Saturday 1 August 2009

August Diary

Welcome to the quietest month of 2009 at the Cathedral. August's diary is remarkably quiet, with nothing much beyond the essentials of Cathedral life. The noteworthy events of the month are all liturgical: on Friday (7th) we keep the feast of the Lancaster Martyrs (their plaque in the Cathedral is pictured here) with Mass at 12:15pm, a walk to the execution site (leaves the Cathedral at 3pm), Exposition at 5pm and sung Vespers at 5:30pm. Other feasts include St John Vianney (next Tuesday), which this year marks 150 years since the saint's death; the Transfiguration of the Lord (Thursday) and the Assumption of Our Lady (this year transferred to Sunday 16th). The full August diary can be found here.

Meanwhile, the Diocesan Novena in preparation for the visit of the relics of St Thérèse continues; you can follow it week-by-week on the St Thérèse blog, which can be found here. Over the coming weeks the blog will also continue to give news and information about the visit, which will soon be upon us.

Meanwhile, Canon Billington's blog promises another month of illuminating posts about the Cathedral's history. This month we will meet former administrators Provost William Walker and Monsignor Oswald Brimley; we'll hear about the consecration of Bishop Thomas Whiteside, the opening of Our Lady's High School, the consecration of the baptistery and the Whiteside chantry altar, and the opening of the cemetery. Along the way we'll also see pictures of some old weddings, the 1974 Gala Day and a huge open-air Mass in Hornby. All this and much more during August - to visit Billington's Blog, click here.