Choir of the Year
After Jesus had been taken up into heaven the Apostles returned to Jerusalem and devoted themselves to prayer waiting for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. We too are encouraged to prepare during these final days of Eastertide and pray to the Holy Spirit that he may set our hearts on fire with love of God and give us the grace to witness to Christ by lives of faithfulness and service.
We celebrate the Feast of Pentecost next Sunday with memories of Pentecost in 1967 when the Cathedral celebrated the formal Opening Mass and also Pentecost 1982 when Saint John Paul 2 presided at Mass during his papal visit of this country. This year Archbishop Sherrington will preside at the Solemn Mass and we have a number of adults and teenagers who will receive the sacrament of confirmation.
Since the papal visit in 1982 we have remained faithful to the tradition of walking together with our fellow Christians along Hope Street on Pentecost Sunday afternoon and taking part in a short joint two Cathedrals Service. This year the Salvation Army Band will be playing on our Piazza from 2.30 and after a short time of prayer and singing led by our joint Cathedrals Choirs we will march along Hope Street to Liverpool Cathedral for a final part of the service with an opportunity for chatting to stall holders and children’s games and refreshments afterwards at Liverpool Cathedral. The theme this year is ‘Many Voices, One Faith’ so come along and join in- the more colourful national costumes the better!
This Monday we have a large group of Portuguese speaking visitors from Brazil who have a celebration of Mass within the Cathedral at 3pm. On Thursday the Diocesan Chapter of Canons will be at the Cathedral for their bi-monthly meeting and celebration of mass at 12.15 which will be celebrated in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.
The Crypt Concert Hall will be alive with song and anticipation for the Annual Secondary Schools Choral Singing Competition on Thursday evening. This year there are seven of our Secondary schools taking part hoping to win ‘Choir of the Year’. It is actually the taking part that counts and over the few years that this has taken place the numbers of schools that take part has increased each year along with the quality of singing and size of the choirs.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
Monsignor Anthony O’Brien
Dean