Weekly Record

Welcome to all who join us this Sunday morning for the Annual St Edwards Mass and others who will come later that day for the talk by Right Honourable Andy Burnham Secretary of State for Health and who will stay for the Mass for those working in healthcare celebrated by Bishop Tom Williams. It’s a busy day in the Cathedrals calendar. I’m informed that there is also a Green Market at the far end of Hope Street (incorporating the monthly Farmers Market) on Sunday which may be of interest for anyone who has not had time to get anything in for lunch or evening meal.

The phantom Easter chocolate ‘snaffler’ in Cathedral House seems to have reappeared but has morphed and developed a taste for blue cheeses. The most daring raid seems to have taken place last week when Monsignor Cookson had a large, unopened wedge of Stilton cheese and a half bottle of port snatched from his tiny store in the kitchen. A few lines of enquiry have still to be followed up but if this proves fruitless it is probably a case for Wallace and Grommit.

Now that our recent major work projects are finished life has settled down to dealing with small repairs and maintenance. Although small in Cathedral terms is a slight understatement! It can be quite therapeutic having to become knowledgeable about money counting machines – our existing machine, having reached a grand old age is dying if not already dead – and, types of padding for church kneelers, and checking the condition of the concrete and the external fascias etc. Just when I was beginning to think that there would be no more grand schemes for many years a chance phone call and e-mail has cast doubt on this theory. The Public Realm works on Brownlow Hill are now completed but I have been sent copies of a planned application for similar works to take place on Mount Pleasant including changes to the junction with Hope Street. This, if it goes ahead, will have a significant impact on the Cathedral environs and will greatly enhance the area – though it will provide challenges for traffic management. Mind you driving along our section of Mount Pleasant most evenings is a pretty risky business these days. The other possibility is yet another phase of Science Park building within our site in the location of their existing car park on Great Orford Street. So it looks as though we are going to be poring over architects plans for some time to come.

The Catholic Deans Annual Conference takes place this week with Salford Diocese hosting us all. It is always a good opportunity to catch up on news from Dioceses across the country. I’m sure there will be an opportunity to get an accurate picture of how the recent visit of the Relics of St Therese went at the various venues north and south and also to hear whether the appointment of two new Archbishops to Westminster and Birmingham has brought about any changes to the regimes in two of the other Metropolitan Cathedrals.

Next Saturday there will be a half day of Recollection at the Cathedral for those who are Hospital Volunteers at the Royal as part of the Chaplaincy Team. Next Sunday is the Feast of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

Canon Anthony O’Brien
Dean of the Cathedral