News www.manchestercathedral.org Dec 2015 - Jan 2016 Prayer / Worship / Music / Arts / Education / Heritage / Welcoming Good host or Wassail, wassail, The Icon Paintings good guest? all over the town! Page 3 Pages 7 & 8 Page 11 Dean’s Corner Good host or good guest? The Jesus By The Venerable Mark Ashcroft Movement By The Dean One of the joys of the Advent and The new Presiding Bishop preached with Christmas season is being in touch an enthusiasm and energy that I have with friends and family, sending and not seen in any preacher in a very long time. His message was a very simple one receiving cards and exchanging based on the experience of the followers presents and hospitality. of Jesus in the New Testament: we are I wonder if you prefer going somewhere the Jesus Movement, and through this else for Christmas and enjoying being movement God has transformed the looked after, or whether you prefer to world, and will continue to do so in our be in your own home, do things your day. The Holy Spirit working through way and enjoy looking after others? us in the wonderful love of God will At different stages of life, different turn the world upside-down. Or, in fact, approaches probably make more sense That theme of being a good guest runs will turn the world ‘right side up’. from a practical point of view, but I deeper than the many occasions on guess that most of us prefer to be in our which Jesus visited other people at home I truly pray that each one of us will see own homes! In other words. we prefer and chose not to be on his own territory. ourselves as part of the Jesus Movement! to be the host rather than the guest. The whole principle of what Christians And that God may transform the world call the Incarnation, God becoming a around us through God’s amazing love, On All Saint’s Day I had the One of the strange and remarkable human being, relates to the gift of being a bringing new life, forgiveness, new hope, immense privilege of attending things about the Gospels is that there guest. For God in Christ chose not to stay justice and peace and joy to the world! the installation service for Bishop are almost no stories about people in the glory of heaven but stooped down, coming to Jesus’ home. When Jesus was became one of us and lived amongst us Michael Curry as the 27th Presiding Merry Christmas and a peace-filled born, it was away from the family home as a human being in order to redeem us. Bishop of the Episcopalian and joyous New Year to you! (Anglican) Church of America. The in Bethlehem, because of the census. Later on in life, we don’t hear about him Every Christmas we are invited afresh In Christ, service was held in Washington throwing a big party at home and inviting to allow Jesus to be the special guest National Cathedral and what everyone round for a meal and a good in our lives and homes as we reflect Rogers Govender an amazing service it was. chat about God. No, Jesus is always on on the scripture message that there the road, on the mountains, being invited was no room for him in the inn. But into other people’s houses and homes. perhaps, too, we can learn how to be both good hosts and good guests— Jesus spent his time in being a guest. guests who develop the art of enjoying Cathedral News Survey Not always a comfortable guest, but being on other people’s territory rather than our own. Happy guesting! Cathedral News has been one of the main forms of communication for a good guest, nonetheless. Think Manchester Cathedral for many years. We are currently re-evaluating its of Jesus coming to the house of purpose. To do this we would like to have a better understanding of those Zacchaeus and insisting that he comes who read it. To help us with this, please could you complete our simple online to his home to spend time with him. survey at www.manchestercathedral.org/cathedral-news-survey Page 2 Cathedral News Page 3 Cathedral News MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL PRESENTS Manchester Cathedral will be one of the city centre drop-off points for the appeal and gifts can be dropped Cash off here during our usual opening hours. The last date for collection for Kids will be Wednesday 16 December. NIGHTS Mission Christmas will not change Mission Christmas 2015 the poverty statistics, but by supporting the Mission Christmas campaign you will be helping to Manchester has the fourth highest bring the magic of Christmas to levels of child poverty in the more children this Christmas Day. UK, with one in three children going to bed in the evening without a hot meal, or living in a house without central heating. For this reason, we are really excited to be supporting Key 103’s Mission Christmas appeal to do something about this. We are asking all who can to buy an unwrapped gift for a child of any age up to eighteen years to donate to the Mission Christmas appeal. Cathedral Christmas Card The Cathedral Christmas card is now available to order via our new online shop www.manchestercathedralonlineshop.co.uk which can be accessed via a button on the homepage of NOW ON the Cathedral website or via St Denys’ Bookshop. SALE! THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL THE SNOWMAN / FROZEN FRIDAY 4 DECEMBER DOUBLE BILL The cards are £3.99 6.30PM / £10 ADULTS, £5 conc SATURDAY 5 DECEMBER 7.30PM / £14 ADULTS, £10 conc for a pack of 10. ELF (PG) FRIDAY 4 DECEMBER FAMILY TICKETS AVAILABLE - £28 To mark the launch of 8.30PM / £10 ADULTS, £5 conc PLACES ARE LIMITED - BOOK NOW the new shop, there manchestercathedralmovies.eventbrite.co.uk are a number of items Like us on Facebook - ManchesterCathedral on special offer. Follow us on Twitter - @ManCathedral www.manchestercathedral.org Page 4 Cathedral News The earliest known carol dates from Choristers will sing carols at the St 1410 – sadly, only a small fragment James’ Club, in King Street, for the still exists. Most carols from this time members’ annual Christmas lunch – Wassail, wassail, and the Elizabethan period are very always a very jolly affair! They will then be loosely based on the Christmas story taken to Proper Tea before going into the and were seen as entertaining rather final rehearsal for the service at 7.30pm, than religious songs, composed often which will contain wonderful music, both all over the town! for the home rather than for churches. old and new, appealing to all ages and Troubadours would also travel around tastes. The Choir will then have three the country often changing words for more major services to sing before a well- By Christopher Stokes different locations. One such piece was earned break: the Crib service at 12noon Organist & Master of the Choristers ‘I saw three ships come sailing in.’ on Christmas Eve: a touching Nativity service for children. Then Midnight Christmas carols in English first appear in Mass and the Christmas morning The first known Christmas hymns can Carols were first sung in Europe a 1426 work of John Awdlay, Shropshire Eucharist with capacity congregations. be traced to fourth century Rome. thousands of years ago: these chaplain, who lists twenty five "caroles Corde natus ex Parentis (Of the of Cristemas", probably sung by groups The Cathedral Voluntary Choir’s lead were pagan songs, sung at the Father's love begotten) by the Spanish of 'wassailers', who went from house to up to the Christmas season will begin Winter Solstice celebrations as poet Prudentius (d. 413) is regularly house. The songs we know specifically on Sunday 29 November with the people danced around stone sung nowadays in most churches. as carols were originally communal songs Advent Procession. This is always circles. The word carol actually sung during celebrations like harvest as a very special occasion: the service means a dance or song of praise, In the thirteenth century, in France, well as Christmas. It was only later that opens in darkness with the choir in the possibly derived from the French Germany, and particularly, Italy, under carols begun to be sung in church, and to distance, gradually and symbolically "carole" or the Latin "carula" the influence of Francis of Assisi a strong be specifically associated with Christmas. moving towards the East end of the tradition of popular Christmas songs meaning a circular dance. Cathedral. At this service, it will perform in the native language developed. When Cromwell came to power in 1647, a piece which will involve the choir Christmas was stopped but carols singing from the Quire stalls, and a were still sung in secret and therefore soprano underneath the West Tower, survived. Numerous carols developed which will have an enchanting effect. during the eighteenth century, but it was the Victorians who put the carol firmly After this there are two more Sunday on the musical map and composers evensongs of term left, featuring such as Arthur Sullivan and John Stainer music by Orlando Gibbons, Percy did much to popularise the genre. Whitlock, and Michael Wise. For the Cathedral Choir, Christmas is a The Christmas term for the Voluntary very special time indeed with eagerness, Choir culminates with the Family Carols anticipation and excitement burgeoning concert on Saturday 19 December as soon as rehearsals begin for the at 7.30pm. There will be some ‘old great Festival of Nine Lessons and favourites’ for the audience to join in Carols, which takes place on Tuesday, with, including Once in royal David’s city 22 December.