Welcome to all Graduands
In the Gospel passage this Sunday, Saint Matthew records Jesus instructing his disciples in these words. ‘Take nothing for the journey except a staff and sandals. No bread, no haversack, no coppers for your purses and no spare tunic.’ These instructions seem almost inhumane to our ears especially at this time of the year when many people are considering how much luggage to take with them on holiday or what baggage allowance to book on their flight. We don’t travel light these days. The disciples were to travel light so that they were reliant upon the kindness and hospitality of strangers. In return for the kindness shown to them they were able to offer the Good news of Christ’s kingdom.
Throughout this week the Cathedral will be fully occupied with Liverpool University Graduation Ceremonies. Beginning on Monday and concluding on Friday there will be three ceremonies on each day at 10am, 1pm and 4pm. Each ceremony will last up to 2 hours with guests being allowed in to the Cathedral one hour prior to each session. I don’t envy the role of the University coordinating team who will be trying to make every ceremony feel special for the graduands and their guests when there is such a volume of students who are to be awarded degrees.
Due to all of these ceremonies taking place within the Cathedral the 5pm Mass each day will take place in the Crypt Chapel as will the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Friday afternoon. The morning Mass at 8am will remain as normal in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Access into the Cathedral during this week will be limited but Crypt visits will continue as normal and the Crypt Chapel will be open for private prayer as well as for the two daily Masses.
With the schools breaking up for the summer at the end of this week and the Lourdes pilgrims leaving to travel to France we have a few weeks without external events taking place at the Cathedral. These few weeks of the summer holidays offer a chance to progress plans for the next year ahead and to carry out repairs and deal with internal matters that have been put on hold for some time. Thankfully there is no change to the current team of Cathedral priests this summer as the season of clergy moves has passed us by this year. We do welcome a new member of staff to our team, Emily Potts, who will be taking on the role of Communication and Marketing Officer that had been vacant since Katie Lucas moved on to a new position. She will be working part time here and part time in the Diocesan offices.
To all Clergy, staff, ministers and volunteers can I thank you for all the service, commitment and time that you have given to the Cathedral over this last year. We can easily forget or may not realise just how many people we minister to and help over the course of a year here and how much good is done in Christ’s name through the service you give. And to all our Cathedral family I hope you have a chance to enjoy a holiday break or just a change of pace of life during this holiday period.
Canon Anthony O’Brien
Cathedral Dean
