I was informed last week that an arts group, recently established this year, had knitted a 3D model of the Metropolitan Cathedral. The group are known as ‘Liverwool’ and made up of a group of knitters and crochetists (is there such a word?) from across Merseyside. The groups recent aim is to knit a map of the city and also some of the major buildings within Liverpool. Knitting has obviously progressed a long way from the home made tank tops and balaclavas that we had to wear when I was little. I have been informed that the group will want to make a presentation of the knitted model to the Cathedral and I will be genuinely interested to see how they have managed to recreate what is a difficult architectural shape and features in knitted wool.
This week on Tuesday morning St Cuthbert’s High School, St Helens, are having Mass in the Cathedral to celebrate their 60th Anniversary. On Friday we welcome the choral group ‘The Sixteen’ who will be leading an afternoon workshop on choral singing and giving a concert of music by Palestrina and Poulenc in the evening. By way of a complete contrast there is a whisky festival in the Crypt on Saturday and conscious that this may create noise disturbance in the Crypt Chapel, the Saturday evening mass will take place next Saturday in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.
Next Sunday there will be a live broadcast of Choral Morning Prayer for BBC Radio 4 from the Cathedral at 8am. Bishop John Rawsthorne will be give the homily based on a phrase from a prayer of Blessed Oscar Romero ‘Love Must Win Out’ – this morning prayer forms part of a series of memorial services on the 100th Anniversary of the birth of the former Archbishop of San Salvador. Anyone wishing to attend this service would need to be in place by 7.55am. Due to this taking place the regular 8.30am Sunday Mass will be celebrated in the Crypt Chapel next week. Later on next Sunday Archbishop Malcolm will preside at the Solemn Mass during this a number of adults will be receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Last week I was invited along to visit the house of the renowned Liverpool Photographer Chambray Hardman. The House is owned and run by the National Trust and they are attempting to try and raise the profile of the property and encourage more visitors. I was interested to find that they also run a few walking tours of the city one entitled ‘Then and Now’ and another of the ‘Georgian Quarter’ on the architecture and history of the buildings. One of Hardmans’ more famous portrait photographs was of Archbishop Downey, of which there is a copy in the Crypt. A recent photographer attempted to copy the same pose with our current Archbishop as the subject using the same pectoral cross and ring as the original which were in our treasury but I think it doesn’t quite manage to capture the same mood as in the original.
We should finally have Mount Pleasant re- opened this week after almost three months of closure. ALLELUIA
