FREE - Please take a copy OCTAG N MAGAZINE EDMUND ALDHOUSE APPOINTED ELY CATHEDRAL SCIENCE FESTIVAL NEW DIRECTOR OF MUSIC THE SKY’S THE LIMIT Page 2 Page 8 LENT, HOLY WEEK AND EASTER FOCUS ON Page 6 RETIRING DIRECTOR OF MUSIC PAUL TREPTE Page 10 Issue 7 - Spring 2019 Edmund Aldhouse Appointed Welcome from The Dean Director of Music This quarter’s Octagon Magazine covers the most important part of the Christian Year as we celebrate Lent, Holy Week and Easter - and the glorious fifty days of Eastertide culminating with the Feast of Pentecost. There is a great deal on offer for spiritual nourishment and refreshment during this period and I hope that you will take the opportunities provided for that - a gentle reminder that the Church of England teaches that all its members should receive Holy Communion on Easter Day if at all possible. As most will know Chapter were very pleased to be able The Festal Evensong on Easter Day will also be the occasion to announce at the end of the year that, after a full and at which we bid farewell to our longstanding Director of extensive application and interview process, Edmund Music Paul Trepte - I’m sure there will be lots of people Aldhouse currently our Assistant Organist, will succeed there to make that a memorable occasion. Paul Trepte as Director of Music when the latter retires from that post on Easter Day. We also look forward to the Science Festival in May during which some very eminent people will be talking The Director of Music is a significant and important position and engaging with us, and a wide variety of activities and within the Cathedral, and it’s only the second time in the events will happen. There is still a considerable amount of past sixty years that an appointment has been made - so it work to do for many to realise that science and religion are was important that it was thorough and we are delighted not opposing disciplines, rather they are complementary. at the outcome. To live life to the full which is God’s calling for us; we need to hold all these things together. Paul has done tremendous work over the past 29 years and we are hugely grateful for all of that. Whether it’s the I look forward to seeing you at the Cathedral during these Easter Day Sung Eucharist with Orchestra and a cast of coming, exciting, months. thousands…. or a midweek evensong with more in the choir than the congregation, Paul and all our musicians, always give of their best to the glory of God. The Very Reverend Being Director means that Edmund won’t play the organ Mark Bonney, quite so often, and we will miss his skilful improvising, Dean of Ely but we hope there will be other opportunities to hear his keyboard skills. New Safeguarding Handbook Regular and Safeguarding Audit Volunteers and staff should have received a new Service Times Safeguarding Handbook which is also available on the Sundays: Cathedral website Safeguarding page. In anticipation of 8.15am: Holy Communion a Safeguarding Audit in June much work is being done 10.30am: Sung Eucharist across the Cathedral to ensure our policies and practice 4pm: Evensong is robust in this regard. Please do all that you can to make the Cathedral a safe and welcoming place for all. Daily Services: 7.30am: Morning Prayer Loving God, we pray that this Cathedral church may be 8am: Holy Communion a place of welcome, security and compassion. Keep us 12.10pm: Holy Communion watchful yet caring, trusting yet ready to question, that all (Thursdays and Saints’ Days) who worship here may do so in safety and in the knowledge 5.30pm: Evensong of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 2 New Chapter Members Revd Tom Buchanan Revd Alison Myers Revd Dr Jeremy Morris Monsignor Mark Langham After nine years on Chapter we bade farewell to Canon Hugh Shilson-Thomas as one of our non-resident Chapter members. Hugh is Chaplain and Dean of Selwyn College and has served Chapter extremely well, not least in being the Chapter link with the Education Department and chairing the Education Trust until recently. We are very pleased that the Bishop has appointed the Revd Tom Buchanan to replace Hugh. Tom is a Self-Supporting Minister based in Cambridge who runs his own company Paternoster Communications. He brings a wealth of experience in communications and crisis management - we hope that the latter will not be needed, but you never know! Tom was installed as a Canon on 25 February alongside three other new Canons, the Revd Alison Myers (Rector of the Lordsbridge Team and Chair of the Diocesan House of Clergy), the Revd Dr Jeremy Morris (Master of Trinity Hall, Cambridge) and Monsignor Mark Langham (Chaplain of Fisher House, Cambridge - appointed an Etheldreda Canon - one of three ecumenical Canons). We look forward to them all playing a full part in the life of the Cathedral. The Community Choir Advent Sleep-Out K9 Café sings again! The K9 Café is just what it sounds like - a space for people and their dogs Back by ever-increasing popular demand, to meet. Chris Kent, its organiser, the Community Choir will pop-up again runs the café as a weekly drop-in at to sing at major events in the Spring: An the Cathedral Centre with a team of Audience with Paul Trepte on 14 March and volunteers. It’s for people who have The Science Festival ‘Nights at the Cathedral’ dogs to come and socialise with other on 20 and 29 May. dog-owners, but it’s also somewhere We now regularly number about 50 singers for people to come and enjoy the so you can enjoy the experience of singing dogs’ company who don’t have one in a friendly and confident choir. The only A team from Ely Cathedral at home, or who could simply do audition for this choir is that you SMILE! chose one of the worst nights with being around other people and No previous singing experience necessary. in December to raise money for their pets for a while. Everybody welcome! See back page for times of rehearsals. charities working with homeless people across the country. The team of six people and ECO Church! two dogs raised £3,070.31 for the Church Urban Fund’s Ely Cathedral Environment Group, began life Advent Sleep-out. Thank you to with the simple act of litter picking on the everyone who helped raise this first Saturday of the month around Ely. There phenomenal amount on behalf have always been between 8 - 18 volunteers of the Cathedral Community. who have set out in all weathers to keep Ely Canon Jessica Martin, Canon tidy. The Group will begin working towards Victoria Johnson and new becoming an Eco-Church in the coming year Canon Jessica went along with her Chapter member Canon Tom so please support them in this endeavour dog Gonzo on 13 December to meet Buchanan were joined by and do come along to meetings if you everyone, and was welcomed very can. The formal launch of the Cathedral Lesley-Ann Thompson, Tabitha warmly. Gonzo was very new to his Environment Group and our work towards Thompson, Theodora Spufford, post as Canine in Residence but the Eco-Church Award, will take place on Gonzo and Percy (Canines in soon overcame his shyness as he was Wednesday 3 April, at 6.15pm with guest Residence). patted, stroked and greeted by so speaker Jonathan Chaplin. many kind people. 3 ELY CATHEDRAL FLOWER GUILD An update from retiring Chair Judy Wynn Flower Festivals ‘In the Beginning’ in 2013 and the recent ‘Kaleidoscope of Life’, when we were augmented by the East What will I and my fellow guild committee who are of England Area of NAFAS Flower Clubs to produce such retiring miss? memorable events. We will miss the early morning and late night visits to check and water, a simple but necessary part of our job, with the opportunity we have had of seeing the Cathedral in all weathers, different light and different moods, usually quiet and prayerful, as we creep about doing our behind the scenes job. We will miss the camaraderie of organising deliveries with our suppliers, the friendship with our fellow members and the fascinating conversations we have with visitors whilst we are arranging. We will miss the creative fulfilment when with the help of nature we achieve a splendid design, admired and enjoyed by many. The job has been a great team effort, with Mary Foister as my support throughout, Marilyn Crossley as the co- ordinator of the many weddings, June Nash and Lenny Prigg assisting with their local knowledge and expertise. The Guild is so blessed to have the creativity of such talented and enthusiastic members, together with the support of local flower clubs, including Cambridge, City of Ely, Littleport, Burwell and the Wisbech Arrangers. We look forward to the future, with a I have always preached that the flower arrangements we difference, as produce are designed to enhance our already so beautiful the Guild is to Cathedral - and that we are bringing God’s world of be led by an creation into the building, adding new life to the stone enthusiastic and and decorations which have been there for, in many cases, dedicated Team hundreds of years. All we produce is for the glory of God, of Members and as are the many services, events and activities that we we wish them accompany. well. If you have some experience We took over this this enjoyable, sometimes demanding, of arranging but always rewarding, job 8 years ago and during that flowers you time have organised flowers for many weddings, funerals, would be memorials and special events and occasions.