LightNight 2018
This time twelve months ago we were in the full throes of putting final plans in place for our Golden Jubilee celebrations which centred around the Feast of Pentecost. Whilst we don’t have anything like the same sort of timetable that we did last year there is plenty to keep us busy over next weekend.
Our ecumenical celebration and Pentecost Walk will take place next Sunday 20 May, from 3.00pm to 5:30pm and everyone is invited to celebrate this great Feast. It will start at Liverpool Cathedral with a short act of worship. Included in the service will be an address given by The Reverend Professor Daniel Jayaraj from Liverpool Hope University. We will then process along Hope Street. During the procession different choirs from our two cathedrals will regale the walkers. The proceedings will culminate in a mass choral performance and singing of the Halleluiah chorus on the steps of the Metropolitan Cathedral. You will be able to join us for the whole procession or any part along Hope Street where you will also find the Makers Market and many musical activities in venues along the street after the procession. Why not try and say this prayer each day this week in preparation for the Service?:
Come, O Spirit of God and make within us your dwelling place and home. May our darkness be dispelled by your light, and our troubles be calmed by your peace; may all evils be redeemed by your love, all pain transformed through the suffering of Christ, and all dying glorified by his risen life. Amen.
Another City event that we need to mention which is happening on Friday next week is LightNight. It is sure not to disappoint with a jam-packed programme of wonderful free events.
Now in its ninth year, LightNight showcases the creative lifeblood of Liverpool, presenting new and ambitious artistic commissions amidst a vibrant programme of more than 100 events including everything from concerts, exhibitions, hands-on workshops and dance to street performance, theatre and talks. Stay all evening, or find a spot in your wider itinerary to pop-in for a few moments to feast your senses and experience the Cathedral in a brand new way. The evening at our Cathedral starts with Choral Evening Prayer at the usual time of 5.45pm. If you have never been before please do consider coming along and enjoying a moment of stillness and experience the transformative qualities of this tradition that stretches back over 500 years. Following this at 6.15pm Merseyside Dance Initiative presents a processional performance on the Cathedral steps recreating the work of choreographer Pina Bausch. The ‘Nelken Line’ is an iconic image from Bausch’s choreography, with repetitive movements representing the change of seasons. At 7pm you can enjoy a feast of musical ‘transformations’ as Liverpool’s finest brass bands perform in our Cathedral. Expect unique interpretations of Lennon & McCartney classics, New Orleans jazz, traditional 17th-century music, and everything in between – plus a band new brass ensemble formed especially for this performance. Finally at 10.00pm on the Piazza using light, rhythm and movement LUMA Creations/OLC Productions present the heartbeat and power of the drum through changing shapes and shadows of light; creating change from the natural to the mechanical. Travel full circle through powerful rhythms, taking a magical journey with shifting movements that transform us. Something for everyone! Don’t miss it!
Canon Anthony O’Brien
Cathedral Dean
