October Cathedral News

Patience has never been my strongest point. As the construction of the new Cathedral Hostry - Visitor & Education Centre has followed its course over the last few months, we have all been impatient to see it completed and ready for hand-over. I am delighted to say that we expect this to happen during October and, all being well, by the end of the month it should be open for public access. The opening of the Hostry concludes a project which has dominated Cathedral life since 1998. Hopkins Architects have designed two magnificent buildings. the Refectory and the Hostry, to stand on the site of their medieval predecessors. As in the monastic era, the two buildings will play a key part in Cathedral life, both now and for future generations. The ability to welcome people, look after them, feed them, provide opportunities for learning and discovery and sustain the musical reputation - all these things and more will be made possible in new and exciting ways through our new buildings.

I am confident that Norfolk people will quickly feel the same sense of pride in the Hostry that they do in the Cathedral Refectory. Like the Refectory, the Hostry has been built to the highest standards of design and build quality. During the week, our visitors will access the Cathedral via the new Hostry. They will enter through the medieval doorway into a large light and airy Atrium space where they will be greeted by our Welcome team. They will then move through the large exhibition hall where there will be plenty of space to relax and enjoy the exhibition currently on display. Moving through a short glass passage-way, visitors will then enter the Locutory where they will encounter the “donation point”. Cathedral staff will be positioned at a desk with a till and visitors will be asked to make a donation. We anticipate that the majority will do so gladly but for those who prefer not to, there will always be the opportunity to access the Cathedral freely and without challenge. Our policy remains the same, namely to ask for a donation rather than making a charge. The Locutory, with its magnificent medieval barrel-vaulted ceiling will be transformed and within its beautiful space, there will be flat screens and a wall projection illustrating the life of the Cathedral and Diocese.

Without doubt, the opening of the Hostry will alter the way the Cathedral operates on a daily basis. Staff and volunteers have been working hard, for several months, planning for the new arrangements, and we anticipate that some of our procedures will need to be reviewed and amended as time goes on. It is important we should all be patient and understanding in this period of transition and it is particularly important that we should support our staff and volunteers.

I hope that we will be able to organize a Service of Thanksgiving and a formal opening of both buildings early in the New Year. Arrangements for this have yet to be finalized but when this happens it will be a cause of great rejoicing and thanksgiving to God. We give thanks for the extraordinary generosity of individuals, businesses, trusts and, not least, the Friends of Norwich Cathedral who have been enthusiastic and supportive from the outset. With our wonderful new facilities we will be faithful to that command of St Benedict - “to receive our guests as if we were receiving Christ himself”.

Graham Smith

On the opening of the Hostry to the public, Susan Brown, the Cathedral Office Receptionist at 12 The Close will be moving across to the Atrium.  She will continue to act as Receptionist from her base in the Hostry but will also take on responsibility for the administration of event bookings.  Day-to-day operational oversight of the Hostry will be undertaken by Sue Ball, the Cathedral’s Operations Manager.
 

Creative Courses for Autumn Bookings are still being taken for the two workshops - Julian – Who was She?: Weds 7 October, and Photography For All: Sat 17 October. Both courses run from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm. For more information and to book, contact Jill Napier on 01603 218321 or e-mail communitylearning@cathedral.org.uk

Looking ahead to November and Christmas events:-
Preparing for Christmas - Flowers for Advent Saturday 28 November 9.30 am - 12.30 pm. Make your own Advent Wreath and floral decorations for Christmas. Bring foliage and flowers but other materials will be supplied. Cost: £20
In Anticipation Of Christmas - with Alan Gray (from East Ruston Old Vicarage Gardens) Wednesday 25 November 10.00 am - 12.30 pm A high octane flower demonstration delivered with wit and verve and a real pre-Christmas treat. Alan’s outstanding arrangements will be raffled at the end. Tickets: £30 to include light lunch and refreshments.
The Christmas Table Saturday 19 December 9.30 am -12.30 pm. Make the perfect table centre and other floral decorations for Christmas. Cost: £20

For more information, contact Jill Napier on (01603) 218321, (e-mail - communitylearning@cathedral.org.uk) or take a look at the listings in the “Learning” section on the Cathedral website - www.cathedral.org.uk.
 

The Minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 9 September are available on the South Transept noticeboard and, in view of the various activities and matters of interest, it is hoped that everyone will take time to read and digest the contents. As usual, an identified member of the Committee will be present after the morning Eucharist on the first Sunday of each month, to take forward to the next meeting any comments which you may wish to make.

Michael Sargisson

This now well-established annual event will take place from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm in the Cathedral on Wednesday 28 October (in half term week). With free art and craft workshops and activities, this is a fun event for all ages and there’s no need to book - just come along and join in. This year the theme is “Time” so you will be able to add to the longest time line in Norwich, learn about what happened here in the Second World War, help us build a time capsule, design clocks and watches and find out how we first measured time. If you need any further information, call 01603218321. Please note that disabled parking only is available in The Close.
 

Andrew Little has now moved to his new home in Cheltenham. Following his retirement in 1989, from his parish in Staffordshire, Andrew came to Norwich and has been assisting us in many ways at the Cathedral since 1993. We shall miss his ministry amongst us and we wish him well.

Graham Smith

August 2009
Collections            2,939.95
Pledged donations  4,922.25
TOTAL                 £7,862.20
 

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.
 

Saturday 3 October
11.00 am Ordination of Deacons
2.30 pm Wedding
3.30 pm Evening Prayer

Sunday 4 October Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity
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 Evensong
6.30 pm Compline

Monday 5 October
6.15 pm Contemplative Prayer (St Catherine’s Chapel)

Tuesday 6 October
1.15 pm Christian Meditation (St Catherine’s Chapel)

Wednesday 7 October
10.00 am - Study Day - Julian - Who was she?
4.00 pm
11.00 am Mothers’ Union Festival Eucharist
2.15 pm Pre-School Music Group (St Catherine’s Chapel)

Saturday 10 October
10.30 am Edith Cavell Commemoration Parade (West Front)
and Service (Graveside - Life’s Green)

Sunday 11 October Harvest Thanksgiving
8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
NB: No Family Communion
10.30 am Sung Eucharist
followed by Harvest Lunch
3.30 pm RNAA Harvest Festival Service
Preacher: The Revd Paul Schwier - The Pulhams
6.30 pm Evening Prayer
Tuesday 13 October
1.15 pm Christian Meditation (St Catherine’s Chapel)

Wednesday 14 October
2.15 pm Pre-School Music Group (St Catherine’s Chapel)
7.30 pm Big Screen Organ Recital - Thomas Leech

Saturday 17 October
10.00 am City College Graduation Day
- 5.00 pm and College Exhibition (North Transept)
10.00 am Photography for All Workshop
5.15 pm Evening Prayer

Sunday 18 October Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity
8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
10.30 am Sung Eucharist with baptism
3.30 pm Evensong
6.30 pm Compline

Monday 19 October
6.15 pm Contemplative Prayer (St Catherine’s Chapel)
7.00 pm Prayer & Study Group (Prior’s Hall)

Tuesday 20 October
1.00 pm Stained Glass - talk by David King (Library)
1.15 pm Christian Meditation (St Catherine’s Chapel)

Wednesday 21 October
2.15 pm Pre-School Music Group (St Catherine’s Chapel)

Friday 23 October
8.00 pm Christian Rock Concert with “thebandwithnoname”  (doors open 7.00 pm)

Saturday 24 October
(Visiting Choir - The Abbey Singers)
3.30 pm Evensong (sung by visiting choir)

Sunday 25 October Last Sunday after Trinity
8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
9.15 am Sung Eucharist (sung by The Abbey Singers)
11.00 am Justice Service - Address by Gen Sir Richard Dannatt
3.30 pm Evensong
6.30 pm Compline

NB Evening Prayer will replace Evensong during half term week 26 - 30 October)

Tuesday 27 October
1.15 pm Christian Meditation (St Catherine’s Chapel)

Wednesday 28 October
10.00 am The Big Draw - to 4.00 pm

Saturday 31 October
(Visiting Choir - The Christopher Wren Singers)
3.30 pm Evensong (sung by visiting choir)

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 (sung by visiting choir)
3.30 pm Festal Evensong
6.30 pm Compline

The Fursey Pilgrims invite you to the annual Pilgrimage in honour of St Fursey, the first known missionary in Norfolk, on Saturday 3 October. There will be a Celtic Service in Burgh Castle Parish Church at 2.30 pm, when the preacher will be the Rt Revd Michael Evans, Bishop of East Anglia. This will be followed by Prayers on the traditional site of St Fursey’s monastery within the Roman Fort, and refreshments in the Village Hall. Further details: 01603 402797.

David Abraham
 

Harvest Festival Lunch  Sunday 11 October: You are invited to lunch in the Refectory as part of the Harvest Festival celebration. All are welcome and for those with families there will be a half price/half portion ticket for children. The cost is £6.25 for children and £12.50 for adults.
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 for both these events 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. (Advent Supper tickets available from 25 October).
 

The next Joint Prayer and Study Group Meeting is on Monday 19 October in Prior’s Hall beginning with Communion at 7.00 pm. Canon Michael Stagg will give us a talk on the fourth section of our study of the Holy Spirit entitled ‘The Empowering Holy Spirit’ followed by discussion with a glass of wine and nibbles. All are welcome. There will be an additional Joint Meeting on Monday 16 November from 7.00 – 8.00 pm for an introduction to our forthcoming studies on 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Again all would be welcome, especially anyone who would like to join a group.

Gill Warren

On 2-3 September, members of the Cathedral Education department attended an academic workshop on this theme, with one day at the UEA and the second in Prior’s Hall. While the title sounds like it might be about contemporary youth culture, this was in fact a conference on mediaeval history, focussing on events here in Norwich and at the Cathedral around 1144. For reasons that none of us can put our finger on, there has been a resurgence of scholarly interest in the murder and cult of our own child-martyr, St William of Norwich. Admittedly, calling William a martyr is stretching things, although that is how his contemporaries saw him. William was undoubtedly murdered, probably on Mousehold Heath where his body was found, but the claim that he was murdered, indeed crucified, by some Jews of Norwich was a fabrication. Whatever the origin of the legend, it was a fantasy that, sadly, inspired many imitations, from ‘Little St Hugh’ of Lincoln to other cults as far afield as Bavaria. Even if there was no persecution of the Jews at the time, it should be a matter of penitential reflection for us that our Cathedral should have been an influential source of this destructive libel.

The conference opened a fascinating glimpse into 12th century Norwich, still struggling with the effects of the Norman conquest, and much civil unrest in the country generally. We heard about the social and political tensions within the community – the largely French monastery was resented by the locals and their English clergy – and also about childhood, health, literary production, and legal processes at that time. But what does this have to do with our life in 21st century Norwich, and indeed in this Cathedral? One scholar I spoke with told me of a predecessor canon librarian who refused to answer any enquiries about William on the basis that we now have nothing to do with him. I don’t think we can make such neat distinctions. The Body of Christ is a community that is a unity in defiance of time and space, encompassing past, present and future; if we wish to glory in the accomplishments of our predecessors here, then we should be prepared also to repent of their sins and errors. Anti-Semitism is on the rise again, and if we wish to combat it we must be alive to its historic origins. In the Education department, we would like to make a feature of the history of St William and use it to reflect on current issues, such as interfaith relations; our treatment of strangers and foreigners; and childhood, innocence, and abuse, as well as historic matters like the significance of relics and mediaeval health and illness. William is still a presence in our community today: the Cathedral has only recently dedicated the Chapel of the Holy Innocents with him in mind, and community activists are working to protect the site of the mediaeval St William’s Chapel on Mousehold Heath. If we can use his story to help make people today more alive to issues of prejudice, fear, and abuse, then we will have done something to ensure William did not die in vain.

Peter Doll

You are very welcome to join the Cushion Club which will resume meeting after the summer break on Monday 5 October at 10.00 am in the Refectory. Thereafter we will meet, as usual, on the last Monday of each month. The Cushion Club supports the Cathedral Education department in the making of props for their various activities, as well as other charities that are brought to their attention, and also provides an opportunity to learn new crafts and enjoy fellowship. If you would like to know more about the Club’s activities, please contact me.

Eileen Bumphrey

Summer is most definitely behind us and it is time to turn our attentions to the forthcoming festive season. It may seem early but every year we have to disappoint customers when they come in to buy something they have seen, only to find that it has sold out. Our usual range of charity and religious themed Christmas Cards, Advent Calendars and Nativity Sets will be available, but only whilst stocks last! Also on sale now are the Award winning designs by The Click who have produced a set of six images depicting different areas of Cathedral Life. These are available as postcards - 50p each or £2.50 per set. If you’re looking for a locally-themed gift, we have the very popular book ‘Norwich Memories’ (£10) which has stories from people living in and around Norwich during WWII. Tickets for Alan Gray’s Flower arranging demonstration on 25 November are now on sale but places are limited so do book early!

Anne Cox

Our special leaflet, with details of services and events for Christmas and the New Year 2009, is now available. In the meantime, do promote the Refectory if you know of any company looking for a new venue for their Christmas functions, or treat yourself to a Christmas lunch prepared by someone else!

Traditional Christmas Lunch
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

WEEK BEGINNING

04 Oct Canon Doll             01603 218336
11 Oct Canon Doll             01603 218336
18 Oct Canon Capper         01603 665210
25 Oct Canon Haselock      01603 218314

“Behind the Scenes” Tours

Visit the Broderers’ Guild Workshop above the Prior’s Hall.  See where the Cathedral’s vestments are made and repaired

Wednesdays at 2.00 pm 21 Oct, 18 Nov
Entrance: £4.00
Places are limited so booking is advised
Tel: 01603 218326 or e-mail: hjenkins@cathedral.org.uk

We regret that the Workshop is on the first floor with no level access

Items for the November issue must be received
by 9 am on Wednesday 14 October

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