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FRIENDS of ARUNDEL CATHEDRAL
CORNERSTONE Spring 2013
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Dear Friends On a bright February day a band of Friends joined a contingent of Cathedral stalwarts for a great clean-up of the London Road cemetery. The site is large, a gently-sloping hillside facing towards the sea, with a fine lych-gate entrance from the road. Although some of the graves are clearly well-tended, others have become completely overgrown with ivy and brambles. The working party was able to make a significant impression on the site, with very welcome lunch and tea breaks courtesy of Monica Clifton’s excellent catering in the newly refurbished Cathedral Centre. But more remains to be done, so it may well be that another working party is convened. The desire for tangible monuments to the departed is not unique to Christians, but remembering the dead is an essential part of our belief.The human stories told in
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the headstones in the Cathedral cemetery represent a range of emotions, from thanksgiving for long and happy lives, to heart-broken acceptance of lives cut short. But regardless of circumstance all share that ‘sure and certain hope’ that death is not final, and that those remembered in stone now form part of a communion of saints. The illustrations in this issue of Cornerstone show details of the cemetery, and of the working party, opposite. Many thanks to all who took part. We also incude Canon Tim Madeley’s annual report on activities in and around the Cathedral during the past year. Oliver Hawkins Editor
Friends and stalwarts working party, including chairman Patrick Burgess, administrator Lindsey Stratford, secretary Fergus Brotherton, and your editor.
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ARUNDEL CATHEDRAL REPORT – SPRING 2013 The Cathedral Centre continues to be the centre of attention in the parish and is a gradually becoming known as a good quality venue in the town – in fact we have started to take bookings away from the town hall. The unsatisfactory and potentially dangerous silver railings in front of the centre have been scrapped as they were dangerous, and wrought iron ones in black have replaced them. These were designed and constructed by a blacksmith from the Chalk Pits Museum, Amberley. Within the centre, one or two extra items of kitchen equipment are being purchased and the new upright freezer is in place, relieving vital floor space for storage. The dishwasher seems to be working well at the moment, the bugs having moved to the lift which has jammed one or two times (once with parishioners in it). Having had it checked over and the engineer finding no problems with the mechanism, the problem could well be just a lack of regular use – the cleaner has been instructed to test it frequently. Downstairs in the St Philip Howard Hall complaints about heating or lack of it led to engineers reinspecting it only to find the valves on the under-floor heating had been put in the wrong way – with this rectified we are now getting complaints that it is too hot in there – you can never win! With regard to the Cathedral building, the leaks that had reoccurred in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel after a long break seem to have subsided for no apparent reason – we will have to do major work in the guttering on that part of the roof to resolve the issue. However the leaks above the nave are still problematic and the architect is dealing with the problem. The same blacksmith mentioned earlier is tendering to replace some of the iron on the north doors of the Cathedral to make them more secure and is doing the same with the courtyard doors which open out on to Parsons Hill. He is also probably going to be asked to make the reflecting sounding board underneath the bell in the fleche so that the sound maybe more audible. The rebuild of the wall near the sacristy is being planned before its problems become terminal. This is being done in conjunction with a plan to make the entrance to the Cathedral Garden more accessible (and secure) especially for wheelchair users and the disabled. Plans have been drawn up for this. Within Cathedral House, leaks have occurred in the Chapter Room gradually moving from east to west with each rainstorm. Again there is no obvious reason for this and it will probably mean the lead roof above will need to be partially lifted and repaired (if necessary). The ground floor toilet is almost completed in its major refurbishment; just a piece of skirting board and a mirror needing to be fitted.
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The Poor Clare Community at Crossbush continues to thrive and pay its part in Cathedral life in an expected quiet and prayerful way. The nuns ran one of the Diocesan Jubilee discussion groups and are following this over with a Lent Prayer Group which is much appreciated by the many who attend. New tenants have recently moved into Tau Cottage in the grounds arranged by Angmering Park Estate. Now to events: The Friends of Arundel Cathedral Advent Vespers on Sunday 9th December 2012 was well received and numbers are growing. We are grateful to Bishop Kieran for presiding and are pleased that he has agreed to do the same next advent on Sunday 8th December. Please put the date in your diary. As usual the December Mass in the Castle Chapel was well attended and again we are grateful to the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk for their hospitality. Plans are moving ahead with arrangements for Corpus Christi and the Carpet of Flowers; the design of the carpet for 2013 will reflect the Year of Faith and the 900th anniversary of the Knights of Malta (thus taking into account St. Wilfrid’s Priory Nursing Home across the road from the Cathedral which they own and their regular and welcome presence at the Corpus Christi Mass). The election of the new Pope will be celebrated in a separate display of flowers. Please note that you and your parishioners would be most welcome to come to any of the following events at the Cathedral: Thursday 30 May 5pm Corpus Christi, Mass and procession to the Castle Wednesday 26 June 12 noon Jubilarians’ Mass Sunday 30 June Garden Party, tours of the Cathedral and Vespers for St Peter and St Paul (hosted by The Friends of Arundel Cathedral) With my best wishes for the summer. Canon Tim Madeley Cathedral Dean
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BEQUESTS TO THE FRIENDS OF ARUNDEL CATHEDRAL The effectiveness of the Friends benefits greatly from members remembering the charity in their wills. Anyone considering leaving a bequest may find the following notes helpful. Because The Friends of Arundel Cathedral is a registered charity bequests are exempt from inheritance tax, and can reduce the overall inheritance tax liability of your estate. In order to avoid any confusion the following form of words is suggested: ‘I give to the Trustees of The Friends of Arundel Cathedral, Cathedral House, Parson’s Hill, Arundel, West Sussex BN18 9AY, the sum of .................... free of tax, on trust for such charitable purposes in connection with The Friends of Arundel Cathedral as the Trustees in their absolute discretion think fit, and the receipt of the Treasurer or other officer of the Trust shall be a full discharge to my executors in respect of the same.’
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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
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