Something
strange happened to me at the start of the year—I came over all Delia
Smith-ish which is most unusual for me as my talents desert me (great
pun!) in the kitchen, and the best that family and friends can hope for
is that whatever I serve up for them for dinner is vaguely warm.
However as I type this Record at home I am in the middle of making some
Seville orange marmalade! I thought it would be cheap to buy the
ingredients, easy to make, better than shop-bought stuff and that it
could be sold at the car boot sales for a healthy profit for the
Cathedral. How wrong I was! Having trailed the length
and breadth of the City to find Seville oranges in the first place,
bought muslin and jars to put the stuff in and pretty little bits of
cloth to go over the top and labels, oh, and don’t forget a new
heavy-based saucepan and a funnel, I now find myself in a fine sticky
mess with bags of pips suspended from the pan and heavy cuts to my
fingers. I am not sure this was one of my best ideas. It
was supposed to be relaxing! Whilst the mixture is simmering I
shall get on.....
As
the Dean reported last week your giving in support of the Haiti appeal
was amazingly generous. As promised it was sent direct to the
Sisters of Charity Community in Haiti. Sister Joanna and Sister
Rita, both nurses and both from Liverpool are currently working in the
devastated area. Sr Joanna has sent an email to us which I think
I should share with you. It reads, ‘Hello, I have the opportunity
to use the internet. Life is different. We rise at 4.45am,
have Mass at 6.15am, then breakfast and work till 5.30pm.
The Provincial House is flattened. The Sisters are great and we
receive containers and trucks constantly, and part of our job is to
sort all the medicines and medical goods. It is endless. W
do clinic in the mornings for about 300 people. The city is
devastated, buildings flattened and the people are living everywhere,
some in makeshift tents and others in proper tents. There are so
many injured and so many handicapped I can’t imagine what the future
holds for them. Their courage is admirable and they have such
faith and hope. There is a constant wind, and the dust and dirt
is unimaginable. The rubbish is starting to pile up but so far
nobody is moving it. Pray the epidemics do not break out.
Must go, others are waiting for the computer.’ It puts our
problems into some kind of perspective doesn’t it? We are still
taking donations and will happily send them to the Sisters if you would
like us to.
This afternoon we are delighted to welcome the Air
Training Corps, Merseyside Wing, back to the Cathedral after a break of
some six years for their service of Thanksgiving, Celebration and
Dedication. Monsignor Cookson will be leading the Service for us and
the address will be given by the Bishop of St Asaph. The ATC
motto is ‘Venture Adventure’ which presumably reflects the excitement
and challenge which are the hallmarks of this organisation. No
doubt there will be lots of well pressed uniform and shiny boots around
the Cathedral, and I just hope the weather stays fine so they will be
able to do the March-Past on the Piazza following the
Service.
The
weather will also play an important part in the Civic Mass next Sunday
at 11.00am. We are well prepared for this annual service and have
had several meetings regarding protocol and processions in and out of
the Cathedral with the officers from the Town Hall. We want good
weather for the entrance procession of civic dignitaries along Mount
Pleasant but the rumour is we are in for arctic conditions again next
week which will be shame if we have to use the internal route—it is
just not as dignified. Plan A is always to use the external route
and a decision is always made on the morning of the Mass. A
couple of years ago no-one was sure who was actually making the
decision and there was some slight confusion as one group had been told
external and the other internal! You don't need to have a ticket
to attend the Mass or reception which this year is being held in the
Pontifical Hall and it would be nice to see as many there as
possible. Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of
Westminster will be presiding and preaching.
Something
strange happened to me at the start of the year—I came over all Delia
Smith-ish which is most unusual for me as my talents desert me (great
pun!) in the kitchen, and the best that family and friends can hope for
is that whatever I serve up for them for dinner is vaguely warm.
However as I type this Record at home I am in the middle of making some
Seville orange marmalade! I thought it would be cheap to buy the
ingredients, easy to make, better than shop-bought stuff and that it
could be sold at the car boot sales for a healthy profit for the
Cathedral. How wrong I was! Having trailed the length
and breadth of the City to find Seville oranges in the first place,
bought muslin and jars to put the stuff in and pretty little bits of
cloth to go over the top and labels, oh, and don’t forget a new
heavy-based saucepan and a funnel, I now find myself in a fine sticky
mess with bags of pips suspended from the pan and heavy cuts to my
fingers. I am not sure this was one of my best ideas. It
was supposed to be relaxing! Whilst the mixture is simmering I
shall get on.....
As
the Dean reported last week your giving in support of the Haiti appeal
was amazingly generous. As promised it was sent direct to the
Sisters of Charity Community in Haiti. Sister Joanna and Sister
Rita, both nurses and both from Liverpool are currently working in the
devastated area. Sr Joanna has sent an email to us which I think
I should share with you. It reads, ‘Hello, I have the opportunity
to use the internet. Life is different. We rise at 4.45am,
have Mass at 6.15am, then breakfast and work till 5.30pm.
The Provincial House is flattened. The Sisters are great and we
receive containers and trucks constantly, and part of our job is to
sort all the medicines and medical goods. It is endless. W
do clinic in the mornings for about 300 people. The city is
devastated, buildings flattened and the people are living everywhere,
some in makeshift tents and others in proper tents. There are so
many injured and so many handicapped I can’t imagine what the future
holds for them. Their courage is admirable and they have such
faith and hope. There is a constant wind, and the dust and dirt
is unimaginable. The rubbish is starting to pile up but so far
nobody is moving it. Pray the epidemics do not break out.
Must go, others are waiting for the computer.’ It puts our
problems into some kind of perspective doesn’t it? We are still
taking donations and will happily send them to the Sisters if you would
like us to.
The
weather will also play an important part in the Civic Mass next Sunday
at 11.00am. We are well prepared for this annual service and have
had several meetings regarding protocol and processions in and out of
the Cathedral with the officers from the Town Hall. We want good
weather for the entrance procession of civic dignitaries along Mount
Pleasant but the rumour is we are in for arctic conditions again next
week which will be shame if we have to use the internal route—it is
just not as dignified. Plan A is always to use the external route
and a decision is always made on the morning of the Mass. A
couple of years ago no-one was sure who was actually making the
decision and there was some slight confusion as one group had been told
external and the other internal! You don't need to have a ticket
to attend the Mass or reception which this year is being held in the
Pontifical Hall and it would be nice to see as many there as
possible. Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of
Westminster will be presiding and preaching.