No. 438

St German’s News

COMMUNITY, WORSHIP, CULTURE

Suggested Donation—£1

September 2016

Daily Prayers at the Ancient Cathedral

Editor: Christiane Litman ciom.news@gmail.com 271326

The editor is happy to publish articles and photographs from contributors but they do not necessarily represent the views of the editor or the Cathedral. Please inform the editor directly if you have any dates to be included in the diary.

Please submit articles and images for consideration by the 25th of each month.

I know what you did last summer... Over the six weeks of the summer holidays we have been up to many different things in the Children and Youth department. In the first week we were involved in Firestarter, a four day residential camp held at Ardwhallan and open to all between the ages of 12 -16. The kids camp and get involved in climbing, raft-building, capture-the-flag, water fights and the infamous kangaroo court. This year 82 children were able to be involved and great fun was had. The next two weeks were then taken up by Peel Beach Mission (PBM) which in its 53rd year was as popular as ever with over 100 children in attendance across the 14 days. Again the Cathedral partner a much larger team, who mainly come from England. This year’s theme was the heroes of the Old Testament and the Super Saviour who is Jesus. Again much fun was had with puppets, games, water-balloons, crafts and singing as the children discovered these characters from long ago and learnt about how to apply lessons from them to their own lives. One of the highlights this year was the beach baptism of one of the younger team members. The next weekend was spent at the Royal Agricultural Show where Messy Church - Isle of Man, had a stand that saw over 800 individuals engage in activities thinking about being lost and found through the story of the lost sheep. This was run by members of different Messy Churches from across the Island. The Voice also had a social meet up that saw them eating way too much ice-cream and enjoying spending time together playing games and watching a film. As we now head back to school and back into a ‘normal’ routine of youth and children’s work, please look out for some of the new ventures we will be involved in and new opportunities to serve our community of Peel. Ruth Walker Youth, Children and Families

Cathedral Choir on Tour….a Choirmaster’s account! A conversation with Bishop Michael Burrows (of Cashel & Ossory Diocese) led to the crazy prospect of taking 16 Choristers, 11 Lay Clerks, the Organ Scholar and Mr Dean away to Ireland for 4 days at the end of July.

Day 1

The day started early at Ronaldsway for our flight to Dublin, where we were met by Bishop Burrows and piled onto a coach. First call was for lunch in Dublin’s Phoenix Park before the first cultural visit of the weekend, the Dunmore Caves. The caves were basically discovered by a farmer, when his sheep ‘fell through the earth’. To reach the bottom of the caves (the Fairy floor) took 700 steps! So down we trooped led by our guide, who not only told us about the early history of the area, but gave us a penny whistle recital in the caves! On to the hotel in Kilkenny, dinner (which was 2 courses for choristers, 3 courses for adults) and then to bed...Two rooms of boys (6 boys in total) all had the same idea to make themselves a cup of tea each in their rooms. Very laudable, except both rooms successfully boiled kettles with no water in them, melting the elements!

Day 2

Breakfast was swiftly followed by the first group of girls leaving their door keys in their rooms! Mr Oades and I left early, bound for the Cathedral to deposit the choir robes and to rehearse on the Cathedral organ. Mrs Litman and Mr Dean

organised the choristers into cabs and we all met in the castle gardens in Kilkenny. Once the group had gathered, we made our way to the ‘tourist train’ (which Benedict pointed out was not actually a train) for a historic introduction to the city of Kilkenny. Once back at the castle, the choristers were split into groups, allocated their euros and allowed a brief shopping trip into the

city (mostly the toy and sweet shops). The choristers met the lay clerks and had lunch together at the Cathedral (although some of the men were still on the road as their Saturday morning flights from IoM were delayed). Eventually everyone arrived and we had rehearsals for the remainder of the afternoon in the Cathedral. At 5pm, we sung Choral Evensong including music by Stanford Oades and Bairstow enjoyed by a large and enthusiastic congregation.

Following Evensong the choristers were piled into cabs and back to the hotel for dinner (-the lay clerks were dismissed to indulge in their own ‘entertainments and eating’ in the city).

After another large dinner, the choristers were offered the opportunity to watch a film until bed time...one boy went to bed early and took the room keys with him locking everyone else out of the room! Not being successful in waking him, another key had to be collected from the hotel reception.

Day 3

‘Knock knock’ at my door, I glance at the clock...6.42am! On opening the door stood a boy, “Yes...what do you want?” I said, …”Sorry Sir, X has been sick in the night!” the boy said...so there I was, job number one of the day, - cleaning up sick!

An early start involved me getting them all up for breakfast as I was aware Bishop Burrows and a coach was collecting us at 8am for the journey to Waterford Cathedral. Arriving in the great Georgian style Cathedral, we sang the morning Eucharist service which featured music by Francis Jackson and MacMillan. During the service, Mr Dean also gave an excellent sermon to the delight of the local congregation. A sandwich lunch followed (which included chocolate eclairs—much to the delight of the girl choristers). No sooner was lunch over, we were back on the coach heading to Ireland’s National Reptile Zoo (much to the delight of the boy choristers!). So after examining snakes, crocodiles, geckos, spiders, frogs and lizards, and spending more money on souvenirs and ice creams, we all got back on the coach to make our short journey to Old Leighlin and the final Cathedral of the trip. The tiny Cathedral nestles in a valley next to an ancient Holy Well.

After a quick look at the well, we made our way to the small Cathedral to rehearse and sing the final Evensong which featured music by Hilton and Holman. The tiny building was full to capacity for our final service, and the tired choristers, lay clerks, organ scholar (and by this time an exhausted choirmaster) sang the final service, in some ways the most beautiful. The tiny Cathedral was very simple, in no way grand but it had an ancient feel of silent and constant Christian witness. At the scrumptious tea and cakes after the service, a group of the regular congregation approached me, enthusiastic and moved to tears by the choir’s singing, remarking how the service should have been recorded!

The sugar boost gave the choristers a much needed pick up (and the sweet tea diluted any remaining alcohol in the lay clerks’ blood) before boarding the coach again for the Bishop’s Palace in Kilkenny. Bishop Burrows had organised an excellent BBQ in his garden for the choir to ‘round off the trip’. We all had a good feed and convivial time in the Bishop’s Garden. The girl choristers had formed a group and were making daisy chains, reading magazines and chatting; the boy choristers had staged an impromptu football match, which eventually ended with a game-Mr Dean, Val Garrett, the organ scholar and the lay clerks vs. the boy choristers. I decided to referee from the side-line!). Before long, midges were biting, choristers were yawning and choirmasters were snoring...so Mrs Litman (Matron) rounded everyone up and back to the hotel to bed. The lay clerks invited the organ scholar, Mr Dean and the chaperones to join them in the city for a ‘final night’s revels’, leaving Mrs Litman and myself at the hotel ‘on duty’-although, very tired choristers made for a very quiet night!

Day 4

The final day started with a relaxed breakfast and room inspections by Matron!Before long, we were boarding the coach, Dublin airport and Isle of Man bound.

I was immensely proud of the Cathedral Choir, -to sing 3 services in 2 days with different repertoire is a massive achievement. I was also thrilled that everywhere the choristers visited, they were complimented on in favour of their behaviour and demeanour and were excellent ambassadors for our Island. I would like to thank Kat Thubron (girls chaperone), Don Roworth (boys chaperone) Helen Terry, Sam Parkes and Mr Dean for all their help and support on the trip. I must single out Christiane Litman (Matron) for overseeing the care and pastoral needs of the children, which allowed me to concentrate on the music and services.

Finally, I must thank my organ scholar, Jack Oades. Faced with 3 different organs and a huge task of service music and voluntaries, he performed his duties with unwavering commitment and talent, as well as supporting me through the planning of the trip.

It has been at least a year in the planning, and the 4 days were all too quick, but I have enjoyed every single moment and look forward to many more future trips.

Dr Peter Litman, Organist & Director of Music

Connect Group

We had a great celebration party in July with fun and games and dancing...

this was the start of the farewells for Kat Thubron and Jack Oades.

No meeting was held in August.

Wednesday, 14th September, 7pm - meet at the Lost House, Knockaloe Beg Farm, (840804) for a social evening, and maybe a film, - with tea/coffee and cake.

Thursday, 13th October, 7pm - meet at the Deanery for bring-and-share supper then we will each read a favourite Bible passage and share what it means to us.

Thursday, 10th November, 7pm – meet at the Deanery for bring-and –share supper – then Mary will lead us in a Bible study using the ‘lectio divina’ method.

Advent: Wednesdays, 30th November, 7th ,14th, 21st December, 7pm - Deanery Nigel has agreed to lead us in Advent and is planning to do something on the

theme of Creation and our world. The Pope has declared 1st September as a

World Day of Prayer for the care of Creation and the Anglican church has taken

this up and plan to have the month of September as ‘Creationtide’. Nigel will

take up this theme during Advent. There will be more details later regarding the

format of our meetings when we hope others from the Parish of the West Coast

will join us.

All are welcome to these meetings…. for more information, phone Mary Biggart

(840804)

Manx Credit Union –Update

After establishing that there was a demand for a credit union on the Island, with over 640 people having now signed an ‘expression of Interest’ form, raising seed monies to purchase capital items and opening up the discussion with the authorities, we proceeded with a Licence Application with an accompanying Business Plan. With the help of our Trade association UKCU Ltd. we prepared the ‘Rulebook’, which governs how the credit union will operate, and with the generous help of a local benefactor put in place an arrangement to protect members’ savings. On 22nd August we received the news that the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority had authorised the incorporation of Manx Credit Union Ltd. This was a red letter day indeed. The Manx Credit Union will operate from the ground floor of Nadine House on the North Quay, Douglas, next door to the restaurant “14 North”. The office has now been made secure for the operation of a financial organisation and we have already begun the training of future members who wish to volunteer their time. A new website is being prepared which will offer the opportunity to apply for membership and loans on-line as well as through our office. The operation will have the benefit of being a member of an established and experienced trade association and will be regulated by Isle of Man Financial Services Authority. We will now proceed to finalise all the administrative tasks incorporation will now permit. Having taken three years to reach this stage we will avoid the temptation of rushing the last hurdle before we reach the finishing line. We heard recently that we have been awarded a grant to participate in the Barclays Training Programme for credit unions. This will take the form of seven training days between now and February 2017 that all our volunteers can participate in. For more information: www.mcu.im Or contact info@mcu.im David Talbot

Sat 3 Messy Church 16.00– 18.00 Corrin Hall

Sun 4 Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

Eucharist 10.30 Cathedral

Said Evening Prayer 15.30 Cathedral

Sat 10 Launch of Pilgrimage Isle of Man

Journey of Reflection 18.30 Peel Castle

Pilgrims Walk 19.00 Peel Castle

Journey of Discovery 20.00 Cathedral

With Ruth Keggin Band

Sun 11 Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

Worship Together 10.30 Cathedral

Choral Evensong ( Schola) 15.30 Cathedral

Thur 15 Chorister Practice resumes 16.00– 17.30 Song Room

Sun 18 Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

Choral Eucharist with Presentation 10.30 Cathedral

From Friends of Cathedral Music (full choir)

Choral Evensong (Schola) 15.30 Cathedral

Joining us is the congregation of St Matthew’s

Sat 24 Taizé Prayer

Sun 25 Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

Choral Eucharist 10.30 Cathedral

Choral Evensong (Schola) 15.30 Cathedral

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Cathedral Diary– September 2016

Youth Groups:

1st Saturday of every month 16.00-18.00 Messy Church Corrin Hall

1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month 10.30 Caterpillar Club Corrin Hall

Every Wednesday 18.30 - 19.30 The Voice Corrin Hall

Every Friday 20.00 - 22.00 Revolution Corrin Hall

Cathedral Choristers:

Every Thursday 16.00-17.00 Rehearsal Song Room

Regular Services:

Sunday 08.30 BCP Eucharist

10.30 CW Eucharist

15.30 Choral Evensong (term-time)

or Said Evening Prayer (holidays)

Wednesday 09.30 BCP Eucharist

Monday– Friday 09.00 Morning Prayer

Monday– Saturday 17.30 Evening Prayer

Last Saturday of every month 18.00 Taizé Prayer

The Cathedral is open daily between 09.00 and 18.00.

Regular Events and Services

Coasters in the Cathedral A thoughtful person left some coasters in the Cathedral advertising "Pray as You Go". Thank you! For those with internet, it is a site/App which daily "brings together music, a passage of Scripture and a few questions for personal reflection, in a 10-13 minute session." Some of us have been trying it and finding it very helpful in daily life; it also introduces us to new music from the church around the world. If you are interested in something like this but don't have internet access, there are many similar resources available in booklet form eg Word for Today. See Ruth K for more information, or with your comments.

On September 18th at the 10.30am Choral Eucharist, Peter Gould (retired Organist & Director of Music of Derby Cathedral), representative of Friends of Cathedral Music will visit and present a cheque for £10,000 towards the endowment of the Director of Music position at Cathedral Isle of Man for the long term future. The gift will be added to the £25, 000 already in the endowment funds. We have a target of £300, 000 to fund the Director of Music position ‘in perpetuity’ at the Cathedral. If you feel you can help in anyway, please speak to Dr Litman.

We look forward to a feast of Choral music on the 18th from the Cathedral choir. The full Cathedral choir (with the choristers) will be in attendance for the morning service, and the adult choir will sing Evensong that day.

September is also the month we welcome and install our organ scholar for 2016—2017.

The organ scholar for this year is Maximillian Smith. Max studied his degree in Music at Huddersfield University whilst also acting as organ scholar at Wakefield Cathedral. After graduation, Max has spent the last year as the organ scholar at Carlisle Cathedral. A talented player, Max also has interests in Motorcycling and Farming, ...so should fit right into the island culture!

We look forward to welcoming Max.

This month also sees the first ‘Friends’ of MAF (St German’s Cathedral Music and Arts Foundation) newsletter and events. If you are not a member (£100 pa) and would like to support the Cathedral Music Department by being a member, please see Dr Litman.

Dr Peter Litman Director of Music

Music News for September

Notices

Open House at The Chantry

Don and Vivien Roworth have just celebrated their Golden Wedding an-niversary, and will be having a very informal Open Afternoon at The Chantry (9 Peveril Terrace, Peel) on Saturday October 8th, from 2 pm for anyone who would like to call in for refreshments and 'nibbles plus cake'. We will be de-lighted if friends from the Cathedral community would drop by.

This is strictly a 'bring nothing' occasion, and absolutely no gifts of any kind! We look forward to seeing you then, for chat, beverage and nibble, so do put this in your diary now.

The Cathedral Quarter Trust was delighted to welcome 33 members of the Manx Retirement Association for a tour of the gardens on Tuesday 16 August. The Dean guided the group around the gardens and answered questions and this was followed by tea and cake in the Cathedral. The group are hoping to come back in the winter months to have a tour of the Cathedral and return in 2017 to see the progress in the gardens. If you are a member of a group and think they may be interested in a guided tour of the gardens or the Cathedral please speak to Val Garrett.

Visit from Manx Retirement Association

'The King and I' on Wednesday 7th September 2pm at St John's Mill

This is an open meeting so you do not need to be a member and can bring along friends.

The U3A are hosting a talk by Norma Walmsley , the former Governess of the children of the Sultan of Brunei. Birthday parties, outings, writing speeches and entertainment were all included in her duties.

The meeting is open to everyone and is on a first come basis as there is limited seating . The date is Wednesday 7th September and the cost is £5 pp. The venue is St John's Mill, starting at 2pm with optional refreshments available. Come and hear the first hand experiences of working with the Royal family and the children. It will also be an open opportunity to explore the U3A Pop-up courses which they are presenting through the year. These are stand - alone session on topics such as Positive Ageing, The English Civil War, First Aid etc.

For further information please contact Ravina ravina@iom.com .

Pilgrimage Isle of Man –Invitation

MOTHERS’ UNION

Our South and West JMP are holding a Corporate Communion Service at the Abbey Church, Ballasalla, on Tuesday, 13th September at 7.00pm and you are very welcome to join us. There will be supper available following the service, a raffle and a cake/bring and buy stall as well as our Mothers’ Union cards and gi s stall.

Our first mee ng will be on Monday, 10th October at 7.30pm at the Deanery. Our speaker will be Pat Skillicorn and we will hear how the Manx women were the first to gain suffrage in the Bri sh Isles. Do join us, everyone will be made most welcome.

Notices

Hea ng Mee ngs

Star ng in September there will be a variety of smaller mee ngs to which the Dean will be invi ng members of the Electoral Roll to hear more about the plans for new hea ng system for the Cathedral and how fundraising is progressing. These will take place over several weeks so please don’t feel that you have been missed out.

Launch of Pilgrimage Routes

Two new Pilgrimage routes will be launched on Saturday 10 September 2016, star ng at the old Cathedral on St Patrick’s Isle at 6.30pm with Journey of Reflec on, followed by Pilgrims Walk from Peel Castle to St German’s Cathedral at 7pm and A Journey of Discovery with Ruth Keggin Band at St German’s Cathedral at 8pm. All welcome – to get your free cket for the concert please speak to Val Garre .

Jams and Chutneys Using apples from the apple trees at the Deanery and elsewhere, I have been/will be busy making a variety of chutneys to put in the Cathedral on a Sunday for people to take and make a donation towards new heating system. The chutneys can be used straightaway but should be left to mature for several weeks.

Also available will be blackberry jelly and some plum jam. They will also be at the Deanery should people want to pop in there.

If any of you are keen jam/chutney makers (or you enjoy making apple pies or cakes etc) and would like to join me in providing some items in the Cathedral, I would love to hear from you and when all the apples are ready can provide apples – we need to conform with hygiene regulations and list of ingredients must be included.

Val Garrett

From the Registers

Please remember all these and their families in your prayers.

BAPTISM

Olivia Stevens

Georgia Jane Williams

Baptized: 7th August

Isabella Luci Mulholland

Baptized: 21st August

THANKSGIVING

Georgie Belle Stevens

Blessed: 24th July

Who’s who? St German’s Cathedral Chapter

The Very Revd. Nigel Godfrey (Dean of St German’s Cathedral.

Vicar for Parish of the West Coast serving Dalby, Kirk Michael, Patrick, Peel and St John’s)

The Ven. Andie Brown (Archdeacon of the Isle of Man)

Revd. John Coldwell (Canon of St Patrick)

vacant (Canon of St German)

Revd. Clive Burgess (Canon of St Maughold)

Revd. Canon Margaret Burrow (Canon of St Columba)

Cathedral Clergy

Precentor: Revd. Ian Faulds

Cathedral Chaplain: Revd. Colin Fleetney

Cathedral Staffing

PA to the Dean: Helen Parry

Tel.: 01624 844830

Email: deanpa@cathedral.im

Cathedral Fundraising Campaign: Val Garrett

Tel.: 01624 844830/ 07624 316001

Email: campaign@cathedral.im

Cathedral Verger: Andrea Quine

Cathedral Premises: Geoff Hall

Cathedral Booking: Val Garrett

Hall Booking: Moira Hall Tel.: 401435

Safeguarding Coordinator: Christiane Litman

Tel.: 07624 271326

Email: safe.stgermans@gmail.com

Children and Families Worker: Ruth Walker

Tel.: 07624 335203

Email: childrenandfamilies@cathedral.im

Organist and Director of Music: Peter Litman MA, DMus, FLCM

Tel.: 07624 226356

Email: music@cathedral.im

Organ Scholar: Max Smith BMus (Hons)