Weekly Record
10th June 2007
 Ascending to the heights of the Cathedral is quite a complex business. You start by climbing to a certain point internally and then you go through a trap door to ascend the next section externally by means of a narrow, steep ladder on the roof. As you can imagine in even moderate winds this section of the climb becomes particularly tricky. The final section brings you back inside the roof of the Cathedral to wonderful views but a need to hold on tight to anything that is secured down. At the time of writing this, along with a number of our Security team, I am preparing for harness training so that we are able to climb to the roof of the Cathedral and able to accompany workmen and others who need access to this area. The words of the Lord to Peter ‘When you get old someone will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go’ seem to have taken on a whole new meaning for me.
Clerical issues seem to be the focus of the coming week at the Cathedral. At present there are approximately eighty priests living in retirement within the Archdiocese. Most of them live in purpose built accommodation around the Liverpool area. Some are still very active, despite their age, helping out in parishes when a priest is away or ill. But there are some who need nursing care or specialist services. The second collection this week is to support the needs of our priests in retirement.
This Sunday afternoon three men will be ordained as Permanent Deacons. Bishop Tom Williams will be presiding at the ordinations which will be at 3.00pm. In previous years there has been a mix of married candidates and those on their way to priesthood. It has always been a challenge to make sure that only those who are going on to be ordained a priest take the vow of celibacy. One year we nearly had all candidates taking this vow a number of them accompanied by their wives! Anyway this year fortunately doesn’t have this extra complication.
The final clerical occasion of the week is on Friday evening at 7.30pm. The Archbishop will be celebrating Mass here, on the Eve of the Feast of the Sacred Heart, with those priests who celebrate a Jubilee of Ordination this year. This year there is one diamond, two golden, four ruby and five silver. That sounds like an awful lot of priestly service to me. Congratulations to them all. At the same time as this English Heritage are staging a dinner dance in the Crypt. Definitely a group we need to keep on our side. Unfortunately I will not be here to welcome them and elicit their support for our future aspirations for the Crypt.
The no- smoking in public places ban will take effect shortly and I see that the Cathedrals nationally have been at the forefront of criticising the legislation that forces us to display notices regarding this in all our places of worship. Personally I felt that representation should have been made at an earlier stage. I am bemused by the next target for the governments health offensive-that of alcohol. Not so much at the concern regarding the amount drunk but rather the proposed solution. That of health warning on bottles of wine etc. Those who binge drink will not even see the label and those who drink in moderation will find it offensive – question is what category do we fall into?
Canon Anthony O'Brien
Cathedral Dean |
