The Dean’s Weekly Message – Sunday 22nd September 2019 Posted on Sunday 22 September 2019

*The message below is an excerpt from the weekly Cathedral Record newsletter. The full Cathedral Record is available to pick up from the Cathedral or can be downloaded here.*

Twenty Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
A considerable aspect of priestly life is keeping to time and deadlines. Services times are published and need to start at the appropriate hour, appointments, newsletters and articles, emergency calls all need a timely response or prompt attention. Also with modern means of communication many people expect instant responses to e-mails and requests. This discipline of having to be on time for most things makes me rather envious of people who seem more relaxedand don’t seem to get stressed about time. Italso creates challenges to be more patient when having to deal with some aspects of Cathedral life where it is not possible to stick to deadlines. For instance in all the years that I have been here only one or two building and repair projects were completed in the assigned time period. The vast majority never even started when they were supposed to, let alone finished on time owing to the complications and challenges of our building, the materials involved and often the weather. When it comes to artistic and design work this can take even longer due to the permissions needed and other considerations that slow the process down. For instance the project to reinstate and modify the Archbishops Chair and Presbyterium have taken almost four years to resolve with yet another start on site date in the diary for later in the year. I received an update this week from the artist who has designed and is creating the new Processional Cross and Acolytes. It has been no surprise to hear that although nearly complete, there are a few final details regarding the arms of the cross and the crown on the top that may cause a slight delay in us receiving the items for the Feast of Christ the King. Artists can at times teach us an important spiritual lesson that patient attention to detail and the quality of what we finish is often more important than meeting deadlines. It took Sean Rice three and a half years to complete our Cathedral Stations of the Cross but that pales into insignificance with the number of years that they have been an integral part of our building and itsprayer life. As Saint Peter reminds us ‘withthe Lord a day can mean a thousand years and a thousand years a day. He is not being slow to carry out his promises but being patient with you all so that no one may belost.’ The Lord is patient with us and at times he doesn’t rush things – we need to be more patient with God and with each other!