Weekly Record

28 June 2009

We are at the halfway point of the Wimbledon fortnight and following comments from the sports minister this week regarding the dirth of British players progressing beyond the opening round in the championship someone rang in to suggest that the Cathedral should do something to help the situation. It was all centred round holding a tennis tournament for young people to encourage tennis in our local schools. I’m sure the local LTA are doing all in their capacity to make this happen and I’m not sure the sight of me on a tennis court would inspire any young person to take up the sport. There is always a dilemma during Wimbledon though. My contention is that highlights on the TV in the evening are no substitute for watching the live match – the highlights don’t involve you in the highs and lows of a game and the uncertainties and twists and turns that can happen. A bit like the difference between an occasional faith and a daily, living, relationship with the Lord. Anyway, the dilemma is whether to sneak off during the day to watch the live matches and say I’m at a meeting or to be subjected to bland highlights. What do you think?

Many parishes will be facing changes of Parish Priest this Summer as we enter the period for clergy moves or the ‘transfer market’ as it is referred to. Here at the Cathedral there will be some changes of Clergy personnel. Fr Michael will be moving on at the end of August to pastures new after serving at the Cathedral for the last six years . He will be replacing Fr John Gorman as full time chaplain to Broadgreen Hospital and senior Catholic Chaplain to the Hospital Trust. He will not be replaced, which leaves Frs Ian and Andrew as chaplains to the Royal. Fr Jose, who has been on a three year placement here from his Diocese in the Phillipines, will return home in September but he will be replaced by another Filipino priest on a fixed term placement. Hence we will have a slightly diminished line up of priests for the Autumn.

This Sunday afternoon Bishop Williams will confer the Sacrament of Confirmation on 170 candidates during Evening Prayer on the Feast of Sts Peter and Paul at 3pm. During the week I am attending a lecture for priests entitled ‘Waking the Dead’ not sure if that is meant to be interpreted literally or metaphorically and whether it refers to the clergy or everyone else!

Last Saturday Shrewsbury Diocese held their annual Diocesan Mass at the Cathedral to mark the end of the Year of St Paul. As it is the Feast this weekend I quote from Bishop Brian Noble’s foreword to the Mass as a thought for today. “Over the course of this Year many of us have come to a deeper appreciation of St Paul. Listening Sunday by Sunday to extracts from the various Letters he wrote to the fledgling churches he fostered is no easy involvement. One wonders what those first recipients of his words made of his sometimes complex thought! What they could not fail to capture would be his commitment, his enthusiasm and his total dedication to the crucified and risen Lord. That too has undoubtedly been a rich consequence of this year now ending. With Paul as guide may we pledge ourselves anew to putting on the mind and heart of Christ.”

Canon Anthony O'Brien
Cathedral Dean