Weekly Notices | 8 June 2025
A Reflection from
Dean Anthony
There are nearly seven hundred ‘heart’ references in the Bible. In biblical psychology, the heart was the central source of human life, and of all physical, emotional and intellectual energy. So, the seat of the emotions, yes, as we use the word today, but also the seat of the intellect, the will and the moral life. Finally, the heart is the point of contact between human beings and God.
So the kind of heart we have matters. If we ‘harden our heart’, shutting ourselves off from the needs of others, and the call of God, then we are in need of healing. The confession for Evening Prayer in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer contains the following words: ‘We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts.’ P.D. James used ‘devices and desires’ as the title for a crime novel, and the phrase evokes the way our God-given gifts are so often used destructively rather than creatively. This is the reality that underlies the need for all dioceses and cathedrals to be independently audited on their safeguarding, as we were last week (by INEQE). Their report will be an important public document which we will benefit from as we continue to work towards the highest possible standards in this vital area of our life.
Throughout the period between Ascension and Pentecost, at Morning Prayer we have been saying a canticle called ‘A Song of Ezekiel’, which includes the words ‘A new heart I will give you and put a new spirit within you.’ The refrain for the canticle is ‘The Spirit of God fills the whole world. Alleluia.’ So, this Pentecost, we pray for the gifts of the Spirit, and in particular for a new heart - a heart of flesh and not a heart of stone (to once again reference the language of Ezekiel). We pray that by the renewing of hearts we may truly be a ‘beacon and safe haven’ for all.
This weekend sees the main annual event for Portsmouth Pride. For a moving statement about the significance of this from a Christian perspective, I recommend the Dean of Southwark’s statement of last year - which as it happens makes ample reference to the human heart – you can read more here.
Sunday sees the culmination of ‘Thy Kingdom Come’, an annual global movement of prayer that more people might come to know the safety and peace of new life in Jesus Christ. We are delighted to welcome people from across the diocese for an act of worship and prayer at 7.15pm. Come Holy Spirit! Make clean our hearts within us!
With my prayers and good wishes,
The Very Reverend Dr Anthony Cane,
Dean of Portsmouth
Dates for your diary…
#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 at All Day
#PompeyTots – Wednesday, 11 June at 2:00pm
Lunchtime Live - Kenneth Wilson (Pilgrim Cello) – Thursday, 12 June at 1:10pm
Diocesan Synod Eucharist – Saturday, 14 June at 9:45am
Misa de los Mineros - Surtierra Touring Project - WemsFest – Saturday, 14 June at 6:30pm
Community News
Pentecost and D-Day
This Sunday we are celebrating the feast of Pentecost - and at the 11:00am Eucharist we will also be commemorating D-Day.
Fifty days after Easter, we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit - and how Jesus' first followers were inspired to take the good news of God's love into all the world. We pray that, like them, we will be encouraged, comforted and strengthened by God's Spirit in love and joy and peace. Pentecost is sometimes referred to as the 'birthday' of the Church.
This year, with the date of Pentecost just after the anniversary of D-Day, we will be joined by groups in Portsmouth for the weekend to commemorate all those who took part in the D-Day landings which set off from these shores.
Celebrating 70 Years of Ministry
The Revd Arnold Bennett was warmly welcomed to Portsmouth Cathedral on Thursday by Canon Jo, on behalf of Dean Anthony. Arnold is marking the remarkable milestone of the 70th anniversary of his ordination as priest, which took place here at the Cathedral.
He was joined at Choral Evensong by members of his family for this special occasion. Arnold began his ministry as curate at Hayling South with North Hayling, and in recognition of his service, he was presented with a picture of St Mary’s Church by The Revd Nick Todd, current Priest-in-Charge of the churches on Hayling Island.
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.
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.
Cathedral Cycle Relay – 10 June
Next Wednesday, 10 June, I and an intrepid group of cathedral cyclists will be setting off from the cathedral at 2.00pm for Winchester. We will be carrying the Cathedral’s Cycling Pilgrimage baton, which is being transported on two wheels to each of England’s forty-two cathedrals. If you are interested in joining with the (so far) half dozen of us making the journey, do get in touch ahead of the day. I should add that the plan is to travel back by train!
More info can be found here.
Anthony Cane, Dean
An Evening with the Scholars – 23 June
Come and enjoy a short evening concert given by this year’s Portsmouth Cathedral gap-year scholars.
Theo, Joel, Jimmy, Noah and Kim will be joined by a few other musician friends, including some of our leaving choristers, to present a programme of solo and ensemble songs, both sacred and secular. This will be a perfect opportunity to hear these talented young people once more before they move on from Portsmouth in July, so please come and support them!
Verger Team
We are delighted to welcome back Malina Green, our Head Verger, following a period of maternity leave. It is lovely to have her calm and welcoming presence around the cathedral once again. In her absence Maria Kidd has done a brilliant job (for the second time) in stepping up to be Acting Head Verger. We are really grateful to her for all she has done over the past year, and overall are thankful for having such strong and dedicated verging team. Malina, Maria and Ian - thank you for all that you do!
Shop opening times
The Portsmouth Cathedral Shop will be open on 7 June from 10am to 12:30pm. It will be closed for the rest of the day, and all day on 8 June due to volunteer availability.
If you’re interested in volunteering in our shop, visit our website to learn more.
INEQE Safeguarding Audit
This past week, the INEQE safeguarding auditors have visited Portsmouth Cathedral and Diocese as part a nation-wide Church of England safeguarding audit. Many of our staff and volunteers, including a group of choristers, have taken part in the audit process, either through completing an online survey, attending a focus group, or through a one-to-one interview. Whilst we await the publication of the INEQE report, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have supported this audit process and given of your time and energy. Your input has been highly appreciated and is invaluable in helping the auditors to gain a full picture of cathedral life.
Portsmouth Cathedral is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults, and ensuring that appropriate steps are taken to maintain a safer environment for all, and to responding sensitively and compassionately to victims and survivors of abuse.
If you would like to speak to one of our safeguarding representatives about any aspect of safeguarding here at the cathedral, please be in touch with our Chapter Safeguarding Lead, Revd Canon Harriet Neale-Stevens or with Andy Hawkins, our Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser.
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.
Thy Kingdom Come
In the week between Ascension Day and Pentecost, we are joining with churches around the world in the 'Thy Kingdom Come' prayer initiative. There will be a special service at 7:15pm on Sunday as the conclusion of this wave of prayer.
As the Cathedral, we are praying for the parishes of this Diocese as well as praying for people we know. A map of the Diocese is on display in the St Thomas Chapel as a focus for our prayers, and we light candles for each of the churches and parishes as we pray for them.
More info can be found on our website here.
Sunday Evensong - with a sermon by one of our Honorary Canons
On Sunday we celebrate Pentecost, and we are delighted to have Canon Bob White as our guest preacher.
Canon Bob White is currently Acting Archdeacon of Portsdown as well as being Vicar of St Mary's Fratton. He will be here at Evensong to preach as part of our annual series of sermons by each of our Honorary Canons. Always an excellent preacher, we are pleased that Canon Bob is with us for the important festival of Pentecost, as we celebrated the inspiration and reassurance that the Holy Spirit offers us all.
Curate here on placement this week
We are pleased to have another curate from the Diocese with us at the Cathedral for a fortnight's placement. The Revd Jo Nicholson is a Deacon currently serving her title on the Isle of Wight at Ventnor. She has been with us this past week and will be here on Sunday. At 11:00am she will be the Deacon at the Eucharist, as well as attending other services. This is a great opportunity for her to observe and take part in the range of services and events we offer here and widen her experience and involvement. We will celebrate with Jo as she is ordained Priest here at the Cathedral at the end of the month on 28 June at 4:00pm.
Fabric Advisory Committee
The FAC meets on Tuesday 10 June, the agenda for the meeting will be available from our downloads page.
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.
Sunday 8 June – Pentecost
8:00am - Holy Communion
9:30am - #PompeySundays 4th Birthday
11:00am - Choral Eucharist with Commemoration of D-Day sung by the Cathedral Choir (Girls)
2:00pm - Baptism
5:45pm - Choral Evensong sung by the Cathedral Choir (Boys)
7:15pm - Portsmouth Deanery Thy Kingdom Come Prayer Event
Prayers & Intercessions
We pray for: Emmeline who was baptised last Sunday and Tristan who will be baptised this Sunday - and their parents and Godparents. Also for Owen and Natalie who were married here last Saturday.
We remember the following for whom prayer has been asked by members of the Cathedral Community: Michael, Carole, Ken, Tina, Francine, Tom, Peter, Nicky, baby Lottie and baby Lily.
We continue to pray for the long-term sick, including: Marion, Chris, Richard, Alistair, Graeme, Spencer, Suzy, Jill, Alison, Philip and Mathai.
We remember those who have died recently, including:
Jim Cane, Albert Littlejohn, Revd George Royle, and Margaret Marsden 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.
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