No. 395 June 2012 PARISH NEWS. From the Cathedral and Parish Church of St. German, Peel Worship, teaching and service. ( Suggested Donation 70p)

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1 No. 395 June 2012 PARISH NEWS From the Cathedral and Parish Church of St. German, Peel Worship, teaching and service ( Suggested Donation 70p) His Excellency the Lt Governor, the President and members of Tynwald held a service of celebration in honour of the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Lord of Mann, at the Cathedral Church in Peel on Sunday 20 th May The Bishop led the service. Guests included Commissioners, Parish Captains, and leaders of the different Christian denominations on the Island. The Jubilee celebration service was also the debut of the Cathedral Choristers under the new Director of Music.

2 Favourite Hymns: Be thou my vision This must be one of the most popular hymns today; it is frequently requested for weddings and we have sung it quite often in services at St German's. It is consistently near the top of poll ratings, so it comes as a surprise to discover that it has only relatively recently been included in hymn-books. Be thou my vision is Irish in origin. It is based on a translation by Mary Byrne ( ) of an ancient Gaelic poem, whose origins are lost in the mists of time but is thought to be from the 6 th century. Mary Byrne produced her prose translation in 1905, but it wasn't until 1912 that Eleanor Hull rewrote it as a poem. Dr Hull ( ) was an expert in Celtic folk-lore; the verses first appeared in one of her poetry books, from where they were picked up by the compilers of the Irish Church Hymnal in This hymn has appeared in most British hymn-books published since then, but it can trip up singers (and organists) because there are several variations in the words and how they fit the music. The tune always used for Be thou my vision is also Irish. 'Slane' is a traditional air that did not appear in published form until 1909, in a collection 'Old Irish Folk Music and Songs' put together by Patrick Joyce. The music has a supposed association with St Patrick, and fits the words so well that they feel as if they were composed for each other, but as far as is known they were not put together before that hymnal appeared in We use the same tune for Lord of all hopefulness another popular hymn but it is good enough not to suffer from over-use. What does this hymn say to us? Is it relevant, fourteen centuries after the Celtic poem was written? Each verse is inspired by a passage from the Bible. Looking at verse 1, Be thou my vision reminds us of the Old Testament prophets, who felt a close link with God, and carried with them constantly the 'dream' of what He needed them to do in His name. When we sing this verse, we express the intention that God will be our best thought, and that we will be aware of His presence with us. At its heart, the whole hymn is a prayer expressing determination to place Jesus (the High King of Heaven) at the centre of our lives. Commentators have referred to this as 'the practice of the presence of God'. This is the key to true Christian living, and so indeed is relevant to weddings as well as to our worship week by week. Don Roworth

3 New opportunity for young singers to experience church music in the Isle of Man One of the glories of the Anglican church is its musical heritage, and one of the splendours of the Isle of Man is its singing tradition. Now these two things are being brought together in a new way at our very own cathedral in Peel. April 2012 saw the arrival at St German s of new cathedral Director of Music Dr Peter Litman, and his wife, Music Outreach Officer Christiane Litman. Together Peter and Christiane are building up music at St German s for the benefit of our church, our Island and our young people. Peter and Christiane have already established a new group of Cathedral Choristers. This is open to both girls and boys between 7 and 14 years of age, drawn from all parts of the Island. The Cathedral choristers usually sing Choral Evensong on Sundays at 3.30pm and also festival occasions at the Cathedral. Rehearsals are at 4.00pm on Thursdays in the Corrin Hall. At the time of writing there are 10 members but I hope and expect that this figure will increase. Peter and Christiane are also responsible for the Nave choir, a voluntary choir which sings primarily the 10.30am Cathedral Eucharist service each Sunday and at special services throughout the year. Rehearsals for this choir take place on Wednesdays at 7.30pm. For further information about the choirs you can contact Dr Litman on or cathedralorganist@manx.net. If you would like to help to build up the music at the cathedral but are not in a position to sing in one of these choirs yourself, it is possible to support this initiative in other practical ways. Please come and talk to me about the recently formed St German s Cathedral Foundation for Music and the Arts. jdc.king@yahoo.co.uk Jonathan King Editor: Chris Hutt chris@huttprofessional.co.uk The editor is happy to publish articles from contributors but they do not necessarily represent the views of the Editor or the Church. Please submit articles for consideration by the 25 th of each month.

4 Symposium From Nursery to Tertiary : how can Christians contribute to the educational life of young people pre-school to Tertiary? Everyone interested in the future of education on the Isle of Man, and appropriate involvement of churches, is invited to a Symposium on the subject to be held on 16 th June. The keynote speaker, Kristina Crawford, Assistant Head to the Sixth Form at St Ninian s School, and a member of the SUMT community at Port St Mary, will present material from her Masters thesis on Mann and the Millennials (those aged between 10 and 30). Papers will be presented by a range of Island church people involved with schools and schooling and, in the light of these and other people s experience, discussion will be invited on what input churches can make to education in the Isle of Man now and in the future. Outcomes from the symposium, particularly relating to the involvement of churches in school education, will inform the Religious Education Advisory Committee (REAC), in advance of consultation on 6 th July with Isle of Man Government as they review the REAC role and terms of reference. 16 th June, St John s Hall : 9.30am to 1pm Keynote speaker: Kristina Crawford, author of Manx & Millennials Papers Nursery provision : Mrs Helen Parry and Revd James McGowan The place of/development of church Primary Schools : Revd James McGowan The place of/development of church Secondary Schools : Tim Mann Impact of church on state run schools : Canon Malcolm Convery Interrelationship of schools and their communities : Mrs Cheryl Cousins Access to schools through church music ventures : Dr Peter and Mrs Christiane Litman (or The experience of a church organisation interacting with education on the Isle of Man for the first time) Creation of new evening class course at Isle of Man College : Phil Craine, ISN Chaplaincy to the Isle of Man College : Revd Marc Wolverson Organised by the Western Mission Partnership, Diocese of Sodor and Man

5 A new set of vestments arrived and were used for the first time on Pentecost Sunday. This is the latest in a series of 4 sets commissioned for the Cathedral by a private donor and made by Yvonne Bell. The Precentor, Canon Peter Robinson (far left), after Holy Communion when the latest vestments were worn for the first time. Keeills Week was started off this year with a walk between three Cathedrals from the pro- Cathedral at Bishop s Court, to the ruin of the ancient Cathedral on St Patrick s Isle, ending at the Cathedral Church of St German in Peel. Here Keeills walkers pause at St German Halt. As you know, we normally carry a calendar of all the events for the current month. The new calendar incorporating dates for all five churches in the new Parish of the West Coast is being compiled and we look forward to sharing it in the next edition.

6 Serving the community Children & Families Worker There s an insert with this Parish News about the person we are looking for to join our staff team from September a dynamic and self-motivated individual who will: Live in the community to sustain and develop work already established after three years of gapper interns Lay the foundations for future engagement with families in Peel who live on the edge in partnership with other organisations If you know someone who might be interested, contact The Very Revd Nigel Godfrey for a detailed job description. dean@sodorandman.im Tuesday Concerts, June The Tuesday evening concert series started splendidly on 22 nd May, with an evening of requests played by Sheean Prash brass quintet, compered by Kevin Ford of 3FM. Coming events for your diary are: 29 May Meadowside Choral Society directed by Mike Porter. 5 June West Coast Singers local soloists including Kay Harker and Arie Eisinger. 12 June Caarjyn Cooidjagh Manx voices, led by Annie Kissack. 19 June Peel Clothworkers School an entertainment by pupils and teachers. 26 June Crosby and District Silver Band need no introduction. Do come and be entertained. As always, these events start at 7:45 pm. Entry is free (with a retiring collection) and refreshments follow. Leaflets detailing the whole series are available in the Cathedral. Do take one and make the concerts known. Members of the church who d like to take a turn of welcoming at the concerts on a Tuesday evening and to say thank you to those taking part at the end, please contact me direct. Don Roworth

7 West Coast Artistry The Western Open Studio Art Trail on May 12 th and 13 th was launched at the House of Mannanan by the Lieutenant Governor Adam Wood. As reported by Sue Woolley in Manx Independent, organisers Myra Gilbert and Kate Jerry of The Creative Network had brought 55 artists together in the venture. The Lt Governor commented on the extraordinary creative ability that seems to flourish here in Peel, which is one of my favourite towns in the island. Edmund Southworth, Director of Manx National Heritage, was delighted that the gallery space at the House of Manannan was included in the trail. Works by Rosi Robinson on display in the Robinsons home as part of the Western Open Art Studio Trail in May. Beyond Peel there were also displays and demonstrations at Green s Tea Rooms in St John s, the Isle Gallery at Tynwald Mills, and Patrick Church. Members of the network include Rosi Robinson and Vicky Harrop who organised some of the displays, and reports suggest that up to a thousand people followed the trail which included several artists work displayed in the Cathedral, as well as Rosi and Peter Robinson s work in their home in Christian Street.

8 From the Registers BAPTISM 5th May Zachary John Andrea THANKSGIVING 5th May 13th May Jaiden Callister Finbar McSeveny MARRIAGE 5th May 19th May Lorraine Whiting & Stephen Tate Ashlea Jones & Christopher Dentith BLESSING 5th May Hannah & David Andrea Service & Blessing celebrating 10 years of Marriage IN MEMORIAM Sheila Arnold Faragher William Pugh funeral 17th May funeral 25th May Please remember all these and their families in your prayers.

9 Notices The Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II In honour of the Queen s Diamond Jubilee the Atholl Street Garden in the Cathedral grounds will be laid out with a double avenue of twelve trees in each line, providing 22 Ordinary Beech and 2 Purple Beech trees. The avenue will represent the 12 Disciple Trees as laid out at Bishop s Court by Bishop Wilson where one tree died, and is known as the Judas tree hence the purple beech to symbolise the dead tree. Sponsor a Tree There has been a fantastic response to this idea and all 24 trees in the Jubilee avenue have been sponsored. You can still contribute to the transformation of the whole garden by sponsoring the hedge plants to go around the trees and at the base of the War 2 per plant. Or you may wish to sponsor one of the crosses that Ongki is carving for us, (pictured right) 1,000 - c 6,000, or a tree in one of the other gardens at a cost of between 50 and, for the specialist trees, 500. Contact Val Garrett for further details garrett.val13@gmail.com. Donations/cheques payable to Vicar & Wardens (Jubilee Appeal). The Parish Walk - Saturday 23 June Your chance to walk right round the Island, all 85 miles, through every one of the 16 civic parishes. Best wishes to all those completing, especially: Penny Thursfield who is raising funds for the Cathedral Gardens Project Robert Udy who this year is raising funds for HART, Baroness Cox s charity Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust Look out for them on the day and give them some encouragement. We will once again be doing refreshments in the Corrin Hall field, the proceeds from which will go towards the Cathedral Children and Family Worker Project.

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11 Notices Women s Guild ~ Sunday 24 June, 10.30am As we no longer have a Women's Guild at the Cathedral, we thought it would be good to acknowledge their work over the past 95 years. Nigel and the Clergy would therefore like to extend a special invitation to everyone who helped and supported the WG over those years (in a host of varying ways). Please come along and join the congregation at this service on 24 th June when the work of WG will be remembered. The service will be, as usual, followed by refreshments and hopefully with time to reminisce. Marion Wood The PARISH OF THE WEST COAST came into existence on 1 May, and the Parish of St German s is one of five parish churches making up the new group. This gives us an opportunity to think of a new name for our local monthly publication of news and information. The Editor is inviting you to come up with suggestions. The publication covers our congregational activities, things going on in and around Peel and the Mission Partnership, and records Diocesan events that have happened in our church. The best suggestion will win a year s subscription to the newly-titled publication. Editor s decision is final. the Editor by 25 th June : chris@huttprofessional.co.uk

12 The Archbishop of York, the Dr John Sentamu, gave a vivid address about the work of the Holy Spirit when he joined Bishop Robert and people from many churches on the island for Baptism on the Beach in Peel on Pentecost Sunday.