Weekly Notices | 4 December 2022
A reflection from Canon Anthony
In Advent we wait for the coming of Christ. St Bernard speaks of Christ coming to us in three ways.
Firstly, Christ comes to us in the past in the miracle of Christmas. The Christ child lying in the manger is the beginning of the account of the incarnation: God coming amongst us in human form. Christmas is about God being visibly close to us in the past.
Secondly, Christ comes to us in the future at the end of all things. Christians believe in, and hope for, a final reckoning of all things when all will be set in order according to God’s will. If Christmas represents God’s coming down to us, the final things are about human life being pulled into the divine life.
But what makes these two events matter is a third coming of Christ, says St Bernard. This third coming of Christ is the way in which Christ comes to us each day to make his dwelling in us. The other two ways point to our hope of divine life coming to us, so that we might share the life of God, but we feel the effect of these beliefs in our daily round of prayer and meditation as Christ becomes consciously present to us.
Advent and Christmas are times of great gladness, joy and hope for many, but also times at which we often feel and sense of loss and grief. The life of the cathedral over the coming weeks will be one of frenetic activity and joyous music. As we welcome our community to the cathedral, we pray that they may experience something of God’s dwelling in their lives this Christmas.
The Reverend Canon Dr. Anthony Rustell,
Residentiary Canon
Dates for your diary…
Taizé-style Service - 4 Dec
Parish Lunch Club - 5 Dec
Advent Course: Exploring Advent - 6 Dec
Holy Communion with prayers for Wholeness and Healing - 7 Dec 2022
The Cathedral Club - 8 Dec
Christmas Fair | Christmas 2022 - 10 Dec
Carols on the Green | Christmas 2022 - 10 Dec
Community News
Get your Christmas Fair Raffle Tickets today!
Raffle tickets for the Christmas Fair are available to purchase at the Cathedral Shop, don't miss out on your chance to win some fabulous prizes. With many thanks to Sheila and Marion who have gathered the following prizes generously donated by local businesses.
See prizes on our website →
2023 Budget approved by Chapter
On Wednesday night (30 November 2023) Cathedral Council received the 2023 budget that had previous been approved by Chapter.
Dean Anthony says, “I am grateful for the dedicated work and commitment of staff and volunteers over the past year – it is their commitment that is helping us to meet the objectives of the Vision and Strategy to be that beacon and safe haven. I am also grateful to Chapter for once again agreeing this year to meet the higher minimum hourly wage set by the National Living Wage Foundation. It’s an important statement of who are as a community”
Read more →
A warm welcome to a warm space
From Monday 28 November, Portsmouth Cathedral will be welcoming all to a ‘Warm Space’ in Becket Hall. Open Mondays (until March 2023, with a review in December 2022) from 10:00am to 3:30pm.
We hope to help people through the cold winter months – offering a warm welcoming space for anyone who wishes to come to spend time with other members of the community and meet new people, especially with the rising cost of energy and household bills.
Read more →
Donations for the Christmas Fair
Donations for our annual Christmas Fair are still needed, and greatly appreciated. We’re especially looking for chocolate donations, which can be handed to Carole King, Anne Wright or Rachael Forder as soon as possible.
Donations for stalls will be gratefully received from next Tuesday into the boxes that will be available in the north cloister.
See how you can get involved, and what donations we’re looking for →
The Roberts Centre - Family Friends Appeal
This year the Roberts Centre are once again looking for Family Friends to support those less fortunate this Christmas. Those who wish to contribute will be given basic details of the family they are supporting, gifts will be distributed the week of 12 December. You can choose how many people you would like to support, and can also donate supermarket food vouchers for Christmas dinners.
If you would like to contribute to the Family Friends appeal, please email Tara.Couper@robertscentre.org.uk at The Roberts Centre, for further information.
Worship & visiting
Portsmouth Cathedral is open daily for prayer, services and visiting. Booking is not required for services, unless otherwise indicated. You can find out more about visiting on our website, where you can also download orders of service.
No Choral Evensong – Monday 12 to Friday 16 December
From Monday 12, to Friday 16 December there will not be an Evensong service at 5:45pm, as we will be hosting a number of school carol services at this time. We appreciate your understanding, and welcome you to join us for another one of our services throughout the week.
Prayers and Intercessions
We remember the following for whom prayer has been asked by members of the Cathedral Community: Alan, Dave, Jean, Richard, Nina, Lucy, Beverley, Jill, Alistair, John, Gerald, David, Babs, Chris, Hermione and all those in need.
Long-term sick including: Suzy, Andrew, Peter, Graeme, Tom, Sarah, Izzy, Clifford, Christopher, Alison, Jane, and Rachel.
We pray for those who have died recently: Nadjia Carpenter, Baron Bedi, Dylan Gill, Georgina Affleck-Graves and Judith Smith 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 pastoral@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk or leave a message via phone on 023 9282 3300.
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