Highlights
Church bells are a significant, but often forgotten, part of church life. Bells mark out the passing of time in the form of a church clock. Bells ring for services, and to celebrate ecclesiastical and civic occasions. Bells might ring in times of war to warn of danger. Bells toll slowly to mark the death or funeral. The noise of bells is part of the church’s message to wider society: they mark in sound the life of the church.
Read MoreThis weekend Portsmouth Cathedral will be flying a rainbow flag. Saturday 15th is the main event of Portsmouth Pride and we will also, with many other Christians from the city and beyond, be taking part in the Pride parade and hosting a stall at the Pride even on the bandstand field.
Read MoreHighlights
On Sunday 16th we are hosting members of the Royal Air Force for a service to mark the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of the third arm of the Armed Forces at the end of World War One.
This is a significant milestone in itself, but it also falls at a time when we recall the Battle of Britain; a decisive moment in the Second World War which almost certainly put paid to any thoughts of an invasion of Great Britain by the Nazis. This battle was also remarkable in that, alongside British and Canadian pilots, we were also supported by crew from Poland, New Zealand, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, Australia, South Africa, France, Ireland, USA, Southern Rhodesia, Jamaica, Barbados, Newfoundland and Northern Rhodesia.
Read MoreNow on sale in the Cathedral bookshop - the incredible story of an Army Chaplain in the Great War which tells the story of an Army Chaplain in Portsmouth, the Reverend Herbert Butler Cowl.
Read MoreHighlights
Has summer really come to an end? One moment I was tanning myself in the south of France, the next I’m sitting at my desk looking out the window wondering if I remembered to pack my umbrella.
September is upon us, and like me you may be returning to work from holiday, or preparing to send the kids back to school, or going back to school yourself!
And for me September has always been like a second New Year. Just like January, when September comes round I start to think about how I want this ‘year’ to go; what my hopes are, what I hope to achieve, what areas of my life do I want to grow in.
Read MoreHighlights
As a teacher, this time of year is filled with excitement (and a little trepidation) as the start of a new academic year approaches. It irritates me that shops market back to school ranges as soon as schools have broken up for the summer - it doesn’t seem fair as it undermines the holiday vibe. But at this stage in the holiday, it feels right to be preparing to return. One of my preparations is to go stationery shopping. I love stationery, so this is no burden. There is something thrilling about a blank notepad and freshly sharpened pencils. One of my treasured pieces of stationery is my purple highlighter, because purple is my favourite colour and it is a welcome challenge to highlight the key words and phrases, rather than giving every word a colourful background. Knowing what to highlight is a skill.
Read MoreHighlights
For some of us, August is a time when we can get a break, and in some cases get away on holiday and have some r & r – rest and recreation. If you are able to do that, that is great but we should not assume that because we can, it is true for others. Some have had time off at home. For some families, though, particularly those on low incomes, the summer break is a time of acute financial stress. They don’t have the option of going away but even being at home has challenges for them.
Read MoreHighlights
In the medieval period the time from mid-June through to early August was a time of holy days and pilgrimage to the shrines of saints. There are a number of feasts in the old church calendar that marked the translation of a saint’s relics from one place to another (and now function as alternative feast dates to those for saints days in mid-winter, including our own St Thomas of Canterbury whose translation is celebrated on 7th July), and these were marked with journeys to visit the shrines. This was a time of travelling and holy days (holidays) that offered refreshment before the toil of harvest.
Read More“There But Not There”
This weekend we are 100 days away from Armistice Day. The outbreak of World War I was on 4th August in 1914 – and the armistice finally came on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, when the guns fell silent at the eleventh hour. During the Final 100 Days of the war, victory was becoming more and more certain for the Allied forces, but there was still some terrible fighting and great loss of life.
In the Cathedral, for these 100 days until 11th November (which falls on a Sunday this year) we have some silhouettes to commemorate those who served and died in World War I. These transparent figures will help us remember those who went from the City of Portsmouth – all the lives given and taken away in the conflict, and the families and communities who suffered here at home.
Read MoreHighlights
You will no doubt have noticed, maybe even had time to enjoy, the Portsmouth and Hampshire Art Society’s Annual Summer Exhibition in the Nave of the Cathedral. Our long association with this group and the wonderful space which we have to exhibit art reminds us of the presence of God in both the sacred and the secular.
The Cathedral building speaks of God in so many different ways – the worship, it’s simply beauty, the monuments and the windows to name but a few of these. The various types of art on display also speak of God in both the talent shown, the objects captured in oil or charcoal or pastel and the reaction and emotions they evoke in us. Bringing them together here in this sacred space speaks of God’s presence in the creativity of life outside of the Cathedral and of the ability for the secular to come here and for us to benefit and learn from it.
Read MoreThe memorials in the Navy Aisle have been protected whilst the windows, which are due to be removed next week, are away for repair.
Read MoreHighlights
It is often said that here in the Cathedral we regularly travel through time as we walk through the 800 years of history from one end of the building to the other, but in particular yesterday we welcomed families and time travel enthusiasts alike to experience the Cathedral like never before.
Time & Travel were the focus of the day, we had a replica of the Back to the Future DeLorean outside for people to take photos with. We had a model railway set up to fill the centre of the Nave by Victory Model Railway Club, amongst many other fun activities that engaged people with the concepts of Time & Travel.
Read MoreWednesday 18th July, 2018
A national scheme to conserve and repair England’s cathedrals from which Portsmouth cathedral was awarded £952,836 and has significantly reduced immediate risks, a report published Tuesday said.
Read MoreHighlights
The choir year may have come to a close, but the Cathedral’s daily round of worship and praise of course continues over the coming summer months.
We are very blessed to be welcoming so many Visiting Choirs to Portsmouth in July and August. Like previous years they come from across the UK and beyond; next week we welcome Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church, Los Alamos, New Mexico. In subsequent weeks we shall host the Choir of All Saints’ Church, Botley; St Polycarp’s, Belfast, then an RSCM Residentiary Choir drawn from parishes all across the country; The Open University Chapel Choir; In Spiritu Chamber Choir and at the end of the summer, two large choirs of children and adults; the first St Francis, Welwyn Garden City on a return visit to Portsmouth Cathedral and finally St Alphege, Solihull. Do please keep an eye out on The List for when they are singing weekday evensongs.
Read MoreHighlights
One of the oft quoted lines in Romeo and Juliet is “parting is such sweet sorrow” – can you relate to that? I certainly can. Why am I being pretentious and quoting Shakespeare this morning? It is because it is this time of year for goodbyes. University terms have ended, school terms are about to end and today the choir year at the Cathedral comes to an end. I have found it particularly difficult to let go of my current year 13 students, but I don’t have a choice. They are about to fly off to universities near and far and that is how life should be. Time moves on, even if we struggle to keep pace.
Read MoreIt stands over two meters tall, its’ structure dwarfing people as they pass by.
It is black and imposing, but a closer inspection reveals it is composed of hundreds of small pieces of wood, hand cut and carefully measured to fit into a very specific space.
Read More
This week for Creative Spirituality our title is 'bounce'. We're thinking about resilience.
Resilience is the ability to bounce back, to recover from disappointment, to be able to pick yourself up and try again. I've been thinking about this lately to myself... why does it matter?
Read MoreHighlights
Today Matt our Cathedral Curate will be presiding at the Eucharist for the first time at 10.30am. He has been with us – and with Harbour Church also – for a year now since he was ordained Deacon. To be ordained Priest, as he was yesterday afternoon, is a whole new stage for him, and for us, and for St George’s Church where Matt will become Assistant Curate (as well as still being here one Sunday a month). To bless God’s people, and to absolve and assure us of God’s forgiveness, is a huge privilege and responsibility and joy. And to preside at the Eucharist and celebrate Christ’s presence with us in broken bread and wine outpoured is for many priests the heart of their pastoral ministry. This is why some clergy celebrate the anniversary of their ordination as priest, as Canon Angela and Canon Nick did last week on their 20th and 25th anniversaries respectively.
Read MoreHighlights
I have been reflecting on next Saturdays ordinations in light of today’s feast of the birth of John the Baptist. I think that the role of clergy includes a prophetic ministry. This has traditionally been squeezed out of the role with the priority being placed on a pastoral model of care and politeness which has trumped any sense of being prophetic or radical. The danger is that we seek to conform to social norms and our message lacks anything that is uniquely of God, and so it becomes rather bland and irrelevant.
Read MoreHighlights
We are in a season of “festivities” for the next week or so!
The Portsmouth Festivities started on Friday and several events are taking place in the Cathedral – full details are in the leaflet available in the Cathedral, including the Trumpet tour of the Cathedral organ’s new En Chamade pipes on Monday 18th June. This and all the other events are great opportunities to invite friends and neighbours to come and experience Portsmouth Cathedral – both the space itself and the wide variety of activities we offer.
Read More
