Sunday 1 February 2009

February Diary

With January gone, things at the Cathedral begin to pick up speed. This month there is much to look forward to: On Wednesday 11th February we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, patron of our Diocese (Mass 12:15pm, Rosary and Exposition 7pm, Sung Vespers, Benediction and torchlight procession 7:30pm). The Presentation of the Lord is celebrated tomorrow, and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, takes place on 25th. Our Journey in Faith group (details here) begins meeting and children and young adults will begin their preparation for the sacraments of reconciliation, the Eucharist and confirmation. The concert season begins with the Skipton Camerata playing Bach this Friday, and at the end of the month the first of three new dramas will be performed. Written for the Cathedral's 150th year, the first play (27th and 28th Feb) will bring to life the Cathedral's windows which show the life of St Peter. Some of the scenes are pictured above. Add to that the annual Rite of Election for those seeking to join the Church, and there's a fairly busy month in prospect.

Canon Billington will also be kept busy this month. Our historical blog will report on the opening of the school and school life over the years, with some interesting photographs promised; we will hear about the establishment of the Diocese and the installation of the first canons, the consecration of our first Bishop, hear of Catholics caught up in a banking crisis in years gone by, and find out the connection between the Cathedral and the old red phone boxes. There's much to discover on Billington's Blog this month - click here to take a look. Meanwhile the full Cathedral diary for February can be found here.