A reflection from David Price

This week I have been playing for University of Portsmouth. It’s been wonderful to see The Class of 2020 get their long-delayed chance to graduate as they walk across the Guildhall stage, their name is read from the university roll and they are greeted by The Chancellor.

These days the more traditional academic subjects like English Literature and Geography are joined by disciplines like Dentistry, Criminology, Computer Science and this year, of all years, Nursing. The University of Portsmouth has a good tradition of degrees with strong vocational elements. A fine way to teach, to learn and to practice.

This week has also seen us mark the 100th birthday of one of our own community, Marnie who has lived in the shadow of the cathedral for over seventy years and with her late husband Julian served the cathedral faithfully in many and varied ways.

As this Sunday’s Gospel tells us,

‘It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many’

How are we to best serve in our own time and setting? Whether as nurses, dentists, artists or volunteers? How is God calling you to witness that faith spoken of in the Upper Room?

Next week will see The Class of 2021 take their walk across the Guildhall stage. We congratulate all the Portsmouth graduates on their remarkable achievement and application to study and work at this time and all that they will contribute to society in future years.

We have missed their presence in the city for much of the last two years and we hope for better times ahead for them, our University and Cathedral community at large.

Dr. David Price,
Organist & Master of the Choristers

Community News

Changes to services and visiting the Cathedral

After the recent announcement from the Prime Minister regarding the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, we have been reviewing what these changes mean for services and visiting the Cathedral over the coming weeks and months.

We understand that changes to guidance may come as concern to some members of our community, especially those who are vulnerable or still shielding. These concerns have been taken into consideration for how we operate going forward from Monday, 19 July, ensuring all feel safe as we open our building further for services and visitors.

Over recent months we have been pleased to safely reopen the Cathedral for services, sight-seeing and private prayer. Changes have been made incrementally allowing us to evaluate alterations, and we will continue this process through conducting a transition period between 19 July and 1 September. This transition period will allow us to make adjustments that ensures the Cathedral is a welcoming safe space for all, whether you are fully vaccinated or still shielding.

“We are very aware that the announcement of the ending of Covid restrictions has resulted in a range of reactions, from delight to anxiety. Over the summer our aim is to strike a balance between benefiting from the new situation and ensuring everyone who comes to the Cathedral feels safe and welcome. Further changes will follow, after careful review, in September.’ The Very Revd Dr Anthony Cane, Dean of Portsmouth.

From Monday

• We plan to open the Cathedral from 10am-3pm during the week

• Toilet and baby changing facilities will reopen

• Face coverings will now be voluntary, but still encouraged in the Cathedral and during services

• Social distancing between other household groups will still be encouraged

• Check in for track and trace will still be encouraged

• Hand sanitiser will still be available for use throughout the building
  

• Morning Prayer will continue online

• Monday-Friday Midday Eucharists will continue in the Cathedral

• Evening Prayer will continue online, except when there is Choral Evensong, which will be in the building (see here for dates)

• Pre-booking on Eventbrite will no longer be needed for Sunday Services (unless otherwise stated)

Further changes will be announced (e.g., congregational singing) when new guidance is available from the Church of England and the Government. We will also let you know about planned changes from 1 September, including the return of Morning Prayer to the Cathedral, followed by a Morning Eucharist.

We hope that this transition period will make all who visit feel safe and welcome, ensuring we stay on-track into the Autumn when all adults will have been offered a second vaccination.

If you have any questions or queries about the transition period or changes to visiting the Cathedral, please don’t hesitate tocontact us.

Are you a Climate Change Champion?

In March 2019 Portsmouth City Council declared a Climate Emergency, committing to making our city carbon neutral by 2030. To help oversee this ambitious goal they set up the Portsmouth Climate Action Board, you can find out more about them on their website.

These goal aligns with the Church of England’s target to be Carbon Neutral by 2030 as well as work taking place within our own Deanery and in the Cathedral on tackling climate change.

Within the Portsmouth Deanery a New Christian Climate Action Group for Portsmouth is being formed. There will be informal Zoom meetings on 27 July at both 11am and 7:30pm. Part of the meeting will explore what we can contribute to the forthcoming Portsmouth Climate Festival scheduled for October. If you would like to attend please email info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk

As part of our new Vision and Strategy, the Cathedral has committed to becoming an A Rocha Silver Eco Church within the next 12 months before moving on to work to achieve Gold status and then Carbon Neutral by 2030. To do this we need your help. We’re looking for a volunteer Climate Change Champion to help lead our efforts to become a Carbon Neutral Cathedral by 2030, if not before!

If you’re interested in working with us on new and innovative Climate Change projects please email info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk to register your interest for further information.

General Synod Elections

Are you being called to stand for Synod? Elections for General Synod, the ‘parliament’ of the Church of England, are being held soon. If you are interested, full details are available on the General Synod Elections page on The Church of England website.

New Bishop Selection: Crown Nominations Committee Meets

Tuesday and Wednesday this coming week sees the second of two meetings of the CNC to begin the final stages of selecting the next Bishop of Portsmouth.

At this meeting candidates will be interviewed by members of the CNC. The Committee will then make a recommendation to the Government who will pass that recommendation onto the Queen for approval.

As we give thanks for the ministry of Bishop Christopher and for the episcopal oversight of our Commissary Bishop, Bishop Rob, let us keep the members of the CNC and the candidates to be our next bishop in our prayers during this time of discernment.

Heavenly Father,
In your Son, Jesus Christ,
the whole Body of the Church is joined together as one
with Christ as the Head,
Be with us, by your Holy Spirit,
as we pray for the appointment of a new bishop.
Preserve our unity and guide all involved in the appointment process,
and especially at this time, the members of the Crown Nominations Committee
that with prayer and honest reflection,
they may discern your will
that your Kingdom may come,
in this diocese, and in the world
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Safeguarding Senior Leadership Pathway training – 29 July 2021

The Dean and Canon Chancellor will participate in the last of the three-part Church of England safeguarding course for senior leaders on Thursday, 29 July 2021. The Canon Precentor, Organist and Master of Choristers and the Chief Operating Officer will complete this third session on Tuesday, 31 August 2021

Update from Chapter

Chapter met on Tuesday, 6 July for a regular meeting. Tricolor Associates, who have been working with the Cathedral since autumn 2020 presented a detailed report of their work to date. Tricolor are an award-winning agency working as change management practitioners with clients across the religious and heritage sectors, 100% funded by the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage. In addition to their work with us they are also working with Durham and Truro cathedrals, as well as Newport Minster on the Isle of Wight. Locally they have worked with the D-Day Museum, the National Museum of the Royal Navy, and the Portsmouth Naval Development Trust.

Tricolor, were charged with helping us to identify mechanisms to improve our short, medium and long-term financial position and recognition in the wider community (for example brand position). Their review includes 10-year budget planning, a review of the Cathedral’s property portfolio, a review of how we use our space for events alongside an analysis of the population living with in 45-minute drive of the Cathedral and how we might better engage with them. Chapter is considering the findings and it is planned to report back to the congregation in late autumn.

Chapter also reviewed the preliminary outcomes and learnings from the recent SCIE safeguarding audit with the final report due early in the autumn, Chapter renewed theAnnual Safeguarding Policy and Statement. Plans were discussed for the upcoming Peer Review scheduled for February 2022 with more detailed preparation scheduled in for the autumn.

Reports were received from the Executive members of Chapter, Canon Jo and Canon Kathryn, as well as a report from the Chief Operating Officer. The management accounts to the end of June (half year) were reviewed and it was noted that continued restraint on spending will be necessary to meet the £110,000 forecast deficit for 2021.

Cathedral Shop News

We are pleased to report that our refreshed product offering in theCathedral Shop continues to gain popularity as Covid restrictions are relaxed. Just in the months of May and June alone, we have seen a 375% increase in sales compared to the January to April 2021 period, and this is before the further relaxation of Covid restrictions and the busy summer period.

This is an amazing achievement, and possible thanks to the dedicated work of our volunteers led by Crystal Gale. We thank them for their commitment to the Cathedral and the warm welcome they provide to all our visitors. We simply could not do it without you!

We’re also so grateful for the support of our customers, old and new, every purchase you make in our shop supports our Cathedral for generations to come. As well as new product offerings and our online shop, we’re continuing to work with local crafts people to design and build bespoke shop furniture and fittings. Those who can’t wait for the festive period will be pleased to know we’re working on some very special new products for the Christmas period. We can’t wait to share our Christmas range with you in the Autumn, including a new item inspired by the Golden Barque!

If you would like to volunteer with our Cathedral Shop team, or for another role in the Cathedral, please email Crystal or Canon Kathryn.

Confirmations

Please hold in your prayers Paul Cogley and Ronald Rabbetts, who were confirmed together with other candidates from our diocese in the Cathedral last Wednesday.

Records And Information Governance Vacancy Update

The application deadline for this role closed on 27 June 2021, unfortunately we were unable to proceed to the interview stage at this time. We will be readvertising this position in early September. The recruitment and salary costs for this post are met through funding from the Cathedral Sustainability Fund, we are most grateful for their continued support of our work and mission.

Worship and Visiting

Portsmouth Cathedral is now fully open for prayer, services and visiting. From Monday 19 July, booking is no longer required for any of our services unless otherwise stated. Many of our services are broadcast on our live page and Facebook. Find out more on our website and download orders of service.

We continue to take every precaution to reduce the spread of coronavirus, including the encouragement wearing of face masks and social distancing. We also request anyone visiting the Cathedral now needs to check in with the NHS Covid-19 app. Find out more on our Covid-19 information page.

Please see our recent Covid-19 update on our website, about the changes to expect from 19 July and the transition period we are entering to ensure you visit is as safe as possible.

Pastoral Principles for Living and Learning Well Together

For the next four weeks at #PompeySundays, we will be considering the Church of England's Pastoral Principles for Living and Learning Well Together. These invite us to consider how we can listen well and treat each other with respect, even when we disagree, and encourages us to find creative ways to grow and learn together in the love of Christ. All are welcome to come and join in.

This week, in the second of our series, we will be looking at listening and speaking: addressing ignorance and paying attention to power.

#PompeySundays is our new service, held at 9:30am every Sunday in the Cathedral

Prayers and Intercessions

All those affected by COVID-19

We remember the following for whom prayer has been asked by members of the Cathedral Community: Trevor, Derek, Clare, Mervyn, Beverley, Richard, Aaron, Jane, Alan, Libby, Jennifer, John, Catherine, Brenda and all those in need.

Long-term sick including: Alison, Graeme, Christopher, Clifford, Jane, Johnny, Melissa, Andrew, Jenny, Suzy, Sarah, Bob, Michael, Rita, Shirley and Izzy.

We pray for those who have died recently: John Brunning, Paul Robert,

Stuart Griffiths, David Brown and Linda Banting RIP.

Upcoming Services and Events

Bible Discussion Group – Thursdays, 7:00pm

This week the group will look at looking at 1 Samuel 25-28. New members are always welcome; you do not need to have attended the group before.

Join us on Zoom
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Portsmouth Our Place - Open Daily

Come explore and interact with our 3D Jigsaw Model of Portsmouth made by 10 local schools. Each school has created a piece of the jigsaw that is a representation of their local area, and also includes an aspirational element for how they would like their area to develop.

You can find the model is in the Welcome Area, please use headphones to listen to the films and content.

Find out more

Toddler Group Meet-Up - 21 July, 1:30pm

Toddlers will be meeting in the garden of the Portsmouth Museum (PO1 2LJ) on Wednesday, 21 July, at 1:30pm for playtime, a story, and a chance to chat and catch up. All welcome; please bring your own refreshments. (We will unfortunately have to cancel if there is wet weather.)

Moon & Stars Memories Walk - 31 July, 7:00–10:00pm

Portsmouth Cathedral thrilled to be participating again in the Moon and Stars Memories Walk. Supporting the Rowans Hospice, join hundreds of other walkers 31 July at Castle Field, Southsea. The Cathedral will be open from 7pm–10pm for participants who wish to light a candle, pray or just talk.

Find out more

Portsmouth and Hampshire Art Society Exhibition – Open daily, 31 July–11 August

Members of the Portsmouth and Hampshire Art Society are delighted to showcase their one hundred and twelfth exhibition, founded in 1909 by the renowned marine artist W. L. Wylie. See over 400 pieces exhibited in the Nave of the Cathedral by artists both amateur and professional.

Find out more