Lent, Holy Week and Easter at Norwich Cathedral cathedral.org.uk/lent
Lent, Holy Week and Easter at Norwich Cathedral Lent need not be a season of gloom and long faces, after all it falls in the Spring when days lengthen and the day brightens. It is a time of preparation for the joy of Easter and, historically, for the celebration of the sacraments of Christian initiation Baptism and Confirmation. Increasingly today, the Baptism service is recovering the wonderful atmosphere of awe which once so impressed those being baptised and those, alike, who gathered to support them. Preparation for these awe-inspiring mysteries involved self-examination, sorrow for sin, self-denial, study of the Scriptures and almsgiving and it is these activities, joyfully undertaken, which characterise Lent today. Our daily worship is more austere in this season no flowers, sombre colours and no alleluias but always beautiful and engaging. There are opportunities for deepening our study of our faith, reflecting on the challenges of Scripture, and raising money for charitable purposes through self-denial. As the traditional forty days of Lent give way to Holy Week, our preparations intensify and the deeply moving services of the days before Easter draw us ever nearer, first to the Cross and thence to the Empty Tomb. 2
Throughout Lent... Wednesday Evening Addresses 21 February - 21 March, Friday Afternoon Discussions 16 February - 23 March, 3.30pm, Deanery Pierre Debatty Exhibition Sunday 18 March - Sunday 29 April, Cathedral and Hostry Can These Bones Live? Wednesday 14 February - Sunday 1 April, Cathedral This year's Lent Reflections will be a series of studies in the way that the sins and weaknesses which surrounded the events of Calvary remain a feature of human conduct today, both at the individual and national level. The sacrifice of Christ changed history, but the human reactions persist to this day as they have done before and since that cosmic event. The personality traits and weaknesses of the human participants at Calvary we still exhibit to one degree or another. The Revd Dr Andrew Sangster will explore this line of thinking under the title We Meet at Calvary. Week 1: The personal element and the Judge who condemned Week 2: The lesson of the Cross, and the two thieves Week 3: The Traitor and the Crowds Week 4: The Teachers and Priests Week 5: Those who helped and final comments A study group will meet at the Deanery for 90 minute sessions following the Mowbray Lent Book for 2018, A Place for God by Bishop Graham James. Sessions will be led by The Very Revd Jane Hedges and The Revd Dr Peter Doll. To book a place please contact Susan Bulpitt on 01603 218304 or pachaptersteward@cathedral.org.uk Tuesday Lunches 20 February - 20 March, 12.30pm, Weston Room We warmly invite you to join members of the Cathedral Community for a simple lunch of homemade soup, bread and fruit, as well as for fellowship. Please feel free to drop in at any time during the hour-long lunch and stay for as long as it suits you. Donations are invited for the work of local charities. There will be the opportunity to participate in a short reflection at 1.20pm each week, open to everyone and on the theme of 'Healing and Wholeness'. An installation of eight monumental abstract but lyrical paintings by Pierre Debatty will be on display in the Cathedral, with an accompanying exhibition in the Hostry. The paintings were originally commissioned by Brussels Cathedral for Eastertide. An installation by The Revd Wendy Shaw, made up of porcelain bones impressed with texts taken from Norfolk gravestones, will also feature in the Cathedral. The question Can these bones live? and Wendy s inspiration is taken from the book of Ezekial in the Old Testament. 3 4
Services Only some of the major services taking place during Lent, Holy Week and Easter are listed here. To see our full service schedule please visit cathedral.org.uk or pick up a printed copy in the Cathedral. Ash Wednesday Wednesday 14 February Eucharists with Imposition of Ashes 8.00am, 12.30pm and 6.00pm, High Altar The 6.00pm service is a Sung Eucharist with Imposition of Ashes, marking the beginning of our Lenten journey and featuring music by Lassus and Purcell, sung by Norwich Cathedral Chamber Choir. Maundy Thursday Thursday 29 March Chrism Eucharist 11.00am, Nave The Bishop of Norwich gathers people from across the Diocese of Norwich as the holy oils used for the sick, those being baptised and those being confirmed or ordained are blessed. The Bishop, together with other clergy renew the vows they made when they began their ministry. Good Friday Friday 30 March At the foot of the Cross 11.00am, Nave A chance for families to gather on Good Friday at the foot of the Cross. Solemn Liturgy 2.00pm, Nave Following the Reflections at 1.00pm (see page 7), we celebrate the Liturgy of Good Friday, with the procession and veneration of the Cross, the singing of the Passion and we receive communion from that which was consecrated on Maundy Thursday. Easter Vigil Saturday 31 March, 8.00pm, Nave The Easter Fire is lit and stories of God s faithfulness through the Old Testament are told. People will be confirmed and the first Eucharist of Easter is celebrated. The service uses the whole of the Cathedral and begins in the Nave. Easter Day Sunday 1 April Festal Eucharist 10.30am, Nave Join the Bishop of Norwich for the Festal Eucharist of Easter Day. Mothering Sunday Sunday 11 March, 10.30am, Nave This is the day in the year when Mother Church' gives thanks for the gift of mothers. We think about the Blessed Virgin Mary and we bring our thanks for all who provide a mother s care. Palm Sunday Eucharist Sunday 25 March, 10.30am, Nave Join us for a very special procession (led by a donkey!) leaving The Forum at 10.00am and arriving at the Cathedral for the Palm Sunday Sung Eucharist. Eucharist of the Last Supper At this beautiful and moving service, Jesus last supper with his disciples is recalled. As well as the Address by The Revd Dr Jamie Hawkey (see page 7), the feet of some members of the congregation are washed and the sacrament is taken to the Altar of repose and a watch is kept until late into the night. 5 6
Music Holy Week Addresses & Musical Devotions J.S. Bach St John Passion Saturday 24 March, 7.30pm, Nave Norwich Cathedral Choir (pictured) perform Bach s dramatic setting of the Passion according to St John, with Norwich Baroque and a cast of distinguished soloists. Simon Wall Evangelist Robert Rice Christus Cecilia Osmond Soprano Timothy Morgan Counter Tenor Mark Dobell Tenor James Birchall Bass Tickets 14-26 and available from Norwich Theatre Royal on 01603 630000 or online cathedral.org.uk. The Revd Dr Jamie Hawkey will be giving the addresses at the following services during Holy Week: Eucharist Monday 26 March, Eucharist Tuesday 27 March, Eucharist Wednesday 28 March, Sung Eucharist with Foot Washing Maundy Thursday, 29 March, Reflections Good Friday, 30 March, 1.00pm, Presbytery Evensong Easter Day, Sunday 1 April, 3.30pm, Choir The Revd Dr Jamie Hawkey is Dean and Director of Studies in Theology at Clare College, Cambridge. He was educated at Cambridge and at the Angelicum in Rome, served his curacy at St Mary s Portsea in inner-city Portsmouth, was a Minor Canon of Westminster Abbey, and Precentor of the Abbey between 2013-15. Alongside his work at Clare College, he supervises at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the Cambridge Divinity Faculty, and is assistant DDO for the Ely Diocese. He was appointed Chaplain to HM The Queen in October 2017. He currently represents the Church of England on the International Reformed/Anglican Dialogue and serves on the Malines Conversations Group. He has twice taught on the FCO Religion and Diplomacy course, gave the 2018 Lyttelton Lectures at Eton College and is currently working on an Urban Theology and Evangelism project for inner-city estates as part of the Renewal and Reform programme. 7 8
cont... Retreat Haydn Seven Last Words of Christ Monday 26 March, 8.00pm, Presbytery A Retreat in the Midst of Daily Life Monday 12 - Friday 16 March The Cavick Quartet (pictured) begin our three-part series of Holy Week musical devotions with Haydn s Seven Last Words of Christ (Op 51) for string quartet. Whilst it would be wonderful to go away on retreat to think about the events of Holy Week and Easter, for most of us this is not possible. So instead we invite you to hold a Preparing for Passiontide retreat in the midst of your daily life. Follows the Eucharist at 7.00pm. Free to attend. Organ Meditation Tuesday 27 March, 8.00pm, Presbytery The second in our series of musical devotions for Holy Week, with readings and organ music played by Norwich Cathedral Organist, David Dunnett (pictured). A special booklet will be available with suggestions for reflection, reading and prayer. Plus it will outline simple ways to keep these five days as special amidst your daily life, offering time to reflect on our own Christian journey and practice and to prepare us to walk the events of our Lord's Passion. Retreat booklets will be available at the Cathedral from the end of February. Follows the Eucharist at 7.00pm. Free to attend. Parry Songs of Farewell Wednesday 28 March, 8.00pm, Presbytery Norwich Cathedral Chamber Choir conclude our Holy Week musical devotions with Parry's Songs of Farewell, performed in this the centenary year of the composer's death. Follows the Eucharist at 7.00pm. Free to attend. 9 10
In the Library The Bishop's Lent Appeal 2018 The Bishop's Lent Appeal in 2018 focuses on enabling local mission in Simbai, Papua New Guinea, in this the year that the Diocese of Norwich celebrates the 50th anniversary of the link with the Diocese in Papua New Guinea; the longest of its kind in the Church of England. Simbai is a remote community where the church building is the community hub. This year's appeal will helping this community further its mission and support their work, by: ~ Extending the church by developing a larger church building. ~ Enabling youth work. ~ Resourcing people, including Lynn and Tony Fry, a couple from Norfolk who are in their second year of living and working with the people of Simbai. In addition, as the Diocese does every other year, they will support the Archbishop of Papua New Guinea's work to encourage his clergy and their mission and to facilitate the continuance of this remarkable link over such a huge distance. As always the Cathedral Library will be available for private reading and study, with staff and volunteers on hand to assist with any enquiries relating to its collections. The Library is open 9.30am - 4.30pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, as well as on the first Saturday of the month, 12.30-2.30pm. Plus the recently introduced 'Studium' initiative allows a new way to study with others on the first and third Fridays of the month. In a place where the people have very little materially, what they do have in abundance is their enthusiasm for God and His mission in their country. If you would like resources to promote this cause please visit dioceseofnorwich.org. Ways to give ~ Online at dioceseofnorwich.org/lent. ~ Text LENT18 5 to 70070 to donate 5 or LENT18 10 to 70070 to donate 10. ~ Send a cheque made payable to NDBF Ltd, marked clearly on the back 'Lent Appeal 2018', together with a completed Gift Aid declaration (if applicable), to: Lent Appeal, Diocesan House, 109 Dereham Road, Easton NR9 5ES. Thank you for your support. Come and pay the Library a visit. You'll be amazed at what you find! 11 12
Special Events Silence in the Cathedral Monday 26 February, 7.00pm, Cathedral Making Space for Yourself Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 March, 10.00am - 4.00pm, The Forum An opportunity to escape the noise and busyness of daily life with an hour of silence to mark Lent, the season for prayerful self-examination. Come and pay us a visit at The Forum in Norwich City Centre, as we participate in Makers Month. Come and wander the Labyrinth from 6.30pm, before an hour of quiet in the Cathedral from 7.00pm, beginning and ending with solo music. Please enter via the Cathedral s North West door and wear shoes with soft soles. 13 We will be offering free hand massages and the opportunity to have a go at a finger labyrinth relaxation.
Find the perfect gift this Easter The Cathedral Gift Shop is open Monday to Saturday 9.15am - 5.00pm and on Sunday 11.45am - 3.30pm. For mail order details please visit www.cathedral.org.uk, email giftshop@cathedral.org.uk or call 01603 218323. Follow us