Christian Unity
Archbishop Malcolm will preside at the Solemn Mass this Sunday and we also welcome Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald who will also be joining us at 11.00am. He is now retired but was a former Nuncio to Egypt and prior to this the Head of the Papal Council for Interreligious Dialogue. As this Sunday falls within the ‘Week of Prayer for Christian Unity’ there is a joint service of Evening Prayer at 3.00pm at Liverpool Cathedral involving both Cathedral choirs and Clergy, you are most welcome to come along to share in prayer and praise our unity in Christ.
Our Archivist Neil Sayer has had a great deal to cope with since replacing Dr Meg Whittle in the post and almost all of it has been non Archive related. The area of the building where the archive offices are located sits under the point where the roof to the Crypt connects to the exterior walls of the Cathedral. As a result of this we have in recent years suffered from considerable problems related to ingress of rain water in this location. The current work taking place in this area is to hopefully reseal the joints above to make this roof watertight. However, during this lengthy repair process the problem areas had to be opened up and subsequently leaks become worse before they could be cured. Consequently the Archive office has not only been awash with leaks in recent months but also reverberated to the sound of drill and mallet above. Thankfully the work is now starting to bear fruit and there are signs that the areas are drying out. The work and disturbance to the building has meant also that the Archive offices have had one or two more visitors of the small and furry kind, not for the purposes of researching their family tree, but to keep warm and search for any rich pickings. I’m afraid their days will be numbered as archives and mice are not a good combination.
Many of you will have noticed that we have temporarily moved the statue of St Martin De Porres with a view to giving the small alcove a bit of a facelift. Following this, at the request of Archbishop Malcolm, we would like to give a more permanent location for the bust of Blessed Oscar Romero on a plinth in this area along with the statue of St Martin to link these two South American religious whose lives were dedicated to service of the poor.
I was informed this week that as part of a series on 20th Century architects a new book has been written giving a comprehensive account of the work of Sir Frederick Gibberd and his importance as one of the pioneers of modern architecture. In case anyone is interested in finding out more about our Cathedral architect – the author is Christine Manley.
Please note that Liverpool Hope University are holding their winter graduation ceremony in the Cathedral this Friday. This will mean that Mass at 12.15 will be celebrated in the Crypt Chapel (the rest of the week in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel), but exposition and evening mass will be as normal.
Canon Anthony O’Brien
Cathedral Dean
