The Holy Eucharist
From the end of the 13th Century the universal Catholic Church has celebrated a special day of Festival in honour of the Eucharist. The regular celebration of this Sacrament is our way of remaining faithful to the Lord’s request to ‘Do this in memory of Him’ and it is fitting that we have a day to give thanks for this wonderful gift of Christ’s presence and to reflect on its centrality in our lives. It is our food for the journey of our life of faith and is the essential way in which we come together to offer thanksgiving to God.
As we honour and give thanks for Christ’s true presence amongst in in the Holy Eucharist this weekend, perhaps we could ponder the words of St Thomas Aquinas. “The Eucharist is the Sacrament of love; it signifies love, it produces love. It is the consummation of the whole spiritual life.”
Last week we heard the first tentative sounds of wind through one or two organ pipes which was the first signs that the previous blowers had been replaced and new ones installed as part of the organ works taking place. Progress on the organ refurbishment is going on at pace and on schedule, even though from ground level there doesn’t seem to have been much change since the work began. The console has been largely rebuilt off site and will return for final fitments and final modifications when most of the high level work is finished. Now that most of the casework and frames are in place more of the refurbished or new pipes will be arriving over the next weeks. I’m looking forward to the return of the brass trumpets which I saw being re-polished and cleaned on the day when I visited the workshop.
The team of four organ builders, who are all Geordies, have blended in well to our Cathedral routines and are a friendly presence around the site. During the coffee and lunch breaks two of the builders have an ongoing game of chess, the progress of which has created a lot of interest; no one is allowed to move the pieces in between breaks, overnight or at weekends.
Archbishop Malcolm will preside at 11am Mass next Sunday on the occasion of his Ruby Jubilee of Ordination to the priesthood. He had studied mechanical Engineering at Manchester University after A levels and then worked for a few years for London Transport before joining the Order of Dominican Friars in 1976 which eventually led to ordination to the priesthood in 1982. Over the years he has been parish priest of Dominican parishes in London and Newcastle, Provincial of the Dominican order and Bishop of Nottingham before being appointed to Liverpool in 2014.
Canon Anthony O’Brien
Cathedral Dean
