FRIENDS of ARUNDEL CATHEDRAL
CORNERSTONE Autumn 2018
‘There but not There’ installation, Summer/Autumn 2018
Dear Friends As we mark the centenary of the Armistice of 1918 it seems appropriate to look at the way in which that conflict is remembered in the church today. Ninety three men from Arundel gave their lives in the Great War. It is claimed that when conscription was brought in, January 1916, every eligible Arundel man had already enlisted, encouraged no doubt by the example of Henry, XV Duke of Norfolk, who had himself volunteered to serve during the Boer war, and remained a formidable champion of the war effort. The Cathedral and St Nicholas church have been the settings for a remarkable memorial installation, There but not There, pictured opposite. Ninety-three life-size silhouettes have been placed in the pews, representing the Arundel men who died. Each has their name inscribed on a small plaque in front, and many Arundel residents have been able to recognize family members. As one visitor commented “I have just sat next to my uncle for the first time’. The installation will remain in place until Remembrance Sunday, and is raising funds for charities supporting military veterans. This issue also contains a summary of items from Canon Tim’s annual report for the past year, with illustrations of the major work being carried out on the great rose window. It is for this kind of substantial maintenance project that funding from The Friends is so essential, and so greatly appreciated. We look forward to seeing many Friends at the Christmas Vespers in the Cathedral. Oliver Hawkins Editor
A MEMORIAL TO FIVE BROTHERS Edmund and Mary Anne Constable-Maxwell-Stuart, cousins to the Norfolks through Duchess Gwendolen, lost four of their five lieutenant sons in the Great War. Joseph and Edmund died in 1916, Henry in 1917, and Alfred in 1918. As shown on the memorial a fifth brother, Philip, survived not only the First War, but four years as a prisoner of war in the Far East during the Second.
ITEMS FROM CANON TIM’S YEARLY REPORT RESTORATION OF THE ROSE WINDOW The cleaning and renovation work begun on the west end of the Cathedral last year was completed in time for Christmas, with new carvings lifted in place as part of the work funded by a £20,000 grant from the remnant of the Government’s First World War Cathedrals’ Fund and matched by the Diocese. Regrettably soon after, part of the new stone carving broke away and this has meant that the scaffolding only just removed had to be put up again to effect a repair. This has now been completed. The most challenging recommendation from the recent Quinquennial Report has been the repair to the great rose window (pictured opposite and page 7). This has necessitated removing all the glass prior to re-leading it, in a similar way to the south side windows of St Philip Neri, done a year ago, but on a larger scale. Work is currently under way, with scaffolding inside and out. Also currently scheduled is the extensive re-plumbing work needed to the east side of Cathedral House and its courtyard facing onto Parsons Hill. CANON FRANK HARRINGTON The death of any member of the Chapter reminds us of the brevity of life – none more so than that of Canon Frank Harrington. His sudden death on the 25 January was perhaps not unexpected due to his deteriorating health but sad in that he did not reach his golden jubilee of priesthood this year or his planned retirement. The presence of the whole Chapter at his packed Requiem Mass in St Dunstan’s, Woking bears testimony that many will miss his great pastoral experience and mischievous disregard for the formality of the Church. We are happy to announce that three new priests have been added to the Chapter, Canons Jonathan Martin, David Parmiter, and Rob Esdaile. TRANSFER OF FR STAN The transfer of Fr Stan to Bognor Regis as expected has created problems in maintaining the level of Masses within the Cathedral parish and possibly within the deanery itself. Having two priests at the Cathedral had allowed us to help out other parishes covering holiday and/or sickness. Now, within the deanery we have just one native A&B priest available for supply to cover the whole area – Fr Peter Johnstone. I have had to tell the parish that I can no longer guarantee weekday Masses and possibly even Sunday Masses when I am away. I managed to get cover for my pilgrimage to the Holy Land in April/May, for the Eucharistic Congress in September, and the Cathedral Deans’ Conference in October from Fr Ron Robinson of Crawley but that of course takes him away from covering in the Crawley Deanery parishes. With the retirement of Deacon David Clifton and the departure of Fr Stan, several the parishioners have agreed to take on more responsibility in both pastoral and practical issues in the Cathedral parish.
NEW ABBESS AT THE POOR CLARES On the subject of personnel, at the Poor Clare Convent in Crossbush, elections were held on Monday 12 March resulting in Sister Marion becoming the new Abbess, and Sister Irene the new Vicaress. Their council now consists of Sisters Leo, Aelred, Margaret, Clare Ruva and Helen. Sister Clare Agnes has now returned to Crossbush from Hollington permanently. THE ORDINATION OF TRISTAN CRANFIELD The eagerly awaited ordination of Tristan Cranfield took place on Friday 20 July. A packed Cathedral witnessed a spectacular service combining the most profound ritual with the most enthusiastic welcome to the new priest. Tristan was presented by members of the Whale family with Provost Tony Whale’s chalice. His chasuble, made by Anne Marie Brown of Crowborough, was presented as a gift from the Arundel Parish. The music, provided by Elizabeth Stratford and the Cathedral Choir of which Tristan was once a member, was as uplifting as the procession of fellow priests, each in turn embracing their new colleague. The ordination was followed by a reception in the Barons’ Hall. CATHEDRAL CHOIR On the subject of the Cathedral Choir, it seems to be going from strength to strength especially now that paid choral scholars are taking a lead. These are paid partly by private donation and partly by the Friends of Arundel Cathedral. Elizabeth Stratford has recently applied for a grant of £25,000 to give this aspect of Cathedral music a firmer financial footing in the future. SCHOOLS INVOLVEMENT School Involvement in our Cathedral life has seen an ongoing programme for Year 8 from St Philip Howard High School, Barnham in the Cathedral and the Cathedral Centre. Among a number of Schools visits Ashurst Church of England School brought their Year 5s to the Cathedral on the 20 March and Bishop Richard presided at Mass for the Diocesan Secondary Schools pilgrimage to Arundel on Friday 18 May. The Cardinal Vaughan School Choir presented a concert of Monteverdi (Vespers) on Saturday 30 June. CARPET OF FLOWERS AT LIVERPOOL Following Bishop Richard’s offer of a carpet of flowers for the Eucharistic Congress in Liverpool in September, the Arundel team produced and delivered a magnificent design. The forty-eight foot by ten foot pattern was drawn up initially in the Cathedral Centre in Arundel, then rolled up and transported to the Metropolitan Cathedral, where the team, with very welcome assistance from Liverpool parishioners, laid down the flowers and foliage in good time for the first of the 10,000 visitors to the Congress.
OUR LITTLE DUKE AND THE LITTLE MAN The Great War brought about something of a conflict between Henry XV Duke of Norfolk, known to all as Our Little Duke, and Pope Benedict XV, known as ‘Il Piccoletto’ (The Little Man); two men of small stature and great moral purpose. Pope Benedict had been elected to the Papacy in September 1914, shortly after the outbreak of a war he described as ‘the suicide of civilized Europe’. He immediately declared the neutrality of the Vatican, and set about urging all parties to negotiate. Both sides rejected his intervention. In England a group of Catholic pacifists formed ‘The Guild of the Pope’s Peace’, calling on the authorities to follow Benedict’s call, and persuaded the Catholic Truth Society to publish their manifesto in the CTS monthly journal. The reaction of the Hierarchy was immediate. Cardinal Bourne asked Duke Henry to demand a retraction, and the Bishop of Southwark, Peter Amigo, in whose diocese the CTS was based, effectively ordered the Society to comply. Duke Henry, who had throughout his life exemplified loyalty both to the Crown and to the Church, was discreet in his opposition to Benedict, but the open hostility to the Pope voiced by Cardinal Bourne and the English bishops is one of the less attractive aspects of the Catholic community’s anxiety to be seen as patriotic Englishmen. One wonders what kind of sermons Fr Archibald MacCall, parish priest at Arundel, gave his parishioners during the war years.
THE CORPUS CHRISTI CARPET OF FLOWERS, 1916 When Duke Henry instituted the floral celebration in the 1870s he was able to call on an army of estate workers to carry out the decorations. In 1917, with so many of his men at the Front, the tradition was discontinued, and only reinstated after the cessation of hostilities. Duke Henry died in 1917; one of his last public appearances was to host a garden party in the Castle for 800 wounded soldiers from Sussex hospitals. Over the years the number of Castle staff diminished, and the work involved with the Carpet was gradually taken over by parishioners, so there have been no subsequent breaks in this beautiful tradition.
The Friends of Arundel Cathedral registered as a company Limited by guarantee and not having a share capital (No 3792834) Registered Charity No 1078149 The Friends’ Office, Cathedral House, Parsons Hill, Arundel, West Sussex BN18 9AY Telephone: 01903 884567, Email: aruncathfriends@btconnect.com