Prayer for Vocations
Following the fire system false alarm at the Solemn Mass last week it became quite obvious to me that there was a need for further training for staff on the evacuation procedures and the use of the new control systems that have just recently been installed. This training took place last Friday so at least some good came from the disturbance to the Solemn Mass last week. Apologies once again to all concerned – the worrying detail was that the false alarm had been triggered by a member of the public whether intentionally or by mistake.
This Sunday is a day of prayer for vocations, a day also for the annual retiring collection in support of the Priests Training Fund. There is one priest to be ordained as a priest for the Diocese this year, Michael Barratt, and we have eight students at different stages in their training at either Oscott College, Birmingham, Valladolid or Rome. Please remember them in your prayers.
PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS
Loving and Generous God, it is You who call us by name and ask us to follow You.
Help us to grow in the Love and Service of our Churchas we experience it today.
Give us the energy and courage of Your Spirit
to shape its future.
Grant us faith-filled leaders who will embrace Christ’s Mission of love and justice.
Bless the Church of the Archdiocese of Liverpool by raising up dedicated and generous leaders from our families and friends who will serve Your people as Sisters, Priests, Brothers, Deacons and Lay Ministers. Inspire us to know You better and open our hearts to hear Your call. We ask this through our Lord.
Our Jubilee celebrations begin from next weekend – the Calendar Anniversary of the opening and consecration of the Cathedral 13/14th May 1967. The rite for the consecration of a place of worship was a lengthy and complex service at the time and the Cathedral authorities had gained permission for some minor changes to the rite, in accordance with the Vatican Council document on the liturgy, but it was decided to consecrate the Cathedral at a rather private service the day before the opening Mass for the feast of Pentecost –hence the two significant days of opening. The first event in our Jubilee Celebrations will be a performance of ‘The Liverpool Mass’ a composition of electronic music by Pierre Henry. This was meant to be performed as one of the opening events of the Cathedral in 1967 but it wasn’t completed in time for this. It has since been recorded elsewhere but this will be the first time that it is performed here in the building for which it was composed. The concert is jointly hosted by the Cathedral and the Bluecoat who are celebrating the 300th anniversary of their building this year and they have invited Jarvis Cocker to introduce the performance. Pierre Henry is now 89 years old and he travelled over last year to prepare for the concert but due to ill health he will not be with us on Saturday, instead his assistant Thierry Balasse will be in charge of sound. When this was first planned I didn’t think that there would be much interest in what is a rather specialist, niche, style of modern music but Bluecoat have informed us that there will be a considerable audience on the night.
A number of people were interviewed for the piece for the ‘One Show’ last week. We had fun filming it but you never know how the programme makers use the footage and what they include of the interviews – this will be shown on Friday, 12th May from 7pm.
