The invitations went out for the Annual Civic Mass, which is to be held on 3rd February, last week and responses have been pouring in this week. Events such as this take a great deal of organisation - the gathering of invitation lists, the posting and replies involve a great deal of hard work and co-ordination. We rely on various sources as well as our own lists to make sure that no-one is missed out but inevitably mistakes occur. So this week I have received notes informing me that the person moved from this address or has died or is no longer holding an official position etc. I apologise for the inconvenience or upset this may have caused. Having accurate, up to date, address lists is something we try very hard to achieve but keeping up to date is virtually impossible. Those who may have received two Christmas Cards from me this year now understand why. The only consolation in all this is that the Lord Mayors Office lists and those of the Judiciary are no more accurate than our own.
Next Sunday will be a busy day for both Cathedrals with the visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Holocaust Memorial Service affecting us both. Archbishop Kelly will celebrate the 8.30am mass that day as he will be attending the Holocaust events later at the Philharmonic. I will be over at the Anglican Cathedral for the morning Service at 8.10 am which will be broadcast live on Radio 4. (Which will mean the normal tedium of run throughs and sound checks on the previous day.) Archbishop Kelly will be back to preside at Choral Evening Prayer at 5pm. The Merseyside Church Leaders, Chapter of Canons and Choirs of both Cathedrals and a large congregation will join in a shared service of prayer and praise at the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity at which the Archbishop of Canterbury will preach. My prayer is that all goes well and the TV don’t decide to turn up at the last minute to cover part of the service!
The work on the construction of the lift has resumed following the New Year and from the beginning of February the East Apse in the Cathedral (next to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel) will be enclosed with hoardings to enable the work to continue at Cathedral level. Over the next few months the flooring and staircase in the Apse will need to be adapted to make it possible for the entrances and corridor to be constructed which will lead to the lift and staircase providing direct access down to the Crypt level. The works to improve the external entrance to the West Side of the Crypt are almost complete but there is still a considerable amount of work to be carried out within the Crypt Chapel. The area is being re-wired along with the other Halls in the Crypt and internal lighting and sound systems will be improved. In view of this we will continue to use the Blessed Sacrament Chapel for weekday masses only returning to the Crypt Chapel for the weekday 12.15 mass when all the internal works are complete.
The invitations went out for the Annual Civic Mass, which is to be held on 3rd February, last week and responses have been pouring in this week. Events such as this take a great deal of organisation - the gathering of invitation lists, the posting and replies involve a great deal of hard work and co-ordination. We rely on various sources as well as our own lists to make sure that no-one is missed out but inevitably mistakes occur. So this week I have received notes informing me that the person moved from this address or has died or is no longer holding an official position etc. I apologise for the inconvenience or upset this may have caused. Having accurate, up to date, address lists is something we try very hard to achieve but keeping up to date is virtually impossible. Those who may have received two Christmas Cards from me this year now understand why. The only consolation in all this is that the Lord Mayors Office lists and those of the Judiciary are no more accurate than our own.
Next Sunday will be a busy day for both Cathedrals with the visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Holocaust Memorial Service affecting us both. Archbishop Kelly will celebrate the 8.30am mass that day as he will be attending the Holocaust events later at the Philharmonic. I will be over at the Anglican Cathedral for the morning Service at 8.10 am which will be broadcast live on Radio 4. (Which will mean the normal tedium of run throughs and sound checks on the previous day.) Archbishop Kelly will be back to preside at Choral Evening Prayer at 5pm. The Merseyside Church Leaders, Chapter of Canons and Choirs of both Cathedrals and a large congregation will join in a shared service of prayer and praise at the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity at which the Archbishop of Canterbury will preach. My prayer is that all goes well and the TV don’t decide to turn up at the last minute to cover part of the service!