From the Provost

Dear

You'll find the St Mary's news for September below. The last month or so has been an exciting time for us as a congregation. My personal thanks to all those who helped to make the special events that we have had such a success. The visit of Gene Robinson will be remembered by many for a long time and has resulted in new members being added to the congregation. More recently, the weekend celebrating 100 years of St Mary's being a Cathedral was wonderful - great music and a great deal of good will.

St Mary's is a good place to be at the moment. I hope you find the news below helpful.

With best regards

KELVIN

---

Website Additions

The website for St Mary's can be found at  www.thecathedral.org.uk.

 

A regular update of what is going on in the Provost's head can be found on his blog at www.thurible.net

Preaching - Listen (and See!) Again

Most of the recent sermons at St Mary's have been recorded on video and are now available on the website at  http://www.thecathedral.org.uk/spirituality/preaching. For those who do not have broadband access, some of these are also available in audio format. Many thanks to all those who contributed financially to the appeal made at the start of August for money to develop the web ministry at St Mary's. The addition of video to the site has been a direct result of the money given.

 

If your web browser is not allowing you to see the video or hear the audio, it may be that you need to reinstall a recent version of Adobe Flash Player which can be downloaded from the Adobe website

 

The Provost's sermons are also available on his blog where comments and discussion are welcome.

The Rt Rev Gene Robinson

Bishop Gene Robinson visited a packed St Mary's at the start of August. There was considerable interest from the media which produced universally positive comment about the visit in the press and a brief clip on BBC television news. Attached to this e-mail is an article which the Provost wrote for the Scotsman about the visit which was published the previous day.

The sermon that Bishop Gene preached can be seen on the Cathedral website here:
http://www.thecathedral.org.uk/2008/08/03/the-rt-rev-gene-robinson-wrestling-and-picnics-2/

The weekend of Bishop Gene's visit was a particularly busy one as it also saw the first blessing in St Mary's of a couple entering a Civil Partnership. Many thanks to all those who helped make this service a success including servers and the members of the choir who went the extra mile by agreeing to sing during their well earned summer break.

Lambeth Reflections from Bishop Idris

“In one sense the Anglican Communion is dead,” Bishop Idris told the September meeting of Diocesan Council in his report on the Lambeth Conference.

“By this I mean that what we have now, and shall have in the future will be very different from concepts of communion derived trom earlier decades,” he explained. “After death comes resurrection, so I am anticipating that a new way of relating across and within the Communion is needed and is likely to begin to emerge in the next few years. Most of us agreed that the idea of a ‘quick fix’ - though it still appealed to others - is not a realistic expectation. What is required in return is a large measure of patience and also the courage to continue to layout where we feel the communion should be going. Strong and contrary opinions will be voiced - but we hope with a degree of respect and courtesy.”

 

The full text of Bishop Idris's comments are available on the Diocesan Website here:

http://www.glasgow.anglican.org/index.php/news/entry/bishops_reflections_on_lambeth/

Homecoming weekend

Many thanks to all those who participated in the St Mary's Homecoming Weekend to mark 100 years since St Mary's became the Cathedral church of the diocese. Musicians were particularly busy with an excellent concert on the Saturday evening and full choral services on the Sunday. Choral Evensong was sung in the presence of the Bishop and members of the Cathedral Chapter. The Cathedral Chapter is made up of the Bishop, the Dean and the Provost and 8 members of the clergy who are alternately nominated by the Bishop and the Clergy of the diocese. The Chapter was constituted 100 years ago and it is this event which we have been celebrating. Chapter members are also known as the Canons of the Cathedral.

 

The next diocesan service will be a special Choral Evensong to mark 10 years since Bishop Idris was consecrated as the Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway. This will take place on 23 November 2008 at 6.30 pm.

 

Journey in Faith

It is hoped that St Mary's will begin to host Journey in Faith courses in the autumn though no dates have yet been set. These are courses in basic Christian education which are offered by the Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway. It is expected that an initial basic six week course will take place, possibly on a Wednesday evening. Final arrangements are still to be put in place. If you are interested, please e-mail Alistair Fulton, the office manager, and further details will be sent out when definite arrangements have been made.

Stations of Grace - All Saints and All Souls

The first weekend in November is looking as though it will be a very exciting one. For three days, the Cathedral will be open and there will be displays which have been commissioned by each of the local churches in the West End ACTS group. Each church has been asked to commission and artist to install a "Station of Grace".

 

On the Saturday during the day, the Rev Richard Coles will be leading a workshop on the themes arising out of our celebration of All Saints and All Souls called "The Best of Times, the Worst of Times". This would be a good introduction to this important celebration for anyone who has joined the congregation who does not have an Anglican background or for anyone wanting to think about the themes of life and death that are emphasised at this time of year. Richard Coles is and Anglican priest based in London who regularly broadcasts on BBC Radio and Television about arts and religious topics. Before being ordained he was a musician, and lists one of his greatest moments as having a number one hit record. (He was one half of the Communards).

 

On the Saturday evening, there will be a Big Sing led by John Bell and James MacMillan.

On the Sunday, we will celebrate All Saints in the morning with the Rev Richard Coles as the preacher. In the evening, there will be the usual Sung Requiem for All Souls. This year it is hoped that the musical setting will be the Rutter Requiem.

Vestry Report

A digest of the August Vestry meeting is now available online in pdf format here:
http://www.thecathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/vestry-report-august.pdf

Note that you need Adobe Reader installed to be able to view this file.

Diocesan News

The Diocesan Newsletter can be downloaded from the Cathedral website in pdf format here:
http://www.thecathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/diocesan-news.pdf

Note that you need Adobe Reader installed to be able to view this file.

Doors Open

This year the Doors Open weekend is 20 and 21 September 2008. Anne Jones is coordinating this event. Offers of help are most welcome. Anne can be contacted on annepjones@hotmail.com

Knowing me, Knowing You

An evening of conversation with the Provost, the Very Rev Kelvin Holdsworth. This event takes place in the Synod Hall on Monday 13 October 2008 at 8 pm. Limited to 20 places to ensure that the conversation flows. To book a place, contact Alistair Fulton via office@thecathedral.org.uk

Festivals and Commemorations

The Eucharist will be celebrated to mark the following festival days:

9.30 am 16 September 2008 - St Ninian (Simple Plainsong Mass Setting)

9.30 am 22 September 2008 - St Matthew (transferred from Sunday)

11 am 2 October 2008 - Michaelmastide service

 

All Saints and All Souls will be kept on the same day 2 November 2008. The morning service will concentrate on All Saints whilst the evening service will be a Sung Requiem.

LGBT Group

The LGBT Group meets on 15 September 2008 at 8 pm for a discussion evening led by the Provost.

Bible Study & Compline

The Contextual Bible Study and the Compline groups are both changing the day they meet from October. Both groups will now meet on the second Tuesday in the Month. Bible Study from 6 pm. Compline at 7.30 pm. Bible Study details from the Rev John Riches. Compline details from Gail Smith. Both can be contacted via the Cathedral office. The first date on which both these groups will meet is 14 October.

Eco Congregation

The next meeting of the Eco Congregation group is 21 September after the 1030 Sung Eucharist.

Book Group

The next meeting will be on Thursday 2 October 2008. Meetings take place at 6 pm in the Meeting Room, which is next to the Synod Hall door. Tea and coffee available from 5.30.

Poetry Evening

The next Poetry Evening will be on 18 September (and on the third Thursday of each month). Works ranging from the Song of Solomon to Ian Crichton Smith are discussed. The choice of poems is taken in turn by those attending. Meetings take place at 6 pm in the Meeting Room, which is next to the Synod Hall door. Tea and coffee available from 5.30.

External Organisations

• The most recent West End ACTS crossword is now available on the St Mary's Website. West End ACTS is the local ecumenical network affiliated to Action for Churches together in Scotland. To win a prize, the crossword needs to be completed and returned by 30 September 2008.

• Jesus and Other Faiths — Thursday, September 25, 2008 —10:30-3:00 - A study day in the “Christianity and Scotland’s Other Faiths” series to be held in Scottish Churches’ House, Dunblane, led by the Convener of CAIRS, Sr Isabel Smyth, and Inter Faith Education Officer, Andrew Sarle. What can we learn from reflecting on Jesus as a rabbi, prophet, guru and brother of the Buddha? Many recent Buddhist writings have pictured Jesus as an enlightened teacher. Some Hindus elevate the divine status of Jesus to that of an "avatar" (a ‘descent’ of God). Muslims have long claimed that Jesus was really a prophet of Islam, calling all people to submission to God. And Jews have always claimed Jesus as a Jew, albeit a wayward one. Please register before September 18: tel. 01786 823588 or by e-mail to reservations@scottishchurcheshouse.org
• The Edinburgh Churches Climate Change Conference is to be held on Saturday 11 October 2008, organised by the Edinburgh Climate Network, an ecumenical group of Christians concerned about climate change. The conference is open for registration now and an early-bird discount applies to full rate bookings made before 15 August 2008. To find out more, download posters and flyers and register on-line visit: www.edinburghclimate.net
• Mothers Union - There is an open invitation to all people interested in learning about the Overseas work of the Mothers’ Union.
  We are holding two individual day meetings to give everyone around the Diocese the opportunity to gain a wider perspective on the extremely important work undertaken by Mothers’ Union members in 78 countries around the world. We will be covering the links which we in Glasgow and Galloway have around the world, funding of projects, literacy, parenting and family life. You do not have to belong to Mothers’ Union
  to participate we are a very welcoming group of people, both men and women.
  The first meeting will be in Largs at St Columba’s Scottish Episcopal Church, Aubery Crescent, KA30 8PR on Saturday the 4th October, starting at 10.30 am and finishing at 3pm.
  The second day will be at St Ninian’s, Scottish Episcopal Church, Whitepark Road, Castle Douglas, DG7 1EX on Tuesday 21st October 10.30am -3pm.
  On each occasion a light lunch will be provided. If you would like to come along please contact Hilary Moran for the day at Largs (01475 686213) or Ruth McLellan for the Castle Douglas event ( 01387 255283) this is not essential but would make it easier for catering.