 - 18 May 2025
Once again Christian Aid Week approaches, for its 80th anniversary! Last year the catherdal community raised over £3000 for people suffering great hardships in the developing world, much of it caused by the effects of climate change which they do the least to cause. This year we hope to beat the £3000 target with as many of you as possible getting involved.
Portsmouth Cathedral is hosting a special, regional Christian Aid service at 5:45pm on 11 May. The preacher for Christian Aid service is John Plant, National Church Relationship Lead at Christian AidPlease come and bring your family and friends!
The usual envelopes will be available for donations, but other possible fund-raising activities are:
A Big Breakfast at the cathedral - can you help?
Holding a tea or coffee party in your home and asking for donations
Doing sponsored activities - slimming, walking, swimming, climbing, abseiling or any brilliant ideas you may have!
If you can get involved please let Sue Ward know here.
This is our opportunity to make a real difference. Join us!
Jeel Scholarship Fund
Dorothy Gray and Clare Slator are currently on a pilgrimage to visit all forty-four of England’s Anglican cathedrals to raise awareness of the Jeel Scholarship Fund (JSF), a new initiative of the McCabe Educational Trust. During their visit to Portsmouth Cathedral, they were warmly welcomed by the Dean, and shared the inspiring story of JSF’s foundation by the late Revd Alison Askew. JSF supports further education for students from Jeel al Amal, a Christian school near Bethany in Palestine, which provides care and education for children from vulnerable backgrounds regardless of religion.
The fund is already transforming lives—supporting students in nursing, IT, digital marketing and political science—with 100% of donations going directly towards tuition fees. Clare, a JSF committee member who has visited Palestine multiple times, has met many of the students supported by the fund. Dorothy and Clare’s journey is not about fundraising, but about spreading the word. Any cathedral publicity—through notices or social media—would be warmly appreciated. More details, and how to donate, can be found on the McCabe Educational Trust website here.
Career Opportunities at the Cathedral
Part-time Visitor Experience
We are looking for a number of part-time (up to 14 hours per week) seasonal Visitor Experience Assistants to work with our existing expert groups of volunteer welcomers, guides and shop assistants during peak holiday periods. This role will involve welcoming people in and inviting them to explore our glorious Cathedral to learn more about the building and its purpose at the same time as developing new skills.
Find out more on our website here.
Events Production Assistant
Join our team at Portsmouth Cathedral as an Events Production Assistant and play a key role in delivering a diverse programme of events in this historic and vibrant space. This hands-on role is perfect for someone with a passion for event production, keen organisational skills, and the flexibility to work across a variety of events, from concerts and exhibitions to services and community gatherings.
If you thrive in a dynamic environment, enjoy working with a team, and take pride in ensuring seamless event delivery, we’d love to hear from you!
Find out more on our website here.
The Word is Near Update
Please note the following adjustments for the regular Word is Near group:
16 April - no meeting. We return on Wednesday 23 April to regular weekly meetings (10:30am – 11:30am in Bishop Kenneth Room.)
Second 'Festival of Early Music'
Thank you to everyone who supported our second ever 'Festival of Early Music'. This year’s festival featured concerts, talks, workshops, outreach to schools and services. We were delighted to host Gesualdo Six to perform in Portsmouth for the first time and to work with PGS Chamber Choir and also with our Choral Scholars in two training sessions.
And in an innovation for this year, we worked with St Jude’s CofE Primary, St John’s RC Primary and St John’s CofE Primary (Gosport) who joined us for six choruses in Messiah—and what a terrific, musical and focussed sound they made. Thank you to the Cathedral Sing Team, Adrian, Sachin and Alex who led numerous sessions in schools this term. Our Sunday services featured the music of Byrd, Tomkins, Parsons, Gibbons and Croce.
Thanks to Bryn Hughes
Last Sunday we bade a fond farewell to one of our longest serving Lay Clerks, Professor Bryn Hughes. Bryn has been a member of the choir here on and off (more on than off) since 1980! A remarkable tenure which has included tours to France, Denmark, Stockholm, Estonia, Germany and Belgium as well as numerous CDs and broadcasts during his long tenure.
Bryn selected the music and hymns for the two services last Sunday and we were joined by current and former colleagues including Bishop Graeme and Susan Knowles and Anthony and Carol Froggatt. We know Bryn will continue to be part of the cathedral community and congregation here, but we honour his remarkable fortitude, expertise and commitment to the music in this place over 45 years.
Another Placement - in Passiontide
We will have Katherine here with us on placement for the next fortnight - through Passiontide until Easter Eve. Katherine is currently on a discernment year in Portsmouth, based at St Luke's Church. Brought up in London, she studied at Exeter University and has been coming regularly in the week to join us for Morning Prayer and the early Communion. She will be taking part and helping with a variety of activities - and all the special services that take place through Holy Week.
‘Signs of Life and Hope’ an Easter Egg Appeal
Thank you to those of you who have contributed so far to the annual ‘Signs of Life and Hope’ an Easter Egg Appeal. So Far we have managed to collect 235 Easter Eggs, which is a huge achievement and everyone involved should be eggstremly proud of themselves. There is still time to donate, if you haven't yet done so, the families at the Roberts Centre will be so grateful for your generous donations.
Please deliver to St Mary’s Church in Fratton Road by 13 April. Open every day from 9:00am – 12:00pm for prayer.
Calling all potplants and planters
An invitation to you all to lend your plants to our Gethsemane Garden on Maundy Thursday (17 April).
Please can we borrow any pot plants or plants in planters?! If you have any plants in pots (or planters that are movable), we would like to use them to form the Gethsemane Garden on Maundy Thursday where we keep a watch of prayer in St Thomas' Chapel until midnight after the 7:00pm Eucharist of the Last Supper. We remember how Jesus prayed through the night before his crucifixion. Please bring in any plants you can on the day, or earlier in Holy Week if necessary.
Or we can arrange to collect if you need! The plants/planters can be collected or returned to you following the 10:00am Children’s Service on Good Friday – between 10:45am and 12:00pm noon – or later on after the Liturgy of Good Friday finishes at 3:00pm. More information and any offers: contact Canon Jo - or just bring your plants in to be part of this striking setting for prayer and worship at this special time.
Myanmar Appeal
There is an opportunity to donate to Christian Aid's Myanmar Emergency Appeal at the Cathedral. We are all aware of the desperate need for food, shelter and medical help for millions of displaced people in Myanmar. Emergency Appeal envelopes for cash or cheques and a QR code for online giving are available in the Welcome Area and at the north door. Please fill in the gift aid form if possible, include it with your gift and put the sealed envelope into a collection box.
You can view the Christian Aid Myanmar appeal here.
Thank you!
Shop Easter Closure
The Shop opening hours over the Easter weekend will be as follows:
Maundy Thursday - Closed 11:00am to 12:30pm
Good Friday - Closed all day
Holy Saturday - Open 10:00am to 3:00pm
EasterDay - Closed all day
Easter Monday - Closed all day
But you can stillshop online here.
Cathedral offices will also be closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday.
Cathedral Mailing Announcement
It is now five years since we first started sending out a Cathedral mailing sheet and some copies of sermons after Easter in 2020. It was clear that during lockdown a number of our Cathedral congregation and community weren’t able then to access updates and keep in touch online, or join in the virtual Sunday coffee sessions or services that the Ministry Team relayed from our homes.
Five years on, with many fewer people on our circulation list, we are now proposing to stop sending out this fortnightly mailing after a final Easter edition. One reason for this is practical: we know a number of people on our mailing list have email and can get our regular weekly Cathedral notices now. Sermons are also put on the Cathedral website each week. One reason for this, frankly, is financial: the Cathedral is still in deficit, and the price of postage, even franked mailing, means that the mailings cost something over £1000 each year. Sadly we are having to do everything we can to bring our expenditure down and increase our income.
We are offering still a simple printed version of the notices instead of a full mailing, which we can send out to people who cannot get online and would like to stay in touch. We are asking them to tell us that they would like this. We don’t want to lose contact with anyone! And of course we hope that everyone who has email will now opt to be included on the Cathedral electronic mailing to get the weekly notices.
5 years on we are thankfully in a very different place to when the mailings started. It has been so good to keep in touch with so many people this way through an anxious and vulnerable time, and good that we have many people supporting us and praying for us through this time. We are saying to everyone: please keep in touch with us – and, please, always get in touch if there are any concerns or needs or if we can pray for you specially, or anyone close to you.
Canon Jo
Chapter
Chapter met on Tuesday and approved the Annual Report and Accounts for 2024 which will be published in advance of the APCM. Chapter discussed standing items including committee minutes, finances and Safeguarding and received reports on the work and mission of the Cathedral. As part of it’s ongoing commitment to safeguarding time was spent in an assurance exercise on how the Cathedral meets the National Standards of the Church of England National Safeguarding Standards | The Church of England.
New Electoral Roll, Annual Meetings and Elections
The new Electoral Roll is now being compiled and will be on display in the Cathedral from 23 April until the APCM which is being held 6.30pm Thursday 22 May.
The Annual Meetings will include the Election of Churchwardens and one Deanery Synod Representative. An election of a non-executive member (trustee) of Chapter will take place in accordance with the Cathedral’s Statutes in May. Notification of the election and nomination process will be sent to all those on the Electoral Roll, Chapter and its committees on 24 April, with a role description available on the website. Further details will be published in the notices.
If you have any questions please speak to the Dean, one of the Canons or churchwardens or contact the Cathedral Offices.
Worship & Visiting
Every day, Portsmouth Cathedral is open for worship, prayer, and visiting. Unless otherwise specified, services do not require booking. Our website contains orders of service, as well as information about visiting the Cathedral.
Services this Sunday 13 April - Palm Sunday
8:00am - Holy Communion
9:30am - #PompeySundays
11:00am - Palm Sunday Procession of Palms and Sung Eucharist sung by Cathedral Choir (Boys) and Cathedral Consort (Procession begins from Grand Parade)
2:30pm - Anna Chaplaincy Holy Week Worship
5:45pm - Choral Evensong sung by the Cathedral Choir (Girls)
Subject to previously advertised in print media, next Saturdays Easter Eve Vigil starts at 8:00pm as opposed to 7:45pm.
Prayers & Intercessions
We pray for: all preparing for baptism and confirmation at Easter, including those from our Cathedral congregation and choirs: Sam and Pippa, Daniel, Thomas and Theo, India, Charlotte and Bea.
We remember the following for whom prayer has been asked by members of the Cathedral Community: Don, Peter, John, Elizabeth, Chris, Tom, Marion, Sheila and baby Lottie.
We continue to pray for the long-term sick, including: Phoebe, Spencer, Richard, Suzy, Jill, Alison, Mathai, Philip, Graeme, Alistair and all in need.
We remember those who have died recently, including:
Pat Valler, Richard Owen (Cathedral Requiem 12:00pm on Tuesday 15 April), Betty Lebbon (Cathedral funeral 2:00pm on Wednesday 23 April), Irene Morgan, Christine Evans, Judy Unwin and Rosie RIP.
Upcoming Services & Events
Getting in touch
Please feel free to get in touch if we can help in any way, or if you just want to hear another voice!
Get in touch with us by email to info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk or leave a message via phone on 023 9282 3300.
Have news or story you’d like to share? Submit a notice 📰