Welcome Fr Derek
The Bank Holiday marks the final weekend of August and the last days of the main summer holiday period for many. Our young people and their families will be getting ready for a return to school the following week some to a new class in a familiar setting and others moving up to a new school or college and new beginnings. From the second week in September our Cathedral choirs will be returning back to singing duties. There will also be a considerable amount of change for the priests serving at the Cathedral as we adjust to welcome a new assistant priest and take on changes of responsibilities. Fr Peter Murphy has been appointed by Archbishop Malcolm as the new Catholic Chaplain to the Royal and Broad Green Hospitals – taking over this role now that Fr Stephen has moved to a new parish. This comes at a time when the Royal will be transferring across into the newly built hospital, along with the relatively recent new build Clatterbridge hospital sharing the neighbouring site. No doubt it will be a time of challenge and will open up new opportunities for the role of the chaplains and the work of the chaplaincy. Fr Peter and the chaplaincy team will need our support as they adapt to a new setting for their hospital ministry.
Fr Derek Lloyd, following his recent ordination to the priesthood, has been appointed as a new assistant priest at the Cathedral. Fr Derek has had considerable pastoral experience serving as an Anglican priest before being received into the Catholic Church and going onto train at Oscott seminary for ordination as a catholic priest. We extend a warm welcome to him as he begins his ministry here at the Cathedral this weekend.
Progress on the refurbishment of the organ is going forward at a steady pace. Over the next few weeks there will be greater disturbance during the week as the voicing of the brass trumpets begins and then the dismantling of a great deal of the scaffolding. It’s a case of a great deal of storm before the eventual calm. The final completion of all the work is likely to continue until the end of October when the organ will be fully commissioned and ready to strike up fully voiced and ready with all pipes blazing.
We will be needing lots of help from volunteers to assist with the stewarding, welcoming and directing during the three days of the visit of the relics of St Bernadette – especially during the special services for the anointing of the sick and the torchlight procession. If you are able to offer help we would be grateful if you could contact Cathedral House to register. There will be an evening meeting at 7pm on 7th September in the Gibberd Room to outline the various roles required and to give volunteers the opportunity to indicate their preference so that a timetable can be drawn up.
Canon Anthony O’Brien
Cathedral Dean
