Farewell Joe
The visit of the Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima and the Relics went very well at the end of last week and there are some really nice photographs on Facebook and our website if you want to have a look at them. A big thank you to all of those people who donated cakes and biscuits which we were then able to serve in the Gibberd Room, and also huge thanks to our small team of volunteers who came out and assisted in so many ways. Welcoming visitors to the Cathedral, giving out service sheets, selling items from the Gift Shop and just generally being there. We are very lucky to be able to rely on volunteers and the work that they do is always appreciated and is invaluable. Thanks also to the Knights of St Columba who were the guardians of the Relics over the two days.
It is a busy day to start our week with a full Cathedral at 11.00am when we welcome, for their annual Mass the staff, governors, students, families and friends from St Edward’s College.
At 3.00pm that the same day we are hosting the annual Pause for Hope Service. This year the organisers had asked people to write poems which marked and reflected on the various journeys of those who have been touched by cancer and entries were received from across the world. The poems received were whittled down to a final 7 and Frank Cottrell-Boyce had the unenviable task of choosing the winner. In the end, Christine Seddon, a grandmother of 3 from Fazakerley was chosen. Her poem entitled ‘My Journey’ was inspired by her own experience of having breast cancer in 2015. Anyone is welcome to attend the Service whose aim is to offer comfort and reflection to anyone whose life has in some way been affected by cancer.
We have printed the winning poem here for you to read:-
My Journey by Christine Seddon
Time flies, you rear your family and then it’s you and him
Time to enjoy each other, maybe act on a whim
Then the Big C gets you, things suddenly change
What you had planned you now must exchange.
The endless hospital visits, oh what a drag!
The chemotherapy sessions, don’t forget your mag
The doctors and nurses with their wonderful care
Get your hopes up, you say a little prayer
You fight the battle, you’re climbing the wall
You’re going to keep going, bald head and all.
Stay positive, keep a smile on your face Your attitude will help win the race
When you get the all clear you look at life a different way
Life is now going to be in colour and never grey
Make the most of it and Pause for Hope
You beat it, it was hard but you went and cope
It is with great sadness that we say Goodbye to one of our colleagues, Joe Burquest, from the Security team this week. Joe has been a member of Cathedral staff for over 18 years and has recently come to the difficult decision to resign from his post through ill health. All of us have a different story to tell about Joe – mostly good! – but the one thing we all have in common is that he shall be sadly missed by us all. The Security Office will never look the same at Christmas again!
This week’s edition of the Dean’s Message was written by Claire Hanlon, Assistant to the Dean.
