Weekly Notices | 1 June 2025
A Reflection from Chris Nicol
My binoculars are one of my prized possessions, just like my faith. My main passion is bird watching and they magnify a bird to such an extent one can really appreciate its beauty. When I get a bird in focus I can see it in so much more detail, the minute feathers around its neck and breast or the delicate eye markings or other markings that might distinguish it from another similar species. The binoculars not only magnify the bird but also the surrounding background, all clearly comes into view.
As I serve God, I try to magnify what I learn about God and share what I learn with others; the depth, beauty, wonder and mystery of God. The paradox is the more I think I get to know what God is like the more unknowing God becomes. Yet I’m drawn to seek out God daily. As I adjust the ‘focus wheel’ on my binoculars to get the image clear and sharp, the parallel is that I have to adjust my life and try to align it with God’s will. It’s a daily discipline. When life’s struggles have squeezed God out of my circumstances, I have to make an effort to tune back into God, to adjust my focus wheel so to speak, to get a clearer perspective on things.
Aligning ourselves with God does require our time. It’s a discipline. Making time to sit and seek Gods’ presence through scripture and prayer requires effort but is rewarding. Developing a time of quiet can also allow the Holy Spirit to flag up and show us those traits of our nature that can subtly get the better of us as we go about our daily lives. The Holy Spirit can help us examine our motives for things. The Holy Spirit can help us to see the wrong reasons behind some of the things we might want or desire. Aligning ourselves to God not only brings us peace and purpose but allows God to transform, shape, mould and fashion us in a Christlikeness that speaks louder than we can imagine. A Christlikeness that our world desperately needs. A chaplain once said to me when I enquired about the peace and love that seemed to radiate from him, ‘What you see is Christ in me, He has knocked off the rough edges over the years and what you sense is his love.’ Over time his service and daily devotion reflected God’s love.
Our formation, our spiritual wellbeing is dependent on a disciplined structure of time and of personal investment with God. To build a regular time to sit with God and immerse ourselves in a daily structured devotion or study. Canon Harriet recently shared with me that for those who have a desire to pray but are too busy then we have to ask God to give us the time and then take the first opportunity he gives. If we look at a competent skillful artist, or a successful athlete, a talented musician or public presenter they have spent hour upon hour, honing and developing their skill in the private hours of their lives. It’s the same with being a disciple of Christ.
Formation takes time. Time to absorb the scriptures and effort to persevere with prayer. Time to seek out silence and solitude. Time to study and to give service to others. Time to be still and allow God to love us, to give us his peace and to show us more of God’s self. Learning to develop a structured time with God is just like training and it begins with adjusting our focus wheel.
Chris Nicol
Cathedral Reader
Dates for your diary…
Friends of Portsmouth Cathedral - Coffee Morning – Tuesday, 3 June at 11:00am
The Word is Near – Wednesday, 4 June at 10:30am
#PompeyTots – Wednesday, 4 June at 2:00pm
Lunchtime Live - Adrian Green & Gillian Thompson (voice & piano) – Thursday, 5 June at 1:10pm
The Big Lunch - High Tea – Saturday, 7 June at 3:00pm
#PompeySundays 4th Birthday – Sunday, 8 June at 9:30am
Eucharist with Commemoration for D-Day 81 – Sunday, 8 June at 11:00am
Parish Lunch Club – Monday, 9 June at 9:00am
Cathedrals Cycle Route Relay Event 2025 – Wednesday, 11 June
Community News
Choir Tour to Belgium
‘Heaven is eternal music. Thank you for being our angels today’
Thus spoke the Canon Pastor of Antwerp Cathedral who was presiding at last Sunday’s Mass in the cathedral, a service for which we sang the Widor Mass. We’re just back from a wonderful tour to Belgium and Mechelen and here follows a few highlights.
18 boys and 18 adults (including Canon Jo, Dr Price, Lay Clerks, Scholars and 3 Matrons) departed for St Pancras International last Friday 23 May. Our mix of Jet Blue and Navy Blue choir tour hoodies were easy to safely track our procession across the busy London station to board Eurostar to Brussels.
We arrived in no time at all and grabbed pizza and ice cream before catching our next train to Antwerp itself. A quick hop onto the metro and we were at our smart hostel and settled in. On Saturday we had a superb morning at Antwerp Zoo – a spacious animal park with elephants, rhinos, an aquarium, meercats, gorillas and monkeys – though the choristers and scholars almost out-matched the latter’s dexterity in the children’s play zone monkey bars and treehouse!
Read more on our blog here.
Friends of Portsmouth Cathedral Coffee Morning - Tuesday 3 June from 11:00am
Enjoy a warm welcome over coffee and cake, and hear from our guest speaker, Mark Button, who will be sharing insights on 'How to avoid being scammed' – a timely and important topic. A lovely opportunity to meet the Friends and enjoy some light refreshments together. Donations invited. For more information about the Friends click here.
The Big Lunch 'High Tea' - Saturday 7 June 3:00pm-4:00pm
Join us for a celebration of the end of volunteering week. Relax and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and a slice of cake and take the opportunity to meet like-minded people from across the city.
Portsmouth Cathedral relies on its volunteers every day to support the worship that happens throughout the week and also to help us ensure special events run smoothly. We are not unusual though as many organisations across the city rely on thousands of volunteers. Come and join us for tea, coffee, and cake as we celebrate the end of the national volunteering week, meet some like-minded people and perhaps make some new friends.
Let us know that you're coming so we don't buy too much cake! Book your tickets here - free entry.
Thy Kingdom Come: City Prayer Pilgrimage – Sunday 8 June
As part of our support of the global call to prayer for Thy Kingdom Come the Anglican Portsmouth Diocese will be hosting a Prayer Pilgrimage around the city - the prayer map will be out from Sunday 1 June followed by a Prayer Celebration Service on Pentecost Sunday 8 June 2025. We would love to invite all Christians from all churches across the city. This will follow 6 other similar walks across the diocese from 2-7 June.
The walk will start at Portsmouth Anglican Cathedral at 12.30pm and concludes back at the Cathedral where there will be a celebration prayer service at 7.15pm. The walk is a loop of about 14 miles and there are various points to join along the way. Everyone is welcome to come and join in and walk for as far they want to as we pray for our city.
Read more here.
Annual Meetings 2025
Our Annual Meetings were held on 22 May and included reports on the Electoral Roll (which stood at 222 members and is now open again for people to join), Deanery Synod and Safeguarding. Dean Anthony gave a report on the year:
Highlighting the work of the staff, ministry team and volunteers including those who had left during the year including the former Chief Operating Officer, Richard Abraham, the Revd Canon Anthony Rustell and Revd Catherine Edenborough.
Giving particular thanks to Crystal Gale who is standing down as volunteer Shop Manager and Nicky Taylor Roberts who is moving to a new finance role in June after eight years on the Cathedral staff. He went on to specifically mention growth in worship, education and community engagement.
The Dean then gave a presentation on the Annual Accounts emphasising that although they indicate a surplus this is due to the receipt of several legacies during 2024 without which the Cathedral would have been in deficit. The key message that the Cathedral is still struggling to achieve the important sustainability indicator of income being greater than expenditure. The Cathedral continues to seek to increase its ongoing income while continuing to manage costs tightly to ensure long-term sustainability. The Accounts were received by the meeting.
Ronald Rabbetts and Sheila Picton were elected as Churchwardens and Bryn Hughes announced as the successful candidate in the election to Chapter. Cathryn Moult was appointed as the Electoral Roll Officer in succession to Terry Ward who was standing down from the role. Two vacancies for Deanery Synod Representatives remain and anyone interested is encouraged to contact Canon Harriet to learn more about this important role.
The Minutes for this meeting will be available from our downloads page next week.
College of Canons
Bishop Jonathan has announced the appointment of the Revd Dr Ian Meredith and Revd Emma Racklyeft as Honorary Canons and Debbie Sutton and Liz Simpson as Lay Canons. Ian, Debbie and Liz will be installed during Choral Evensong on Sunday 21 September and Emma during Choral Evensong on Tuesday 14 October.
Worship & Visiting
Every day, Portsmouth Cathedral is open for worship, prayer, and visiting. Unless otherwise specified, services do not require booking. Our website contains orders of service, as well as information about visiting the Cathedral.
Services this Sunday 1 June-
Seventh Sunday of Easter
8:00am - Holy Communion
9:30am - #PompeySundays Eucharist
11:00am - Choral Eucharist with Baptism sung by the Lay Clerks and Choral Scholars
5:45pm - Choral Evensong sung by the Cathedral Consort
8:00pm - Taizé Service
Prayers & Intercessions
We pray for: Brendan and Angie married here this week, and for Owen and Natalie to be married here next Saturday. Also for Arthur to be baptised on Sunday - and his family and Godparents.
We remember the following for whom prayer has been asked by members of the Cathedral Community: Margaret, Carole, Ken, Tina, Francine, Tom, Peter, baby Lottie and her family.
We continue to pray for the long-term sick, including: Marion, Chris, Richard, Alistair, Graeme, Spencer, Suzy, Jill, Alison, Mathai, Philip and all in need.
We remember those who have died recently, including:Jim Cane, Jon Devereux, Luca and John RIP.
Upcoming Services & Events
Getting in touch
Please feel free to get in touch if we can help in any way, or if you just want to hear another voice!
Get in touch with us by email to info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk or leave a message via phone on 023 9282 3300.
Have news or story you’d like to share? Submit a notice 📰