November Cathedral News

The political conference season has just ended and there will be many, both politicians and non-politicians, who will be thankful it is all over. I am not sure that we are any clearer what their policies for next year’s election are, except that they want us to believe there is an enormous gulf between one party and another. Of course, the reality is that most elections are fought over the central ground of social and economic life and that, although attitudes and policies may differ slightly, the strategy is to build a stronger economy, a more caring society and a more peaceful world. I am sure that most politicians, of whatever party, would sign up for these aspirations.

For the politicians, however, the most difficult issue is one of trust, following the recent revelations of how MPs claimed expenses far in excess of what would normally be allowed in any business or commercial environment. They did not break any rules or the law in doing so but they did lose a great deal of respect. We, the voters, had hoped that when we elected people to Parliament, they would serve all their constituents to the best of their ability. Sadly, rightly or wrongly, all politicians are now seen in a poorer light, as seeking to serve themselves rather than their community.

Trust is a very important virtue. It is at the heart of all our relationships and, as human beings, we need to trust one another. But there is in our society a crisis of trust. Who can we trust? Too often we are let down by those we think we can trust. Those in authority, those who set themselves up as pillars of virtue, are too often seen as frail, weak and sometimes corrupt individuals. Even in our personal lives, trust between friends is essential and we feel badly hurt and vulnerable when that trust is broken. In marriage, trust between husband and wife is vital, and where that trust is undermined, it is very difficult to heal the relationship.

Can we trust anyone? This crisis of trust that afflicts our society is not helpful to people of faith. We are people who trust, who trust in a God who loves us and cares for us. But if we cannot trust our neighbour whom we can see, how can we trust God whom we have not seen?

Every Sunday we affirm “We believe in one God” in the Nicene Creed. We affirm our trust in God. Trusting in God is trusting in a way of life and love that has been revealed to us in the life of Jesus. The God whom Jesus showed us is the maker of heaven and earth, and is committed to relating to his creation. He is trustworthy in a way that no other object or person can be. He is the source of all that is and all that will be. If we are to fulfil our potential as human beings, we need to trust that God, that love is at the heart of all creation. If we can be sure of God then maybe we can slowly build our trust in those around us.

Richard Capper

The Losinga String Quartet will be giving a recital in aid of St Mary in the Marsh at 8.00 pm on Friday 20 November in the Hostry community room. The programme will include a variety of enjoyable pieces and tickets will be available from the beginning of November.
 

It is wonderful to think that we are now only days away from seeing the Hostry up and running! We had planned to have our lecture, Women at War to be given by Kate Adie on 29 October in the Community Room, but this is proving so popular that we have moved the venue and it will now take place in the Cathedral. There are still places, if you would like to come or bring a guest – tickets are free to Friends, and £5 each for guests.

Our second lecture The Painted Faces of Norfolk to be given on 26 November by Charlotte Crawley, will take place in the Community Room of the Hostry. This will be the first Friends’ lecture to be held there, so we are much looking forward to this event. Again, there are places still available, so if you would like to come, please ring the Office (218317).

If you are thinking about buying Christmas Cards, please do not forget that we have a good selection this year – three completely new designs, and still some old favourites! Friends will have already received a leaflet illustrating these cards, but they are also sold in the Cathedral Shop, the Forum and the Assembly House. If everyone could buy at least one pack, this would not only be additional income, but would also spread the word about the Friends.

Rosie Foottit
 

September 2009
Collections            2,396.98
Pledged donations 4,572.60

TOTAL                £6,969.58
 

Visitors to the shop will now find plenty of Christmas cards for family and friends, and we can supply you with stamps too. With our 2010 calendars nearly sold out, the space has been filled with some lovely Advent calendars and our Christmas table is full of nativity sets and gifts. Please do take a look before they all go. There are still a few tickets left for Alan Gray’s flower arranging demonstration on 25 November, or, if you are looking for an evening out, we have a limited number of tickets for a Christmas shopping event in association with the EDP on 10 December, and Hayley Westenra in concert on 14 December. Please ask in the shop for more details.

Jennie Smith
 

The next meeting of the Committee will take place in the Hostry at 7.15 pm on Tuesday 10 November. One of the items on the agenda will concern the annual Christmas card which is provided in the South Transept for members of the congregation to give seasonal greetings to those in the community and make a gift-aided charitable donation in lieu of the cost of personal cards and postage. It is hoped that, once again, we can make a meaningful contribution to one of the many charities seeking our support and we will be happy to consider any suggestions.

Michael Sargisson

With effect from Monday 2 November, Evensong in the Cathedral will be moved from 5.15pm to 5.30pm. The reason for this is that it will take some pressure off choir rehearsal times. It is also our hope that this new time will make it easier for those working in the city to join us for Evensong at the end of their working day.

Graham Smith

Full details of these and all other services are on the weekly Music Scheme sheet on display in the Cathedral. Sung services are sung by the Cathedral Choir unless otherwise indicated. Please visit the Cathedral website (www.cathedral.org.uk) for full details of all events.

Sunday 1 November All Saints’ Day
8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
9.15 am Holy Communion of St Mary in the Marsh
10.30 am Sung Eucharist
3.30 pm Festal Evensong
6.30 pm Compline

Monday 2 November All Souls’ Day
7.00 pm Solemn Requiem

Tuesday 3 November
1.15 pm Christian Meditation (St Catherine’s Chapel)

Wednesday 4 November
2.15 pm Pre-School Music Group (St Catherine’s Chapel)

Friday 6 November
9.30 am Forces Remembrance Service (North Transept
and St Andrew’s Chapel)

Saturday 7 November
11.00 am Diocesan Confirmations
2.00 pm Norfolk Yeomanry Act of Dedication (North Aisle)

Sunday 8 November Remembrance Sunday
8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
NB: No Family Communion
10.00 am Sung Eucharist
11.30 am Remembrance Service
Preacher: The Revd Professor Nigel Biggar,
Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology
and Canon of Christ Church Oxford
3.30 pm Evensong
6.30 pm Taize Service
Monday 9 November
6.15 pm Contemplative Prayer (St Catherine’s Chapel)
Tuesday 10 November
1.00 pm Preserving the oldest library in Christendom - talk
by Prof Nicholas Pickwoad (Library)
1.15 pm Christian Meditation (St Catherine’s Chapel)

Wednesday 11 November
2.15 pm Pre-School Music Group (St Catherine’s Chapel)

Thursday 12 November
7.30 pm Service of Remembrance - for those who have
died through drug/alcohol related problems

Sunday 15 November Second Sunday before Advent
8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
10.30 am Sung Eucharist
3.30 pm Evensong and Installation of the Rt Revd
Alan Winton as Bishop of Thetford
6.30 pm Compline

Monday 16 November
7.00 pm Prayer & Study Group (Prior’s Hall)

Tuesday 17 November
1.15 pm Christian Meditation (St Catherine’s Chapel)

Wednesday 18 November
2.15 pm Pre-School Music Group (St Catherine’s Chapel)
2.00 pm Broderers’ Guild - Behind the Scenes
workshop tour

Saturday 21 November
3.30 pm Evensong (sung by RSCM Voices)

Sunday 22 November Christ the King
8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
10.30 am Sung Eucharist Preacher: The Revd Canon
Phillip McFadyen
3.30 pm Evensong attended by Cathedral volunteers
6.30 pm Compline
Monday 23 November
6.15 pm Contemplative Prayer (St Catherine’s Chapel)

Tuesday 24 November
1.15 pm Christian Meditation (St Catherine’s Chapel)

Wednesday 25 Novembe
10.00 am In Anticipation of Christmas - flower arranging
demonstration with Alan Gray (Hostry) Tel: 01603 218321for details
2.15 pm Pre-School Music Group (St Catherine’s Chapel)

Saturday 28 November
(Visiting Choir - Christ Church, Eaton)
9.30 am Preparing for Christmas - Flowers for Advent
Workshop (Hostry classroom) Tel: 01603 218321
for details
3.30 pm Evensong (sung by visiting choir)

Sunday 29 November Advent Sunday
8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
9.15 am Family Communion
10.30 am Sung Eucharist
3.30 pm Evening Prayer
6.00 pm Advent Procession

Monday 30 November St Andrew
5.30 pm Festal Evensong

Donations given on the evening of 17 September when Win Sutton spoke to the Group enabled us to send £110 to the Mothers’ Union. Thanks to all who supported this evening. The committee will meet soon to discuss the programme for 2010. If you are aware of any local charities that are not generally known about or need special support in 2010, please ring 01603 717248.

Sylvia Dadd

Advent Supper Friday 27 November: Advent can easily be overlooked in the preparations for Christmas so it is good to have the opportunity to share a meal together as the Cathedral community to mark the start of the season. You are invited to supper (a 2 course meal with coffee) in the Refectory on Friday 27 November 7.00 for 7.30 pm. There will also be a raffle in aid of Quidenham Children's Hospice. - offers of prizes to Miss Brenda Lemon, please. Tickets can be obtained from Angela Capper (01603 665210 or acapper@hotmail.co.uk) and John Hudson (01603 661437) and after the service on Sunday mornings.
 

This event which is being organized jointly by the Cathedral International Links Group and the Group for Social Concerns will take place from 10.30 am to 2.00 pm in the Hostry. We are raising money for the Hamlet Centre Trust, Leeway Womens’ Aid and the home for the elderly at the Beteli Centre in Georgia. There will also be a Traidcraft stall and charity Christmas cards on sale. Entrance is free. Tea/coffee and home-made cake, £1.00; home-made soup, bread and butter, £1.20 - served from 12 noon to 1.30 pm.

We would be grateful for donations to the following stalls:-
Books/CDs/DVDs/Videos: Audrey & David Talks - tel: 664516
Cakes: Dorothy Spry - tel: 610472
Preserves: Sylvia Dadd - tel: 717248
Accessories: Joyce Hilling - tel: 619039
Tombola: Michael Honeybone - tel: 490171
It would help Michael if donations for the Tombola could be given before the event. Cakes and preserves should be clearly labelled and, if possible, ingredients listed. This will be the first fundraising event in the Hostry and we hope it will be well-supported.
 

Sylvia Dadd

Hungate Medieval Art, based in the church of St Peter Hungate, will inaugurate a series of Hungate Lectures on 1 December when Loyd Grossman will speak on “English Parish Churches – the next 1000 years.”  The lecture will take place at 6.00 pm in the Hostry.  Tickets are available from St Peter Hungate or from the Cathedral Shop price £10.00 (£5.00 concession for students and over 60s), with a limited number of premium tickets at £15.00. These include an invitation to meet Loyd Grossman at a reception in St Peter Hungate after the lecture – wine and mince pies will be served.  As chairman of the Trustees, I hope the Hungate Lectures will raise the profile of the work we are doing at St Peter’s, help us to increase our funds and focus the minds of as wide an audience as possible on the care and conservation of historic places of worship.  

Perhaps best known as a cookery writer and television presenter, Loyd Grossman is also a keen student of medieval art and architecture, and currently Chairman of The Churches Conservation Trust which this year celebrates forty years of care for churches no longer in regular use for worship. He is a former Commissioner of the Museums and Galleries Commission, of English Heritage, and of the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England as well a founding member of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. In 2003 he was appointed OBE in recognition of his heritage work.

Loyd Grossman’s unique combination of wide experience in the heritage preservation world and the light touch required of an entertainer and television personality means that we should be in for a very enjoyable and thought-provoking lecture.  With over six hundred medieval parish churches in our diocese, we should be keenly interested to share his vision for the future of these world-class buildings.

Jeremy Haselock

Now in its third year, this popular annual event will be taking place at the Cathedral on 11, 12 and 13 December giving shoppers the opportunity to buy Christmas presents with a difference. Quality traders and merchants, in lavish costume and from all four corners of Britain, will be offering a wide variety of unique gifts and hand-made goods from their traditional stalls, in the atmospheric and specially-lit Cloister Walks. A programme of events will also be taking place over the 3 day period. Minstrels and entertainers from across the 2 millennia will be performing and demonstrating a fabulous selection of instruments and tunes, as well as dances and tales from the past. The Guild of Historical Interpreters will have costumed characters selling their wares and culinary delights including mulled wine and a hog roast will also be on sale.

Opening times for the Fayre are 10.00 am - 5.00 pm on Friday and Saturday, 12 and 13 December, and 12.00 noon – 5.00 pm on Sunday 14 December.
 

Earlier this year a small group from Norwich Cathedral joined with a group from Fecamp Abbey for some joint study on Paul and his letter to the Philippians. Next year we are planning a joint study weekend at Walsingham on 23-26 April. We will be participating in the pilgrim services at the Shrine and will be studying the Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission’s report on Mary. If you are interested in taking part in the weekend, there will be an opportunity to prepare with two study evenings on Monday 18 January and Monday 8 February, both at 7.00 pm. We will ensure that in our studies there will be no requirement to understand French! Translation will always be given when we are learning alongside our French fellow-Christians. Please ask Canon Richard Capper for a booking form.
 

Richard Capper

Weds 25 November - 10.00 am-12.30 pm: The wonderful new Hostry Community Room will be the venue for a spectacular flower arranging morning “In Anticipation of Christmas” with Alan Gray - complete with Christmas refreshments. Alan is co owner of the renowned East Ruston Old Vicarage Gardens; he also writes an EDP gardening feature and is a broadcaster for local radio. His arrangements will be raffled off at the end of the event. Tickets at £20 to include light refreshments, or at £30, to include a light hot lunch with wine and coffee, are available from the Cathedral Shop.

Sat 28 November - 9.30 am - 12.30 pm: If you’ve been inspired by Alan Gray – why not try making your own Advent and Christmas decorations at a Preparing for Christmas - Flowers for Advent workshop with tutor, Christine Hewson.

Sat 21 November - 10.00 am - 4.00 pm: With Christmas in Mind A chance to make your own individual Christmas presents at a day workshop with tutor, Sue Scheller Using the simple but very decorative technique of felting, we will be making small purses, bags and corsages as well as simple decorations on a Christmas theme. No experience necessary and great fun. The cost is £35 to include Christmas refreshments.

We will be using the new Hostry Classroom facilities for both these sessions. To book a place contact Jill Napier - e-mail communitylearning@cathedral.org.uk or call 01603 218321

More details about December events including the Christingle Service and Craft Trail on Saturday 5 December, the Cathedrals Express Steam Train service on Saturday 19 December, and Community Carol Singing on Monday 21 December can be obtained from the Cathedral website - www.cathedral.org.uk and will appear in the December newsletter.
 

WEEK BEGINNING
01 Nov Canon Haselock 01603 218314
08 Nov Canon Capper 01603 665210
15 Nov Canon Doll 01603 218336
22 Nov Canon Doll 01603 218336
29 Nov Canon Haselock 01603 218314

Traditional Christmas Lunches served in the Cathedral Refectory throughout December from £7.95

Evening Party Events
Canapé reception - £9.95 per head
3 course dinner - £18.50 per head
Room hire charge - £250 inc VAT

For further details and to book, tel 01603 318322

Items for the December issue must be received
by 9 am on Wednesday 18 November

PLEASE NOTE THAT, WHEREVER POSSIBLE,
CONTRIBUTIONS SHOULD BE TYPED (Font Arial 16 pt) AND EMAILED AS AN ATTACHMENT TO:
astevenson@cathedral.org.uk

Otherwise, please address your contributions to
The Dean’s PA at No 12 The Close