Weekly Record

13 June 2009

The press, who seemed to have part identified and part talked us into recession, now seem to be trying to convince us that the recession is coming to an end and we can all carry on again as normal. Even if things are getting better the after effects of recession will be with us for a long time.

This weekend we have a Pastoral Letter from Archbishop Kelly regarding a different sort of recession in the life of the Diocese – the effects of which we will have to live with for an even longer time. At the heart of our faith is the Holy Eucharist and todays feast reminds us of that. We are a Eucharistic people and, unless there are valid excusing circumstances, we are bound to attend mass each Sunday. Sadly we have seen a considerable decline in regular attendance at Sunday Mass in our lifetimes and the number of priests serving the Diocese who preside at the Eucharist are decreasing at a similar, if not worse, rate. The Pastoral Letter sounds a warning note. Parishes used to boast about how many priests they had and the size of their congregations – now it is more how many parishes their priest serves. On a serious note it means that mass will not be as readily available with more parish churches having to share a Sunday Mass. This might not be news to most of you as we have been experiencing this developing for a number of years within the Diocese but the situation in the next few years will become more critical with every area being affected and having to work together more closely. I’m sure that there will come a time when the provision of masses at the Cathedral will be affected but at present we have a bountiful number of priests resident here – principally due to the proximity of the Royal Hospital and the provision of Chaplains to serve the hospital.

As a Cathedral community we have a duty to pray often for the Diocese, the Archbishop, and Bishops Tom and Vincent particularly as we face challenging and changing times ahead. Rather than this being a depressing situation it should force us all to work more closely together and to look beyond our own local and parochial concerns to the wider needs of the church. As the Archbishop points out in his letter those on the fringes of the church are sadly unaware of the present situation and expect everything to be as it was in the past. There are many factors affecting the decline in ordinations to the priesthood but it is a wonderfully challenging time for a young man to become a priest – the harvest is very rich and the labourers are getting fewer and older! Please come forward!

Ronaldo may have been sold for eighty million pounds and England remain unbeaten in their World Cup qualifying matches but more importantly for us our boys choir once again have won the annual choir schools football cup. We wouldn’t expect anything less - they take their practising very seriously when kicking the ball around the Cathedral grounds!

This Sunday afternoon Archbishop Kelly presides at the annual Mass for Children and their Families and those who lead the Childrens’ liturgy in parishes throughout the Diocese. Next Friday is the Feast of the Sacred Heart and at 7.30pm the Archbishop will Celebrate Mass in the Cathedral with all those priests who have Jubilees this year one of them being a Diamond Jubilee. Next Sunday nine children from the Cathedral parish will make their First Holy Communion at the 10am Mass in the Crypt – please remember them and their families in prayer. Also next Sunday there will be an Art market on the Cathedral Piazza from 12- 4 pm

Canon Anthony O'Brien
Cathedral Dean