Arundel Cathedral Summer 2023 Parish Proclaimer

THANKYOU

Detail from windows next to the North Transept window

Editor:MelindaHeathcote

Design&Production:BrydenIsbister

Proclaimer Magazine: Home Page - 3 -

by Melinda Heatthcode Editor

Editor’s Note August 2023

Welcome once more to our Summer Edition of the Proclaimer. As you will see, we have a number of parish events to record and with some exceptional photos. The 150th Anniversary of the Cathedral is something very special as Canon David describes in his introduction. Below here you can see Bryden, our brilliant graphic designer, sitting on the altar steps videoing the Carpet of Flowers with his drone – the results of which can be viewed in the Cathedral on the new display unit.

Filming a drone video inside the Cathedral with the drone shown above the altar

We hope you will take the chance to look at the excellent content of that display –which includes many aspects of the Cathedral and our parish community life. This edition of the Proclaimer is the Parish Proclaimer, the next edition will be in the Spring of 2024 and will be a Cathedral Proclaimer which will incorporate a section for the Friends of Arundel Cathedral, which used to be the Cornerstone.

A happy summer and autumn to all.

Melinda Heathcote

The new Cathedral Display Unit

Introduction from Canon David

Welcome to this edition of The Proclaimer, I hope you find reading it informative and enjoyable. The months of late Summer and early Autumn are times for taking stock and preparing for the latter half of the year. In the Parish the recovery from the Pandemic continues as numbers and events return to the pre-covid level. It seems strange to write about the Pandemic almost three years on but as we all know its

legacy is still with us. But as this rescinds other issues become more prominent. Many are battling with the cost of living, most will be very troubled with the news from Ukraine and all are affected by the plight of migrants crossing the channel in small boats.

Nevertheless we recognise the good in the world and all those who contribute to it and we continue with the practice of the faith for we know that, despite our serious problems, the Church proclaims Jesus Christ and it is he who is our hope. In its various ways this is the mission of our Parish magazine, the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Vespers on 30th June, Bishop Richard Moth with Deacons Mike Thoms (left on the picture) and Paul Fisher who was ordained to the permanent diaconate the day before.

Vespers on 30th June – left to right: Mgr Philippe Christory, Bishop of Chartres; Bishop Paul Henricks Auxiliary Bishop in Southwark, Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham; Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, Ukrainian Eparch

The Cathedral Church has stood as a witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ for 150 years. Consecrated on 1st July 1873 meant that the weekend of 30th June and 1st July this year was the high point of our celebrations, although they will last throughout the year. We began with a celebration of Evening Prayer on Friday 30th July followed by a reception in a marquee on the Duke’s premises and then on Saturday 1st July the Bishop celebrated Mass, followed by another celebration. We were joined by Bishops and priests from other Diocese as well as representatives of each Parish across the Diocese.

Many of our own parishioners were involved in making the weekend a great success. Both events were prayerful and there was an atmosphere of joy throughout the weekend. The following weekend our Parish community celebrated the anniversary, again a successful and joyful celebration. Thank you to all who made both events run so well and so smoothly. During July and the first week of August an exhibition about the Cathedral was held at Arundel Museum, it was informative and entertaining and well received.

Mass on 1st July, entrance procession

As part of the anniversary celebrations Bishop Richard invited each Deanery to hold their Confirmation celebrations at the Cathedral. Despite some small logistical difficulties this proved to be very popular. At the Cathedral we were delighted to welcome about 1000 young people and their families between the months of April and July.

1st July Mass left to right: Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, Mgr. Ervin Lengyel of the Nunciature, Cardinal Vincent Nichols Archbishop of Westminster, other bishops of England

Vespers 30th June, left to right in the foreground: Bishop Paul Henricks Auxiliary Bishop in Southwark, Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham; Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, Ukrainian Eparch

Bishop Richard told the young people about Duke Henry, the Fifteenth Duke of Norfolk whose vision and resources enabled the Cathedral Church to be built. At the time he was 21 years of age. He said that this fact leaves us all with a question. What contribution will we make to the building of God’s reign on earth? I hope this edition of The Proclaimer will be another small step on our journey of faith and therefore also in the spread of God’s kingdom of justice, love and peace.

Mass on 1st July, procession of diocesan clergy

Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain addresses the congregation

By David Clifton

Lumen Christi –Christ is our Light

Among the many discussions that took place following the Second Vatican Council there was a debate among liturgists about whether it was appropriate to sing the Creed. Those who thought it should not be sung argued that the creed was not a hymn or a prayer, but just a list of things that Christians believed. It is set in dry theological language as a statement, or affirmation of fundamental beliefs, and was never intended even for recitation, let alone singing. Those in favour of singing responded that though it may be a list of dry terms, the ideas expressed in those terms are so sublime that they raise the whole thing to the level of a hymn of praise. What they do agree on is that the Creed is a list of theological expressions. That being so, there is one phrase that stands out. It does not seem to express any theological idea, but to be just a poetic image. It occurs in the section about Christ:

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.

All clear-cut theological statements, except the phrase, ‘Light from Light’ – that does not seem to state any theological notion, so why is it in the Creed? Light is an idea that appears very often in Scripture. The word ‘light’ occurs more than 250 times in the Bible, and the idea of light/darkness or day/night is a frequent motif. Occasionally it refers to natural light, but mostly it is used in a mystical context. It is a theme that is present from the very beginning of the Bible until its end. The very first action of God in the Book of Genesis (Gen 1: 3) is to create light: ‘Then God said, “Let there be light; and there was light”’, and in the very last chapter of the Bible (Rev 22: 5) God will give light to the redeemed, ‘They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light’.

So, what is this light? Clearly it is not a reference to natural or physical light such as that produced by the sun, or by electricity – it is perhaps significant that God creates this ‘light’ on the first ‘day’ of creation, while the sun is not created until the fourth ‘day’. The psalmists often referred to light as an attribute of God. Psalm 26 says, ‘The Lord is my light and my help’. Psalm 35 declares: ‘In you is the source of life, and in your light we see light’.

The prophets, too, taught that God would lead his people by light, it was to be a characteristic of the promised Messiah. Baruch (5: 9) affirms, ‘God will guide Israel in joy by the light of his glory.’ And a familiar text from Isaiah (9: 2), in reference to the promised Messiah, speaks of ‘The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light.’ This theme, of light as opposed to darkness, is one that is taken up in the New Testament. Simeon, gazing on the child Jesus, declares him to be ‘a light to the Gentiles’ (Lk 2: 32). St John, in the

prologue to his gospel, (1: 4) proclaims of Jesus (the ‘Word’) that, ‘In him was life, and that life was the light of men.’ And Jesus proclaims himself to be ‘the light of the world’ (Jn 8: 12).

How are we to understand this?

In the ordinary sense we use the word to indicate intelligence, knowledge or understanding; we speak of someone being ‘enlightened’. We use this in the sense of someone having complete knowledge of the reality of a subject, not having any false notions about it, so it is an expression of truth. The Book of the Wisdom of Solomon (7: 22-8: 1) goes further. It equates light with wisdom – the ability to use knowledge well – in this case it is to see things as God sees them, ‘For she [wisdom] is a

reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, an image of his goodness.’ Here we have ‘light’ equated with wisdom and goodness.

The use of ‘light’ in this metaphorical sense is very appropriate, because the opposite quality, darkness, is insubstantial. If we want to see what something is like we switch on a light, or wait for the sun to come out. The light will banish the darkness. No one has ever invented (nor ever will) a source of darkness that you can switch on to banish the light, because darkness is not a ‘thing’, it is a lack of something - light. In the same way evil is not a thing, but the lack of a thing – goodness. This is why God is light: because God lacks nothing: he is, therefore, all goodness.

So ‘light’ is a symbol of truth, wisdom and goodness: absolute truth, absolute wisdom and absolute goodness. From the first moment of creation the world was suffused with such a light. Humanity has darkened it with sin. And to say that Christ is ‘light from light’ is to affirm his divinity and sinlessness. It also assures us that his teaching is true, ie. an expression of the reality of God and his relationship with the world.

At the Easter Vigil the Paschal Candle, representing Christ the Light, is carried into the darkened church. From it is taken a light which is passed to all the members of the congregation. This symbolises the calling of all Christians: to carry the light of Christ to the whole world. We are to be lights to the darkened world. Jesus tells his followers, ‘You are the light of the world’. (Mt 5: 14)

And St Paul writes, ‘You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light, for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and right living and truth. Try to discover what the Lord wants of you, having nothing to do with the futile works of darkness but exposing them by contrast. The things which are done in secret are things that people are ashamed even to speak of; but anything exposed by the light will be illuminated and anything illuminated turns into light. That is why it is said:

Wake

(Eph. 5: 8-14)

up from your sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’

By Jo Briscoe

Pope Benedict: 1927 - 2022

“Faith is nothing other than the touch of God’s hand in the night of the world, and so – in the silence – to hear the word, to see love.”

Pope Benedict was widely recognised as one of the most brilliant theologians and spiritual leaders of our age; described by many as quintessential Benedict “the purest and most perfect, or most typical, form, manifestation, or embodiment of his quality or class”.

Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger was born on 16 April 1927 and was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict’s election as Pope occurred in the 2005 Papal Conclave that followed the death of Pope John Paul II – an immaculate act to follow!

‘Ordained as a priest in 1951 in his native Bavaria, Joseph Ratzinger embarked on an academic career and established himself as a highly regarded theologian by the late 1950s. He was appointed a full professor in 1958 at the age of 31. After a long career as a professor of theology at several German universities, he

Benedict XVI before the end of his pontificate, 23 February 2013

was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising and created a Cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1977 (which was an unusual promotion for someone with little pastoral experience). In 1981 he was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – one of the most important dicasteries (administrative subdivisions) of the Roman Curia. From 2002 until he was elected Pope, he was also Dean of the College of Cardinals. Before becoming Pope he was a major figure on the Vatican stage for a quarter of a century; he had an influence “second to none when it came to setting church priorities and directions” as one of Pope John Paul II’s closest confidants!

His strength was already visible in 1958 –he did not exempt his Church from criticism. At this time he was speaking of the need for a ‘detachment from the world’. “This is necessary” he claimed, “so that the active potency of the faith can be revealed again. We have to remain steadfast and

unaccommodating, in order to demonstrate, without any frivolity, that Christianity is intertwined with a worldview that reaches beyond everything linked with a secular, materialistic attitude. The Christian worldview involves the revelation of the eternal God. It is naïve to think you need only dress all in different clothes, speak as the world speaks, and then suddenly all will be well. We must find our way back to an authentic proclamation, and a liturgy that brings the radiant mystery of the mass to light.” This was his main theory of thinking and acting which led to his walking through the curtains of the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica as the 264th successor of the first apostle!

Benedict XVI worked quietly – he rejected showmanship. He quietly abolished the tradition of kissing the Pope’s hand, he replaced the powerful

papal crown on his coat of arms with a simple bishop’s mitre. However, out of respect for tradition he also adopted conventions which were not necessarily to his taste. He was “not the boss, not an icon of the Church,” he urged. He “only stood in the place of another, who alone must be believed in and loved: Jesus Christ, the Word of God made man.” Benedict’s writings were prolific and generally defended traditional Catholic doctrine, values and liturgy. He was originally a liberal theologian but adopted conservative views after 1968. During his Papacy, Benedict advocated a return to fundamental Christian values to counter the increased secularisation of many western countries. He viewed relativism’s denial of objective truth, and the denial of moral truths in particular, as the central problem of the 21st century. He argued that after about 1960, Europeans massively abandoned many traditional norms

rooted in Christianity and replaced them with continuously evolving relative moral rules. In this view, sexual activity has become separated from procreation, which led to a decline in the importance of families and to depopulation. He taught the importance of both the doctrine of the Catholic Church and an understanding of God’s redemptive love.

History will judge what significance this Pope deserves. Apparently, no one besides Joseph Ratzinger has stood for so long – over three decades – by the helm of the biggest and oldest institution in the world. With his passing, an era comes to an end. He built the bridge for the coming of the new – no matter how it will turn out. By the verdict of his followers Benedict XVI was ’a great Pope’ – great, due to the vitality and power of his intelligence and sympathetic understanding, and his major contributions to theology, his love for the Church and for humanity and, great, due to his virtue and his religiosity. In the words of Pope Francis, his spirit ‘will manifest itself more greatly and more forcefully, from generation to generation’. More personally, our Catholic community in this

country has deep thanks and memories of all that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has given to us here in our country – an everlasting appreciation of how very special he is in our minds. We are able to thank God and be personally grateful for the memorable experience of witnessing the State visit to the United Kingdom of His Holiness Pope Benedict in September 2010. It was the personal wish of Pope Benedict to come to England and Beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman. As we well know, John Henry Newman was a preacher, theologian and leader of the Oxford Movement as a prominent figure in the Church of England. His studies of the early church drew him progressively towards full communion with the Catholic Church. In 1847 he was ordained priest in Rome and, encouraged by Blessed Pope Pius IX he went on to found the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in England (our Cathedral was originally dedicated to St. Philip Neri).

John Henry Newman ‘was a prolific and influential writer on a variety of subjects, including the development of Christian doctrine, faith and reason, the true nature of conscience, and university education. In 1879 he was created Cardinal by Pope Leo XIII. Praised for his humility, his life of prayer, his unstinting care of souls and contributions to the intellectual life of the Church, he died in the Birmingham Oratory which he had founded’.

From the history of the difficulties which the Catholic faith suffered from the reign of King Henry VIII in the 16th Century, we know how much Catholics suffered greatly with the Penal Laws introduced against them, which led to dangers to Catholic Priests, Catholicism went underground for a very long time. In

the middle of the 19th Century things began to look up – moves towards restoration of Catholic Bishops with full ecclesiastical authority in England took shape and the Diocese were restored in 1850. Two years later Fr. John Henry Newman was invited to preach at the First Synod of Westminster. This gathering marked the formal reinstitution of the Catholic episcopate in England since the break with Rome. The 1852 Synod was a significant moment in the triumphant revival of Catholic life. Newman’s role in this sealed his public reputation in the eyes of the Catholic Hierarchy. His sermon called “The Second Spring” delivered in 1852, is recognised as one of the most important that he preached as a Catholic. In it Newman declared that the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy was the ‘coming of a Second Spring’, a new time of abundant growth for the Catholic Church in England and Wales as the Church emerged from the darkness and oppression of penal times.

Pope Benedict’s personal identity of Cardinal Newman reads: “Cardinal Newman is mainly, on the one hand, a modern man, who took on all the problems of modernity, he experienced the problem of agnosticism, the impossibility of knowing God, of believing; a man who throughout his life was on a journey, a journey to let himself be transformed by the truth, in a search of great sincerity and great willingness, to learn more, to find and to accept the path to true life.”

In preparation for his visit to the United Kingdom, Pope Benedict XVI actually made known to everyone the thoughts in his mind: “It will be a particular joy for me to beatify the Venerable John Henry Newman, in Birmingham, on Sunday 19 September. This truly great Englishman lived an exemplary

priestly life and through his extensive writings made a lasting contribution to Church and society both in his native land and in many other parts of the world. It is my hope and prayer that more and more people will benefit from his gentle wisdom and be inspired by his example of integrity and holiness of life.” We are most grateful for the great example which Blessed John Henry Newman portrayed to us, and we thank God for the fact that He brought Pope Benedict XVI to our shores, to seal with His authority and love, all the hard work and spirituality which John Henry Newman gave to us, endorsed by the praises to God which Pope Benedict bestowed upon us through the Beatification.

Within the Address of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI given during his weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday 22 September 2010, he included “Sunday, then, was a moment of deep personal satisfaction, as the Church celebrated the blessedness of a great Englishman, whose life and writings I have admired for many years and who has come to be appreciated by countless people far beyond the shores of his native land. Blessed John Henry Newman’s clearminded search to know and express the truth in charity, at whatever cost to his own personal comfort, status and even friendships, is a wonderful testimony of a pure desire to know and love God in the communion of the Church. His is surely an example that can inspire us all.”

In the words of the Holy Father at that time, Pope Benedict stressed the role of faith in contemporary society and the importance of a fruitful dialogue between religion and reason – a theme he said ‘as relevant in the time of Saint Thomas More as it is in our own day’.

By Jo Briscoe

Having enjoyed Sunday lunch with my family, following Mass at the Cathedral, and returned home in the late afternoon, I had just settled in the sitting room with my Sunday newspaper, when I heard a heavy, dull thud in the conservatory. I immediately got up and entered the conservatory to check out any happening which may have caused this. Looking around at eye level,

The Workings of God's Protection

nothing was evident to me until, walking towards the door and looking down onto the paved area, I was very concerned to see a very small bird lying helplessly – it struggled to stand on its tiny legs and feet and could not raise its wings as it caught sight of me opening the door, and needed to get away – it just rolled over in exhaustion.

I immediately knew my help was needed and, without hesitation, I went indoors

and got a soft yellow duster and returned to my fledgling – who was fully feathered, but still very young. I gently put the duster over his back, securing his wings to ensure his feelings of security, then, cupping both my hands around him, I picked him up and brought him into my chest for warmth and comfort.

I sat down on the bench on my patio and gently spoke to my little friend. He was still and quiet

and, as I held him near to me, his eyes closed and his body movement, through his breathing, was very shallow – I feared the worst! I thought he was going to die from the shock of the collision with the conservatory glass window.

I sat very still, keeping him warm and secure, quietly talking to him and lightly stroking the top of his head with my forefinger. He gently opened his eyes and looked at me, closed them again and I progressed with my conversation. This continued, without my moving, for about half an hour. Each time he opened his eyes, he kept them open for a little longer, always looking directly at me with no fear or anxiety or struggle. Finally his eyes stayed open and he was obviously feeling better, but still settled in his warm and comforting little hollow of my hands. I was still gently cupping him in my two hands, with no pressure or confinement, when, with no fear or panic, but carefully and with no preparation or struggle, he took off, out of my hands and strongly flew into the neighbouring meadow. I was so thankful and the happenings and response were such a wonderful uplift for me. I thanked God for his guidance and for the wellbeing of this tiny, helpless member of His family.

My garden is small but quite varied in its flowers and shrubbery and I do feed the birds, but, being next to a meadow, it is very unusual for birds to stay in the garden when I, myself, am wandering around and pottering with the jobs. However, the following day, I was just walking around the

garden dead-heading as I went along when I realised that a Lady Blackbird was following me closely –hopping around the grass and flying ahead of me and landing in various shrubbery just ahead of my own progress around the garden. In this unusual pleasure, I felt considerable comfort in my thoughts that this Lady Blackbird could well be the Mother of my fledgling and she was acknowledging my actions the previous day!

This was a wonderful experience for which I thank God – despite the fact that my Son did say that perhaps I was allowing my imagination to run away with me!! God works in wonderful ways!

by By Sr Aelred

News from the Convent of Poor Clares

Sr Angela, Order of St Clare, Arundel

I lived with Sr Angela from the beginning of 1978 until her death in 2021. We had lots of things in common; we had both been the second child of five children, each of us being in the shadow of an exceptionally intelligent elder sister! We both loved music and poetry, and over the years had lots of talk, some of it the necessary talk of community structures, but much of it just between ourselves. Though she was such a warm person, she didn’t wear her heart on her sleeve so moments of real intimate sharing were rare and precious.

She loved Scripture and her well thumbed Jerusalem Bible was never far away. In her later years, she went up and down stairs in the chair lift, a long slow progress and there was always a ‘serious’ book in hand, she was in that way a searcher. Her

contributions to Gospel sharing have been missed –they often provoked a real to and fro of dialogue. She had been a primary school teacher before she entered and love to recount the stories of that time. Later, community entertainments often featured her recitations of Joyce Grenfell which echoed her own experiences.

Sr Angela

When we made our Foundation in Kenya in 1992, although initially she had not been in favour of it, she offered to go, accepting that the community had voted for it. She went as the sister in charge, with two younger sisters who had been her novices, and they did such a great job in the midst of challenges and difficulties of which we, who had sent them, had no conception. I still have Angela’s letters from that time, expressing such a longing for home but committed to doing what God had asked of her.

I’ll share with you two stories which give a flavour of life in Myanga. For the first few months, the three sisters were basically living on a building site, while the house, built around a courtyard, was going up slowly. Cooking was done out of doors on a little ‘jiko’, basically a very small metal container on a tripod, under which a fire was lit which then heated the charcoal for the pan. Angela was struggling with this one day; exasperated by the slowness of the fire to get going, she grabbed what she thought was a can of paraffin and was about to slosh it on her jiko, when Mathenge, the foreman, ran across and knocked it right out of her hand and hurled it away, the can which in fact contained petrol. Another day, this same Mathenge was fighting with another man, each armed with a 4” by 4” when Angela, hearing the shouts of fighting, ran out and came between them, and made them stop, saying: “This is a house of peace, we can’t have this.” I don’t know if she persuaded them to shake hands, maybe that would be too English!

In 1997 Angela was elected our Abbess here in Arundel and came home, leaving a small but stable community in Myanga. Subsequently she was also made President of the Poor Clare Federation of Great Britain. She was widely loved; her warmth and generosity were legendary. In her last year her lovely qualities peaked in a kind of benevolence, a positivity, which benefitted us all, and this continued during the last months of her life when her cancer kept her in her room. She has left a big hole, where her love and laughter were, and we have to remember her and take forward that legacy.

by Maria Whitehouse

Sussex Heritage Centre

My husband Dominic and I bought what was then Arundel Youth Hostel ten years ago. It’s in Warningcamp about a mile from Arundel. Had we known then what we know now about the challenges of renovating and maintaining such a large building we probably wouldn’t have done it. We

became owners on 2 January 2013 and walked round a cold and shabby building with its immense dining room still set up for breakfast for 60 people, cornflakes in Tupperware boxes, thinking “what on earth have we done?”

Our idea was to run a pilgrimage and retreat centre and promote interest in the Sussex

Maria and Dominic Whitehouse

Saints. We decided on the name “Sussex Heritage Centre” as being sufficiently general and attract people with no particular religious interest. Renovating the building was beset by difficulties. You’ve only got to watch some of those TV programmes to get some idea of what it was like. We obviously hadn’t watched enough of them! Despite devising a pilgrimage programme, expensive advertising, emailing parishes and schools etc hardly anyone booked to come in that first year. We did some B&B but when winter came that stopped. We were saved by the suggestion from the wife of an Anglican clergyman who phoned one day in December and asked whether we did self-catering groups. The Anglican

Retreat House their parish regularly stayed at had just closed. I looked into it and found there was a market for self-catering group accommodation. The house has 11 en suite bedrooms and can sleep up to 35. We did some further adaptations to the building and advertised on a website called GroupAccommodation under the hose name of “Sefton Place”. Immediately we had bookings, mainly from groups of families for get

togethers, and after enforced restrictions with Covid lockdowns, our self-catering group accommodation business is going well once more. We’ve continued with developing pilgrimages and retreats. For the past 18 months we’ve been working with Naomi Hamilton, who is a Catholic spiritual director now based in Bognor, to develop a programme of Individually Guided Retreats (for between 2 and 5 days) and Themed Retreats and Quiet Days. The feedback we have had from participants has been excellent and we have a programme of Individually Guided Retreats, Quiet Days and Quiet Breaks throughout the year. From time to time individuals stay at the house for therapeutic breaks and the house is also used by schools for staff and pupil retreats and as a base for pilgrimages to Arundel. We’re working with a small group of Catholics and Anglicans to set up a charity to develop pilgrimages in Sussex, starting

with a “Sussex Saints Way” from Chidham to Steyning, the journey St Cuthman made pushing his mother in a barrow. The route is about 40 miles long and goes from Chidham through Bosham, Fishbourne, Birdham, Selsey, Church Norton where St Wilfrid established his mission in the 680’s, Siddlesham, Hunston, Chichester, Boxgrove, Slindon, Arundel, Patching and Findon to Steyning.

Our journey so far has kept us busy and we’re happy to be in the parish of Arundel and looking forward to the future, whether it involves remaining here or moving on. If you’d like to find out more please see our websites www.sussexheritage.co.uk and www.seftonplace.co.uk or phone us on 01903 413606.

by Lucy Horne, Headteacher

St Philip’s School, Arundel Spirituality

We enjoyed a wonderful celebration picnic in school for the King’s Coronation. The children all decorated crowns and the best designs won a prize. They also decorated flags which they waved as part of the proceedings. The Friends set up a large marquee filled with cakes and treats and each class were given ice creams. Families were invited to come and join in the fun and listen to songs about the Coronation that the children had learned. We were much more fortunate than the King himself with the weather as the sun shone on the event.

Our Forest School sessions have recommenced, and we are extremely grateful to Arundel Town Council who gave us a grant to buy our own equipment. The sessions give children an understanding that learning can

happen anywhere and for some children, being outdoors for their education, makes a huge difference to their progress.

Swimming lessons have started for all children in

classes 1-6. The children each take it in turns to walk down to the Lido as a class and make use of the fantastic and warm facilities. The swimming teachers ensure that the lesson caters for each child’s swimming ability. The season of Eastertide started with an Ash Wednesday liturgy, where the children were all given a cross on their forehead made from ashes. The ashes are the palms from the previous Easter. Our RE Ambassadors were able to give the cross to our younger children in a wonderful display of servant leadership. During Lent, the younger children made Lenten promises to make their bed, set the table or give up something they enjoy and our older children had a Lenten calendar which asked them to do something for others on each of the forty days of Lent.

We then spent our school’s Holy Week in school with each of the classes portraying the story of Easter through a play and scripture. This very poignantly leads up to Year 6 portraying the crucifixion. When children returned to school after Easter, their classrooms were brightened with flowers and a celebratory ‘Mass of the Risen Lord’. The children

brought in flowers from home to decorate the cross and then this was placed outside of the school to bear witness that we are the Easter people. Our lovely’ Friends of St Philip’s’ also gave each child an Easter treat and the younger children were given resources and materials to make their own Easter bonnet. We continued the Eastertide season with mass in the cathedral for the Ascension of our Lord.

Every March, we celebrate ‘Spirituality Day’ in school. On this day, all children are ‘off timetable’ and spend the day in different classrooms participating in activities linked with the theme. This year the theme was ‘Community’. We were fortunate to have the Chaplaincy team from SPH running one of the sessions.

We have had various trips this Summer Term. Year 2 visited Stansted Park, Year 3 went to Amberley Museum and Year 1 took a trip to Tuppeny Barn. The children really enjoy going on a

The School Garden

coach to take them on a trip. For many, the trip is to places they have never been before and enable them to learn a huge amount linked to their class topic. Every year, Year 5 are asked to make teams of 5 and are given £5 to invest in items that they can then sell and make a profit on. They can bake cakes, make Jewellery, sell ice pops etc. Any profit is then used for a treat. This will happen in the last few weeks of the Summer term.

We recently had an allotment tidy up. It took place on a sunny Saturday morning and we had a several families come and lend a hand. The beds were weeded and the pathways cleared. The children then were able to plant flowers and vegetables. They are hoping to see the fruits of their labour over the next few months. This term we look forward to welcoming our new Reception Class families for the induction sessions. We prepare to say goodbye and good luck to our Year 6 children who are moving on to secondary school.

World Book Day 2023

by Joanna Hall

SVP or If you please!

The recently formed St Vincent de Paul group, or more correctly 'conference', in Arundel is slowly finding its feet. As a new group it is seeking to attract members so that it can offer a useful adjunct to existing outreach within the parish and perhaps fill any gaps.

We started with baby steps and so far, at Canon David's initiative, we have assisted at two Masses of Anointing, enabling some of our less able parishioners to benefit from this very great blessing. Both Masses were followed by tea and cake and sandwiches in the Cathedral Centre. An opportunity for everyone to get together and enjoy each other's company, a treat if you are usually unable to get to Mass. At a different level, and a rather more prosaic activity, we have formed a group called the 'Silver Sterlings'.

Saint Vincent de Paul

This group's function is to polish the cathedral silver. This role was carried out for many years by Nuala's husband and latterly another job for the redoubtable Mike. We started to meet once a month but felt that it wasn't necessary that frequently, so now we are arranging sessions in advance of the big feasts or Cathedral events: Christmas, Easter, Corpus Christi and a certain anniversary. Again, when you get a group of people together, there is laughter and chatter, coffee and biscuits and SOME work. A spin-off from this group, and coming together at the same time is a select band of needlewomen, the 'Sewing Bees' (no men as yet!) who are undertaking some of the necessary repairs to altar drapery and vestments. The group meets in the sacristy on a Wednesday morning (as there is no mass in the cathedral that day) and the meetings are publicised well in advance in the parish newsletter. So if you'd like to join in the fun and help to look after the silver and linen then just come along. The more the merrier!

Then in the autumn, when visiting relatives in Chester, I was impressed to see that they had already set up a warm hub space in their church hall for people to come. Such a simple idea and so we, in the SVP, decided to see if there was a similar initiative in Arundel. There wasn't but there was great enthusiasm for the idea and so two centres or hubs were set up in the town as part of a community enterprise. We had been manning the one at the Cathedral Centre every week in January and February on a Tuesday afternoon. Initially it was largely people who had come to 'help' but then it began to appeal to a wider circle. The 'warmth' of the hub was just that: WARM. But also in a broader sense there was the warmth of companionship and not only was there tea and biscuits but also GAMES! A particular favorite turned out to be one called Quirkle; you'll

have to come and try it if you want to find out more!

When the town initiative stopped at the end of February we decided to continue through March as an Afternoon Drop In. This was largely due to demand; some of the residents from The Priory Nursing Home had been enjoying the outings and companionship. Also we had a few mums and children from the school. It was felt that, in order to retain the connection, we would continue to offer the space once monthly during the spring and summer and then assess where we go from there. We are planning an outing in July to the Tea Rooms, by the river at Amberley. This is warmly anticipated by all. The Drop In has become something of a fixture and the helpers enjoy it as much as anyone. It's also good to be working and forging friendships in the wider community.

So you can see that the SVP is alive and kicking and always looking for anyone who would like to be involved in carrying out this work or indeed in identifying other areas where we can help. So, IF YOU PLEASE contact Maria or myself or Louise in the office.

Frédéric Ozanam - Founder of SVP

By : Dr Elizabeth Stratford Organist and Master of the Choristers

Congratulations to Ella Blair, soprano Choral Scholar supported by The Friends of Arundel Cathedral, who has been selected from thousands of applicants to take part in the Genesis Sixteen programme.

Genesis Sixteen is world famous choir

The Sixteen’s free young artists’ programme for 18-23 year olds, which aims to nurture the next generation of talented ensemble singers. During the course of a year, a series of week-long and weekend courses based in the UK are led by key figures from The Sixteen, including founder and conductor Harry Christophers and associate conductor Eamonn Dougan. Participants receive group tuition, individual mentoring and masterclasses run by some of the industry’s top vocal experts.

Amongst our tutors are members of The Sixteen who are qualified vocal

Choral Scholar Success

Ella Blair

health and nutrition advisers, so a truly holistic package of support is offered to young singers. Thanks to a close partnership with the Genesis Foundation participants not only receive free tuition but also a bursary to cover all additional costs.

This is the UK’s first ever fully funded programme of its kind and alumni from the first eleven cohorts have already had much success since graduating. Many are now performing, recording and touring with professional groups, including The Sixteen. A number of them have set up their own choirs, charities and music businesses, and are showing true entrepreneurialism in developing their brand and reputation on the music circuit.

Cathedral Choristers

by Alex Clouter

Parish Churches in the Diocese featured in the Parish Proclaimer 20172020

Background

In early 2004 I moved from Forest Row to Findon Valley. I found out that St Michael’s in High Salvington was the closest church from my home. Five years on my cousin came to visit me for the weekend. Carole was keen to visit Arundel Castle and the Cathedral. We saw the castle on the Saturday which was fantastic and on the following day we both attended the 11.15 Mass, had our Sunday lunch in the Black Rabbit and then walked around the historic town. We had a great time together.

St Edward the Confessor, Sutton Park

The following Sunday I decided to go to the earlier Mass at 9.30am and really enjoyed it. I got to speak to some parishioners after Mass and at once, I decided that I would continue going to the Cathedral every Sunday!

It was my third time at the Cathedral and Canon Tim was going through the forthcoming events and other news towards the end of Mass when he asked if there was anyone willing to help with producing the forthcoming parish magazine as the editor had to step back for personal reasons. I ended up waiting outside for Canon Tim as I was very interested and he was talking to some parishioners. When Tim was free, I approached him and asked if anyone had asked about the magazine. He said no one had asked so I told him I was interested. I ended up going to the visit him later that week in Cathedral House discussing how to go further in developing the parish magazine with the help of other parishioners providing articles. All went well and my first

magazine was the 2009 Harvest edition of the Parish Proclaimer! During my editorship of the Parish Proclaimer, I suggested to Canon Tim that we could ‘promote’ the Diocesan Catholic Parish Churches. He liked the idea so I made contact with Fr Christopher Ingle at Saint Michael’s Church in High Salvington who was very helpful. What follows is the initial list of the churches and the magazines they are in. Please visit the Cathedral’s website to read the relevant magazine.

St Michael’s Church, High Salvington

2017

Spring - St Michael’s, High Salvington

Summer - English Martyrs, Goring by Sea

Autumn - St Edward the Confessor, Sutton Park

2018

Spring - Our Lady Ransome, Eastbourne

Summer - Assumption of Our Lady, Englefield

Autumn - St Thomas of Canterbury, St Leonards on Sea

2019

Spring - Our Lady Immaculate & St Philip Neri, Uckfield

Summer - St Pancras, Lewes

Autumn - St John the Evangelist, Horsham

2020

Winter - St Edmund, King & Martyr, Godalming with St Joseph’s, Milford

Detail from the

I will still be continuing with more churches in future Parish Proclaimers. St. Catherine’s Church in Littlehampton will be in the Autumn/Winter edition and in 2024 St Mary Magdalen’s Church will feature in the Spring/Summer edition.

ceiling of English Martyrs Church, Goring which was painted with a replica of the Sistine Chapel ceiling by Gary Bevans between 1987 and 1993

By Liz McCombe

Horsham Parish –Grandparents visit to Arundel Cathedral

A happy and friendly group from Horsham Parish arrived to visit the cathedral on Tuesday 16 May. They were welcomed in the cathedral centre with coffee and cakes by FAC members.

The group were so enthusiastic about their tour of the cathedral. Many had attended services such as

the Chrism Mass and Corpus Christi but, as they all commented, they had never realised how beautiful the cathedral is and had no idea about the history of the building or its design. The talk and tour given by Oliver Hawkins was much appreciated particularly as he had spoken in detail about the architecture and history contained within the walls. Their last stop was in the shop where they spent very freely!

The group was led by Christine and Allen. They had lunch and left late afternoon, expressing many thanks for an enjoyable day. Some left saying they hoped to return for Corpus Christi.

The Cathedral Gift Shop

by Sally Phillips

Marian ConsecrationMay 2023

During the Month of May, in preparation for their Consecration, a group from the parish have been on ‘retreat’ reading a short daily chapter from the book ’33 Day’s to Morning Glory by Fr Michael Gaitley’.

Each week during their reading they were guided by the rich teachings of a different Marian saint: St Louis de Montfort, St Maximilian Kolbe, St Mother Teresa and Pope St John Paul ii.

As well as reading they have been, like Mary, pondering in their hearts a short daily prayer and also meeting weekly, for discussion and watching a video lecture. The aim of the retreat was to be led into a greater and deeper understanding of Marian Consecration, before formally entrusting themselves to Mary, as Jesus did at the Annunciation and as He willed for His disciples to do at the foot of the cross. The Goal of Marian Consecration is to allow Mary to lead us to her Son Jesus Christ. The Consecration took place on the Feast of

the Visitation, at the Marian Shrine, in the gardens of Arundel Castle. The statue of Our Lady was crowned with roses, with each member of the group also placing a rose at the foot of the statue.

Deacon Jon Harman led a short prayer service and all recited their Consecration Prayer. “The act of consecrating oneself to Jesus through Mary” says Fr Gaitley “marks the beginning of a gloriously new day, a new dawn, a brand new morning in one’s spiritual journey. It’s a fresh start and it changes everything.”

NB: From Melinda Heathcote:

This group was organised by Maria Whitehouse and led by Sally Phillips. I found it a very interesting and valuable experience. There will be more opportunities if others wish to make this consecration in the future.

by Elizabeth Stratford

Arundel Cathedral Choir Visit to St Paul’s Cathedral

On Saturday 1 April 2023, 24 excited choristers and 6 helpers boarded a coach in Arundel to travel to St Paul’s Cathedral in London. The choristers looked very smart in their green choir hoodies and there was lots of excitement on the coach along with a little bit of singing of Disney classics to pass the time on the journey.

We arrived early so explored St Paul’s Churchyard and surrounding area, finding the Wild Table of Love animal sculpture in Paternoster Square. A temporary art installation, the huge tableau features a circle of bronze animals enjoying a meal together. Two seats at the table had been left free so the choristers wasted no time in seeing how many of them could squeeze in at once. Created by Gillie and Marc Schattner, the piece shows six of the world’s most endangered animals sharing food with a dog and a rabbit.

After a few photos on the steps and outside the Cathedral, we went up to

the Cathedral floor to meet Tom Daggett, OBE Organ Outreach Fellow, who showed us the Cathedral organ and some of the wide range of colours and sounds it can produce. Built by Henry “Father” Willis, the organ has 7,256 pipes with the smallest around the size of a pencil and the largest 32 feet in length. There are 5 manuals (keyboards) layered on top of each other and 137 stops (different sounds). Tom used the flutes, strings and solo clarinet to demonstrate some of the softer sounds of the organ before playing a fanfare on the 8 foot Trompette Militaire and then playing the Royal Trumpets 16’, 8’ and 4’ which sound at the West end of the building. Her Late Majesty The Queen famously said they

were too loud and not to be used when she was visiting! We sang The National Anthem under the Dome to see how this felt before hearing a bit of Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter! After the organ demonstration we moved into the Quire and were privileged to be allowed to sing in the Stalls, where St Paul’s Cathedral Choir sing every day during term time. It felt very different from Arundel because the space is so huge and it was harder to hear everyone around us when singing and to keep together. We had to work quite hard to help the sound to travel out and down the Cathedral and round the Dome but it was an amazing experience. We had photographs taken in the Quire as a special reminder of our day.

There was no time for rest as we set off on a climb – up the Dome! We each ascended 376 steps to get to the Stone Gallery where we could look out over the whole of London. It was a clear day and we easily spotted The Shard, the River Thames, lots of city buildings and other landmarks as we walked around the Gallery. Back downstairs again, Tom took us on an amazing tour of the Cathedral. As special guests, we were able to lie on the floor under the Dome and simply look up to see concentric circles, gold, angels and stone combine to make the Dome which is so recognisable. We also lay on the floor in the Quire and looked up to see beautiful, colourful mosaics in the ceiling depicting different scenes.

Moving around the Cathedral, we visited the tomb of John Donne, Dean of the Cathedral from 1621-1631. This was particularly special for Elizabeth, as her favourite anthem is Bring us, O Lord God by William H Harris, the text of which was written by John Donne. We saw the gates of death guarded by sleeping angels and the Geometric Staircase, known formally as the Dean’s Staircase.

Designed by Sir Christopher Wren, this staircase is unusual because it appears to float and is actually embedded in the wall. Each step is perfectly shaped to balance the step before and after itself, with no other means of support. We sang

in the stairwell and the echo was incredible! In addition to seeing memorials for Florence Nightingale, Major General William Ponsonby, John Constable, Ivor Novello and Sir Arthur Sullivan’s grave we also saw the tombs of Horatio Nelson and the Duke of Wellington. It was then time to observe Andrew Carwood rehearse the boy choristers in the Song Room. We were absolutely silent as the boys were put through their paces – you could have heard a pin drop! They made a huge sound as they rehearsed Weelkes’ setting of Hosanna to the Son of David for the next day, Palm Sunday. It was fascinating to see how they approached the music and they had a smaller version of choir stalls in the Song Room to help with posture and holding music. We sat in the Quire and listened to the choir of St Paul’s sing Choral Evensong. For many of the choristers, this was a new experience. There are some similarities with Vespers: sung psalmody, a Magnificat and an anthem, but some differences too as Evensong also contains the Nunc Dimittis. The choir sang Rubbra’s Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in A flat along with My Song Is Love

Unknown by Patrick Hadley as the anthem. The choir sounded magnificent and the sound rippled around the Dome and came back! We knelt for prayers and stood at the end as the choir processed out.

After lots of exploring and learning, everyone was feeling hungry so the choristers of St Paul’s and the choristers of Arundel all ate dinner together in St Paul’s Cathedral School. Tucking in to lasagne, salad, cupcakes and more, this provided a wonderful opportunity to share observations about chorister life and to discover similarities and differences about what the children do in their respective cathedrals week to week. There was excellent discussion, laughter and new friendships were formed, before we boarded the coach to come home.

Observations from our choristers:

“My favourite part of the day was listening to the boys singing. I thought their choir sounded wonderful. It was an amazing experience.”

“It felt very cool to sing in St Paul’s and I felt very privileged. I am really thankful I could go.”

“We went on a tour of St Paul’s and saw parts which not many people get to see. We watched St Paul’s Choir rehearse and later had dinner with them. It was really fun to sing there but was quite hard to fill such a huge space with sound. It was really cool to see and hear how the organ worked.”

“We saw lots of London from the Dome and also saw where they filmed Harry Potter.”

“The boys in their choir were kind and very talented.”

“St Paul’s Choir were incredible! They created such a large sound with just a few of them. They were also so friendly and well mannered. The acoustics in the Cathedral were outstanding!”

“It felt fun and exciting to sing in St Paul’s Cathedral because I have always wanted to sing there.”

“My favourite part of the day was dinner because I made new friends.”

“I was very impressed by their choir, they had a very clear, nice sound with amazing high notes.”

“The choir were loud, clear and it made me feel excited! I loved going up to the Dome!”

“We had a tour of the Cathedral and had to lie on the floor and count the circles all around us. We got to see the stairs going up to the library and hear their choir sing. Singing in St Paul’s was amazing because I’ve never had an experience like that and I was so grateful to be able to go. Their boys were amazing at singing high notes and keeping singing without taking a breath. Thank you!”

“We saw all of London when we went up the Dome and were able to hear all the different parts of the organ. I saw some of the incredible art which is displayed across the walls and ceiling. My favourite part of the day was lying on the floor looking up seeing the circles which repeated throughout the Cathedral. The acoustics of the Cathedral amplified our singing and the building sang back to us! The boys were incredible – they are so young. Thank you so much for this incredible experience.”

Our thanks go to Tom Daggett, Andrew Carwood, Angela Palotai and all at St Paul’s

by Adam Vernon

Corpus Christi Catering

In March Canon David asked me if I would consider organising the catering for Corpus Christi in June this year 2023. Having never been involved before, I wasn’t really sure what it entailed, and after thinking about it for a few days, I somewhat naively said ‘yes, why not?’ At the end of March we had a briefing meeting for anyone

helping with all aspects of Corpus Christi, where I was greeted with a round of spontaneous applause when Canon David announced that ‘Adam has volunteered to organise the catering’, which did make me wonder what I had let myself in for!

Father generously gave me a free rein to do what I wanted concerning all aspects of the

Production line in the kitchen

catering organisation (as long as we didn’t make a loss!), and so I decided to do some research on what we would be providing for the Corpus Christi catering. Initially, on the most popular sandwiches according to the internet, and also face to face meetings with staff at Tesco’s, Sainsburys, Morrisons and Lidl’s. Discussions at the supermarkets proved of little use, as basically they had no idea what were the top sellers. One classic comment from one store was,’ you can see what’s popular by what’s on the shelves’ to which I thought – but those are the ones you haven’t sold! Anyway, I got to the stage

of measuring the thickness of slices in various loaves and how many sandwiches we would get from each, and most importantly working out which size of plastic container (known as wedges) we would need to suit which sandwich and filling! As you can tell, everything became pretty involved the more I looked into it – ha, ha! Compostable and recyclable cups were next on my list, and what size was most popular to give maximum customer satisfaction. After getting samples from a number of suppliers we settled on the 12oz, which proved to be perfect! Twenty-two volunteers came forward for catering and Louise sent me the list through.

Customers being served in the Cathedral Centre

Thank goodness that Emer offered to be my ‘Right Hand Man’ (her words!) from the very start of the process, and we called a meeting at the end of May to discuss and plan our approach to the two-day task ahead. We had a very productive initial meeting, and I could immediately tell we were going to be a great team. A rota was sorted with the volunteers covering various sessions according to their availability, and I purchased a set of 12 matching aprons to ensure we appeared as a united team for our prospective customers.

The week of Corpus Christi was soon upon us and I went shopping on the Monday with a Land Rover full of loaves, (brown, white and gluten free - not needed in the end!), spreads, contents for six sorts of sandwich fillings, including; ham, salad, cress, tomatoes, grated cheeses, a massive tub of pickle, various types of crisps, coffee, tea bags by the hundred, soft drinks, and milk by the gallon!

On Tuesday cakes were collected and started to be delivered by numerous members of the community who had been busy baking for days in advance. By Wednesday morning we had a vast array of superb cakes of all types and sizes. Some magnificent examples of Bruce

This year’s Carpet Of Flowers

Bogtrotter chocolate cakes, for those of you that know Roald Dahl’s film Matilda! We were delightfully overwhelmed by the kindness of everyone who took the effort to donate so generously.

The visitors arrived on Wednesday and Thursday to see the superb carpet of flowers and visited us at the Cathedral Centre in abundance, and our merry team of volunteers served them all in a very professional manner and with a happy smile. The joyous spirit of all the volunteers was brilliant throughout, even when we had a few little hiccups, like the card machine about to charge someone £1,253.00 for a cup of coffee, the cold water running out, people getting stuck in the lift and the toilets needing attention! We served over 1000 cups of tea and coffee and nearly 400 sandwiches over the two days, and we received numerous compliments from the public, which was lovely, and I felt very honoured to have such a great team who did a job they could really be proud of.

Kerbside sales to the school children after finishing school

by Elizabeth Stratford

Arundel Choir Examination Results

Lily Barnes – MTB pre-grade introductory piano – distinction

Maximilian Haywood – ABRSM Grade 1 piano – merit

Eva Howie – Trinity Grade 1 violin – distinction

Louie Burke – ABRSM Grade 4 piano - merit

Merryn Bradley – ABRSM Grade 1 singing – merit

Matilda Thomson – ABRSM Grade 2 singing – merit

Isla Bradley – ABRSM Grade 4 musical theatre - merit

Jago Bradley – ABRSM Grade 5 singing - merit

Amelia Howard – ABRSM Grade 5 singing - distinction

Mollie Thomson – ABRSM Grade 5 singing – distinction

Ella Blair – BMus vocal performance – First Class Honours

Kristian Thorkildsen – BMus vocal performance – First Class

Honours

by Martin Hall

Help Arundel Parish by using GiftAid

Last year the parish was able to claim nearly £15,000 through the Gift Aid scheme. To have achieved this, 100 parishioners now donate to the parish by regular standing order or through the envelope system. This is so helpful to the parish as it manages its finances.

If you are a UK tax payer you can help the parish by joining the Gift Aid scheme. You may be a new parishioner or perhaps have just not got round to doing it yet.

The procedure is very simple. You can sign up for Gift Aid as long as you are a UK tax payer. By doing so this increases the amount that the parish receives from your offertory donation by 25%.

The easiest way to make your offertory gift

is by standing order from your bank account and this can be done weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. Alternatively you can still pay in cash by using special numbered weekly envelopes allocated to you.

Although the bank standing order is the most straightforward method it does mean that you need to review the amount you are giving on a regular basis to take into account inflation and any changes in your circumstances.

If you worship at the Cathedral and have not yet signed up for Gift Aid or would like more information please email the Gift Aid organiser Martin Hall on ga.arundel@abdiocese.org.uk or the Cathedral Office 01903 8822

by Richard France

Corpus Christi - The Real Presence

When I receive communion

The Lord is in my hand, And just as present as He was When He walked on the sand.

Beside the Sea of Galilee, Where people sought Him out, And He then walked among them all –

His presence not in doubt.

And then upon Mount Tabor’s height He stood transfigured – yet more, Much more present to them than He’d ever been before.

And is He thus transfigured when I see Him lying there, There in my hand? If I had time I’d simply stand and stare!

It is a privilege, and one I simply don’t deserve. To touch Him with my finters,

Some would say I have a nerve!

Not sitting in a monstrance on An altar far away, But really, really present, He is in my mouth today.

Now He has come to me and said, “Take, eat me – don’t you see? YesI am present to you here –But so are you, to Me.”

By the Flower Team: Mary Bagg, Margaret Myerscough, Lorraine Cranfield, Tina Truscott and Sylvia Smithers

Corpus Christi Carpet of Flowers 2023

Arundel Cathedral with its stunning Gothic architecture sits at the top of the hill in the market town of Arundel, West Sussex. Every year, throughout the year, it’s interior is enhanced with beautiful flower arrangements to mark special occasions. All the arrangements are designed and created by a very small group of local ladies, called the ‘flower team’, and there are only five of us in this core team. For large occasions such as Corpus Christi, we are able to call upon the skills of other parishioners; other churches within the diocese; and the flower arrangers from our friends

at St Nicholas Church, which is a massive help. Many of our ladies may not be Catholic, but they are always willing to come and help us as part of this great community we have here, no matter their faith.

We are delighted to use our flower events to encourage such a wonderful community spirit and

coming together of all faiths and backgrounds. Along with our lovely ladies, we of course have some fantastic male help to take on the heavy lifting and they are very good at creating things that we might need for the events. This is also invaluable help, which we very much appreciate.

For this article we are explaining the process that happens to make the Corpus Christi carpet of flowers. Meetings start in January every year, where we begin to decide the locations for each arrangement, the type of flowers that will be used in each arrangement, and what colours to use, as well as the flower arranger for that display. At these meetings the design of the carpet is presented, this enables the team to discuss areas of concern within the design, ideas again on colours of each element is debated and agreed upon…eventually. Our marvellous Oliver Hawkins is the principal designer and always comes up with a new beautiful design every year. Oliver sometimes has to include elements that are being celebrated within the catholic calendar, or within our parish. For example, this year, in 2023, the carpet depicted dates, and features that celebrated the 150th anniversary of the building of the Cathedral. However, like us, he has no idea until the carpet has been laid if it will truly work. Thankfully, it usually does and by the wonderful comments we receive, we are told it looks amazing, so it’s always worth that little bit of stress and worry through the process.

Over the last two years, we have been very fortunate to develop a strong relationship with both Martin Duncan, the head gardener at Arundel castle, and Mark Aldridge, the Arundel Estates manager. Martin allows us to collect greenery from the gardens for each event; this is truly a blessing and would be every florists dream. When we first met Martin, he was rightly concerned that we might ravage his beautiful gardens, like women possessed, but he now knows we are careful and respectful of his flora and fauna and lets us in whenever we need it.

The Castle gardens are stunning and the access to this varied and well-maintained greenery is just superb, we are forever grateful. We usually cut the greenery three days before the arrangements are made so that it can be conditioned this ensures the arrangements are fresh for at least a week after we make them. This works really well and parishioners and visitors get to enjoy the displays for as long as possible.

Mark’s team from Arundel estates delivers the fern that makes the bed of greenery for the carpet 2-3 days before we commence making the carpet.

Again, without this support we could not be able to lay the 91-foot carpet each year. This fern is the backbone of the carpet that lets the colours of the flowers standout in their respective designs.

All the flowers we use in the Cathedral throughout the year are supplied by our trusted and very understanding David Baker Flowers. David has been our supplier for many years now, he is also there with any advice we need, and he

pops in to check-in on us throughout the laying and arranging days. This is a huge help, especially if we need more flowers at this stage. For Corpus Christi alone David delivers approximately 1500 stems of flowers for the side arrangements. These are also delivered three days before the arrangements are done in order to ensure they will be in bloom and conditioned to last the full week of the Corpus Christi events. There are two questions we always get asked:

1. Why do you use chrysanthemums for the carpet? The simple answer is, over many years they have proved to be the best to lay flat and remain fresh for the three days we display the carpet to the public. No other flower seems has proved to have these lasting qualities. Unfortunately this comes with its own issues, as there are no commercial growers of chrysanthemums in the UK. Therefore the flowers have to come from Holland. Sometimes we cannot get the colours we need for our designs and have resorted to spraying the flowers to the required colour instead. This is done a lot in floristry; however, it does create extra work for this event, so we try to avoid it if possible.

2. How many flowers are used on the carpet?. The answer is, approximately nine thousand heads of chrysanthemums are laid to create the design on the carpet. Which is a huge amount, as anyone involved will tell you!

The week of Corpus Christi starts for us on the Saturday before when we take delivery of the stems for the arrangements. These have to be checked, sorted, trimmed and placed in water. We then collect the greenery from the castle gardens for these arrangements and take delivery of the fern for the base of the carpet. On the Sunday, Oliver and his helpers lay down the brown paper along the Cathedral aisle. Their next task is to stencil the design onto the paper; this becomes the base of the carpet. Now we have our pattern, which spreads majestically along the 91-foot stretch from the start of the pews at the Cathedral entrance all the way to the front of the pews looking towards the altar. The week then ramps up even more with early starts and late finishes. Monday sees a team of about 14 flower arrangers starting to put together all the side arrangements.

Whilst this is happening, another big team (the cutting team) starts to cut fronds from the fern branches, as this will then be laid on the brown paper interwoven with the flowers to form the carpet. On Tuesday, more side arrangements are undertaken and completed. And, at 8am about 400 bunches of chrysanthemums arrive and need to be brought inside the Cathedral side entrance.

Another team, or lots of our splendid ladies and gents from the previous day (i.e. the cutting team), come back for more and help us cut the heads off the chrysanthemums, ready for the ‘laying’ team to lay on the brown paper design. This means everyone, no matter what ability, can join in the preparations. Most of us in the flower team are wise

in our years and have dodgy knees or backs now, so getting down onto a hard floor, or more importantly, getting back up again, is not possible anymore. But we can still do our bit, and we really do! Our cutting and laying teams are a superb help to us and we couldn’t do it without them though.

The cutting team keep the laying team supplied with greenery and flower heads and the carpet starts to take shape. There’s always a great atmosphere, lots to talk about, lots of catching up to do, or new people to meet. Plus the flower team always ensure the tea urn is ready and waiting to provide an abundance of tea, coffee, and of course, biscuits. The carpet and all the side arrangements are usually complete around 16.00 on Tuesday. This is when all the phones and cameras come out and all the various teams get to admire the hard work of the last few days. The smell of fresh cut fern and flowers is heady and remains over the next two days to welcome all the visitors that come to view the carpet from all over the country by their coach loads, and even some foreign visitors too. This is not the end of the story! Each day the flowers have to be checked to see that there is sufficient water to keep them fresh looking.

The carpet is on show on the Wednesday and Thursday, until about 17.30 when our service of Corpus Christi starts with Mass. This is then followed by a procession, through the streets to the castle, where benediction takes place in the castle quadrangle as per a longstanding tradition. The procession then comes back to the cathedral for the conclusion of the benediction. The bishop on exiting the cathedral will walk on the carpet along with all the clergy. The remaining flowers and greenery are swept away but not before many of the congregation, especially the children, will pick some flowers from the carpet to take home.

https://youtu.be/Es74_HV8lrk

Drone video of the 2023 Carpet Of Flowers can be seen on the Cathedral website and on YouTube:

Our side flower arrangements usually stay looking beautiful for a couple of weeks after te event. Which, of course, means many more visitors get to enjoy the stunning arrangements for a lot longer than the carpet. We are so grateful to everyone that comes year after year to help us, and a big shout out to our new recruits for such a splendid job! We really hope you will return next year, and if anyone would like to offer their help, we always need more helpers. Please e-mail in expressing your interest to help with the carpet of flowers, we need your name, email & contact number: arundel@abdiocese.org.uk

Detail from Carpet Drone Video

by Margaret Bamford

Visit from The Friends Of Canterbury Cathedral

In May the Cathedral Friends were honoured to host a much-delayed visit from the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral. Originally planned for 2020, we had been delighted that a group from the oldest established Christian church in England had expressed an interest in visiting our wonderful Cathedral by contrast just 150 years old and, very specially, in the year of its anniversary.

The group of 50 left Canterbury at an unearthly hour in the morning, braving the early morning rush hour traffic to reach the Cathedral Centre well in time for a welcoming warm drink and a brief introductory talk about arrangements for the day. They were excited and interested in the richness of the history of how the Cathedral came to be built and the mechanics of the creation of such a stunning building in such an incomparably commanding position overlooking the Arun Valley and South coast.

Moving on to the Cathedral the group was welcomed formally by Bishop Richard. He emphasised the importance of such visits and how good it was to be able to share knowledge of separate heritages and a common Christian faith. He said how much he valued their visit and hoped it

would generate interest widely from other groups and pilgrims. He did not mention specifically the infamous death of St Thomas A Beckett in Canterbury, or the extraordinary courage of St Philip Howard 13th Earl of Arundel, who died in the Tower of London but whose remains are interred in his shrine in the North transept of Arundel Cathedral. Both saints had a common association with great cathedrals.

The Friends are greatly indebted to Oliver Hawkins, the Diocesan Trustees’ expert on the Cathedral, who with great eloquence demonstrated his erudite knowledge of the history, not only of the technical construction of the building, but the historical context in which it was created. He also introduced the group to the Fitzalan Chapel which is the chancel of St Nicholas Church inside Arundel Castle, detailing its unique and fascinating provenance.

The morning concluded with lunch of home-made soup, sandwiches, and cake provided by The Friends. Welcome compliments all round on the quality of the catering and the hospitality! After lunch the group took the opportunity of a pre-booked guided tour of the Castle, returning to the centre for more homemade delicious cakes and a cup of tea, before boarding the coach for their return journey. They acknowledged it had been a

by Barbara Isbister

Alice in GardenPartyLand

The Parish Garden Party 9th July, 2023

‘Twas brillig’ and the sun didth shine.

Alice walked into the garden and was surprised to see so many people doing a most curious thing. They seemed to be assembling themselves into a figure – ‘The number 150,’ she heard someone say. ‘How very peculiar!’ she thought. Just as she was wondering why they could possibly be doing this, she heard a strange buzzing noise above her head. It looked like a giant insect, with four legs and a single, large, glass eye. As she looked up at it, the ‘insect’ rose vertically at great speed, to a great height, and flew over the human 150. They were cheering and waving at it, which seemed to encourage it to fly ever more speedily.

There was a line of tables stretching down one side of the garden, shaded by the overhanging trees. They were covered with pretty tablecloths and decorated with flowers. All manner of delicacies, savoury – vol au vents, mini quiches, and a veritable feast of sweet treats, were on display.

At the top of the garden, a gazebo housed a variety of drinks for adults and children alike. Alice, thirsty after her long walk through the town and up the steep hill to the garden, ventured to try a drink. It was called ‘Pimms,’ she liked the name and chose a special non-alcoholic version. What attracted her to it most, was the generous amount of fruit, mint and ice in the glass.

‘Someone must have spent hours cutting it all up,’ she thought. There was squash, fruit juice and, what one lady referred to as, ‘bubbly for the toast.’

‘Curiouser and curiouser,’ she didn’t understand. She, just preferred marmalade or strawberry jam on her toast; the idea of dipping toast in a bubbly drink did not appeal to her in the least.

Music reached her ears. There was a band of musicians playing various instruments, among them

saxophones, guitars, drums and some of them were singing.

‘It’s a Jazz Band,’ said a lady in a straw hat.

‘Whatever it was,’ thought Alice, it certainly added a dimension of great jollity and fun and everyone seemed to be in agreement.

On the opposite side of the garden to the shaded food tables, was a paradisial dreamworld for children. In among the long grass and tall trees, a magnificent selection of games to play, from croquet, perhaps intended partly for the adults, and also noughts and crosses, giant chess, hoopla and dominoes to name but a few. Without doubt, the children were having a wonderful time. Alice was about to join them, when she spotted a table, all on its own, in the middle of the garden. ‘A peculiar place to put a table. Why would anyone put a table there?’ she thought. It was covered with a beautiful, white, satin tablecloth and on top of it was the most enormous cake

Alice had ever seen. She was so excited; she loved cake and this one was covered with thick, white icing. People were coming up to the table and looking at the cake with great admiration. As Alice got nearer, she could see why. It was indeed splendid. She saw that the top of the cake was almost entirely covered with an image, made from icing, of the large building behind her. It was decorated with yellow piping all the way round. She read the words on the cake, first the ones, in blue: ‘Arundel Cathedral, Parish Celebration’ and then the gold lettering, ‘150th Anniversary, 1873 -2023.’

Now she realized why the people had been forming themselves into the number 150. ‘Still,’ she thought, ‘A most peculiar thing to do!’

‘The Toast!’ said a man dressed in black, accompanied by another, similarly dressed. ‘Oh, I do hope they’ve got some marmalade,’ thought Alice. But there was no toast, as she knew it, and no marmalade, not even any strawberry jam. One of the men dressed in black spoke over a microphone and then everyone lifted their glasses above their heads and cheered. Then they cut the cake and shared it out, until there was not a single crumb left!

The Parish Garden Party 9th July, 2023 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the building of Arundel Cathedral

Thanks to: Bishop Richard Moth, Canon David Parmiter

The Garden Party Team: Betsy & Adam Vernon, Maria & Dominic Whitehouse, Joanna & Martin Hall, Bryden & Barbara Isbister

Cake Maker Extraordinaire: Rosemary Yorke-Johnson

Special thanks to all the lovely parishioners who attended and to those who helped on the day, without whom we couldn’t have done it. So good to see we have such a strong, supportive parish community.

‘Twas brillig,’ indeed.

It was a brilliant day which will live long in our memories, and if not, we have the drone video! God bless.

Video of the Garden Party can be seen on the Cathedral website and on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EQwudYrNqMQ

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by Margaret Bamford

Cathedral’s 150th Anniversary Celebrated at Arundel Museum

No one can have failed to be aware of the celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the town’s Diocesan Cathedral but, maybe not so well known, was the exhibition in the town’s museum. Hosted by the museum and funded jointly by the Diocese, the Parish, and The Friends of the Cathedral it was a modest but impressive display of artefacts relating the 150-year-old history put together by a small group of talented experts giving freely of their time and skills. The richness of the history was attractively captured on ‘roll up’ banners providing visitors with a clear written narratives of dates and developments. The project was led and assembled by Oliver Hawkins. A staunch and active supporter of the Friends since its inception Oliver has written widely about various aspects of the Cathedral’s background and structure. He denies the title ‘archivist’, he says he is merely an ‘interested historian’, but those who know him and have heard him speak and read what he has written will know very well that he is both erudite and eloquent. Members of the Friends of the Cathedral would agree. They have, for many years, benefited from excellent articles in their bi-annual publication ‘Cornerstones’.

Mayor Tony Hunt with Margaret Bamford, John Godfrey, and James Walsh at the preview.

This exhibition was a comprehensive retrospective in words, film, and visual displays, of the birth of the idea of a parish church to the way it was constructed and the challenges of building such an inspiring building in such a prominent position – on solid chalk! Oliver said he ‘found the pictures,books, banners, and embroideries, rummaging around in the archive upstairs in Cathedral House’. His wife, Diana helped him transport everything to the Museum, where the manager, Heather Gayle,and a work-placement student helped position and display the material to maximum effect. Even the delicate Venetian lanterns were included and looked exquisite.

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Welcoming visitors to the exhibition. Painting by local artist Peter Tulloch

A drone was used to create a film of close-up views of the interior of the building not normally accessible to visitors or worshippers. The Friends highly valued IT expert, Bryden Isbister, together with his son James as drone pilot, produced a film with full views of the magnificent gothic ribbed vaults, and glorious Rose window, hundreds of feet from the ground, as well as the ground level statues and artefacts. The voice over from Oliver provided an authoritative commentary and accompanied by the spiritually uplifting music from the Cathedral choir, created a sublime atmospheric expression of Faith. Many visitors were observed to be sitting quietly in awe of what they were seeing and hearing.

Adding an extra and welcome element of inclusiveness, the Diocesan Education Service invited primary and secondary schools to contribute to the exhibition by creating a piece of artwork. The response was

The 150 Year Video can be seen on the Cathedral website and on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wdoB22CUFII

Duke Henry XV, whose vision it was to build the ‘Parish Church’

George Myers, builder of Arundel Cathedral

overwhelming and the work so imaginative and creative that it was decided to make a record of all the contributions and to extend the film by including a record of all the children’s efforts. ‘Never has St Philip's dog been given better coverage’, commented Oliver!

Before the exhibition opened officially civic dignitaries were invited to a preview where Bishop Richard undertook the formal opening thanking everyone who had been involved in putting together such a richly informative display.

The Mayor of Arundel was thanked for the Town Council’s support, while the visit subsequently from Georgina, Duchess of Norfolk with Earl Henry, was much appreciated. After a very successful 6 weeks the exhibition has now been taken down and is now being stored while discussions about mounting a roving tour around the Diocese to parishes.

Bryden Isbister and Oliver Hawkins

Roll up banners with pictures and narrative

by Louise Sharp

Cathedral Events Autumn 2023 - Spring 2024

For updates about any event, please see the Cathedral website or call the Cathedral Office.

For Cathedral opening hours, please check the website or call the Cathedral Office.

Weekday Masses at 10am and Sunday Mass at 11.15am are live streamed on our website www.arundelcathedral.uk as are funerals and some other events.

SEPTEMBER

Saturday 2nd 12.30pm Wedding

Sunday 3rd – Saturday 9th Diocesan Filming for ‘Invited’ in and around the Cathedral

Sunday 10th Education Sunday

Thursday 14th 10.45am Bereavement Group Coffee in Cathedral House

Saturday 16th All day

Diocesan Clergy wives day

12.30pm Baptism

Sunday 17th Home Mission Sunday

2.00pm Mayor’s Service in the Cathedral

Tuesday 19th 12 noon Visit of St Thomas of Canterbury parish Sevenoaks

Saturday 23rd 12 noon Diocesan Altar Servers Mass

7.30pm Invicta Voices Concert for tickets go to www.invicta-voices.com

Saturday 30th 12 noon Cathedral Discovery Day, for tickets and information see www.arundelcathedral.uk and click on poster link to book at Eventbrite

Wednesday 4th All day Diocesan Secondary Schools Pilgrimage to the Cathedral

Friday 6th CAFOD Harvest Fast Day www.cafod.org.uk

Saturday 7th 2.30pm

Ecumenical Animal Blessing Service

Bereavement Group Coffee in Cathedral House

Thursday 12th 10.45am

Saturday 14th 1.00pm

Arundel Cathedral Choir in Concert, free entry, retiring Collection.

Sunday 15th Prisons Sunday – Collection for PACT www.prisonadvice.org.uk

Wednesday 18th 11.00am Visit of St Philip Howard parish Cambridge

Thursday 19th 10.00am

Mass on the Solemnity of St Philip Howard, followed by tea and cake

Saturday 21st 7.30pm

Arun Choral Society Concert, Haydn ‘The Creation’.

For tickets see www.arunchoralsociety.co.uk

Sunday 22nd World Mission Sunday – Collection for Missio www.missio.org.uk

3.00pm

Mass of St Philip Howard followed by the Friends of Arundel Cathedral AGM

NOVEMBER

Sunday 5th Collection for Retired priests

3.00pm

Wednesday 8th 11.00am

Blessing of Graves and Tea

Chapter Mass and meeting

Bereavement Group Coffee in Cathedral House

Thursday 9th 10.45am

Sunday 12th

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

9.15am Mass

11.30am

Tuesday 14th 11.00am

Mass

Deanery Mass for deceased clergy

Concert – Buck Brass Trio, free entry, retiring collection.

Saturday 18th 1.00pm

Sunday 19th

Collection for Cathedral Maintenance

11.15am

Mass for deceased Knights of St Columba brothers

Monday 20th 11.00am

Saturday 25th 10.00am

7.30pm

Visit of Horsham U3A Group

Mass in the Fitzalan Chapel

The Angmering Chorale Concert see http://theangmeringchorale.org.uk/

DECEMBER

Saturday 2nd

7.30pm

Cathedral Choir Concert – Handel’s Messiah, for tickets and information see www.arundelcathedral.uk and click on poster link to book at Eventbrite

Sunday 3rd 6.30pm

Friends of Arundel Cathedral Advent Vespers

Tuesday 5th 6.00pm

Worthing Deanery Schools Advent Service

Wednesday 6th 6.30pm Cathedral Deanery Schools Advent Service

Saturday 9th 7.30pm Arun Choral Society Carol Concert for tickets see www.arunchoralsociety.co.uk

Sunday 10th Collection for Christmas Flowers

Tuesday 12th 2.30pm Great Ballard School Christmas Service

Wednesday 13th 2.00pm St Philip’s School KS2 Advent Service

Thursday 14th 10.45am Bereavement Group Coffee in Cathedral House

6.30pm Canine Partners Carol Service www.caninepartners.org.uk

Friday 15th 7.30pm Kent, Surrey Sussex Air Ambulance Carol Concert for tickets see www.aakss.org.uk

Saturday 16th 7.30pm Libera Concert, for tickets see www.libera.org.uk

Sunday 24th 5.00pm Vigil Mass of Christmas

Sunday 24th 11.30pm Midnight Mass

Monday

Day Mass

Wednesday 14th

ASH WEDNESDAY

8.30am Mass and distribution of ashes at Poor Clares Convent

10.00am Mass and distribution of ashes at Cathedral

7.00pm Mass and distribution of ashes at Cathedral

Saturday 17th

MARCH

2.30pm Diocesan Rite of Election Service

Saturday 2nd tbc Concert - tbc

Thursday 7th 11.00am Chapter Mass and meeting

Saturday 16th tbc Concert – tbc

Saturday 23rd

7.30pm Arun Choral Society Concert – Dvorak: Stabat Mater www.arunchoralsociety.co.uk

Sunday 24th

Wednesday 27th

Thursday 28th

PALM SUNDAY

6.00pm Diocesan Chrism Mass

HOLY THURSDAY

8.00pm

Mass of the Lord’s Supper in the Cathedral followed by waiting to midnight at the altar of repose.

11.50pm Compline

Friday 29th

GOOD FRIDAY

9.00am Office of Readings and Morning Prayer

10.00am Stations of the Cross

3.00pm The Passion – Collection for Holy Places

Saturday 30th HOLY SATURDAY

9.00am Office of Readings and Morning Prayer

Time TBC The Easter Vigil and First Mass of the Resurrection

Sunday 31st EASTER SUNDAY

Masses at 9.15am and 11.15am

BAPTISMS

2022

20th November Maïlys Alix Nicholson- Lepine

16th December Flyn Shahani

16th December Marlowe Shahani

2023

8th January Frederick Gabriel James Silk

8th January Clara Anne Whitehouse

22nd January Noah Joseph Conor Hicks

19th February Elsie Faith Bridge

30th April

21st May

3rd June

16th July

MARRIAGES

15th June

17th June

24th June

14th July

Juan Diego Cristóbal Bizzarri Dominguez

James-Dean Albert Harber

Logan Farah-Ingram

Olivia Anne Golder

Chris Hicks & Maria Barrios Ochoa

Darren Yaxley & Tania Davies

Alexander Rose & Stephanie Keay

Daniel Manning & Rebecca McCarthy

2022

11th December Adrian Anthony Geoffrey Myers (50 years)

20th December Michael James Moore (78 years)

21st December Margaret Mary Gammons (93 years)

2023

8th January Patrick James Nolan (84 years)

14th June Pauline Mary Anne Rodmell (73 years)

Blessing of Graves If you have a relative or friend buried in St Philip’s Cemetery, join us for the annual grave blessing on Sunday 5th November at 3pm. A brief service is followed by the blessing of individual graves and tea in the Cathedral Centre afterwards.

Congratulations to those who have made their First Communion and Confirmation

First Communions on 21st May

Leila

Jamie

Blake

Alexander

Theo

Charles

Joseph

Tallulah

Olivia

Oscar

Freddie

Felix

Eva

Hunter

Seve

Jacob

Confirmations in May/June

Bethan

Molly