Our regular magazine ‘Newslink’ is now available to view online. Please click below for the latest issue.
Author: Leah Vasey-Saunders
-
Lancaster Priory Choir Association AGM
Notice is given of the Association’s AGM to be held in the refectory immediately after morning service on Sunday 15th March.Only members of the Association are entitled to vote.The meeting should last around 10 – 15 minutes.Nick Walker (Chairman) -
Archdeaconry Welcome to The Ven David Picken
Welcome to our New Archdeacon of Lancaster The Ven David Picken from the Lancaster Archdeaconry
The Rt Revd Jill Duff, Bishop of Lancaster and The Revd Canon Chris Newlands, Vicar of Lancaster led the service, reviving the Candlemas tradition with child Bishop Evelyn – the first for 900 years.
-
Dr Rowan Williams
Lancaster Priory was delighted to welcome Dr Rowan Williams (former Archbishop of Canterbury) on Tuesday 11th February who spoke on ‘Fiction and the Work of Grace’.
-
Lancaster Priory Tower Appeal
We really need your help!
Our tower is in urgent need of essential repairs.
The repairs will cost in the region of £110,000 so this is where you can help us.
Sponsor a stone for only £10.
The name of your nominee will be entered in a book to be displayed in the Priory when the repairs are completed.
Just place your donation in one of the envelopes in church, write your chosen number and name of your nominee on the back of the envelope
and hand it to a member of staff.
If you are able to Gift Aid your donation, please fill in your details in the form on the envelope.
or please donate using our Just Giving page.
THANK YOU!
-
EducAid
The charity EducAid Sierra Leone is a UK registered charity that Lancaster Priory supports and funds. EducAid provide a high quality education to hundreds of children whoc would otherwise receive little or no education in Sierra Leone.
There will be an opportunity for local schools and groups to find out about life and education in Sierra Leone from it’s Country Director, Dr Miriam Mason-Sesay. She will be visiting Lancaster on 9th,10th,11th March. Miriam would love to do some assemblies or talks at some local schools to raise awareness of her charity and the work she does.
For more information please visit www.educaid.org.uk
For an example of her work with Primary Schools www.educAid.org.uk/learning-with-educaid/
To arrange for Miriam to visit your school or group, or for more information please contact saflo@lancasterpriory.org
-
Candlemas & The Feast of the Child Bishop
This year Candlemas was celebrated on 2 February, 40 days after Jesus’s birth. Also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ and the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it commemorates the presentation of Jesus at the Temple.It marks the end of the season of Epiphany. Traditionally, people would bring their candles to church for a blessing on this day.Another tradition revisited at the Priory today was the Feast of the Child Bishop. The words from the Magnificat ‘He hath put down the mighty from their seat: and hath exalted the humble and meek’ were taken literally. The youngest children in the choir removed the vicar from the pulpit and replaced him with a Child Bishop who gave a short sermon and the blessing at the end of Evensong. -
1-20 NOVEMBER 2019: THE MOON AT LANCASTER PRIORY
LUNAR SPECTACULAR LANDS IN LANCASTER
The Moon is landing at Lancaster Priory November 2019.
The historic church will host one of the world’s most awe-inspiring artworks – a massive moon – suspended from its ancient rafters from November 1-20.
Measuring seven metres in diameter, The Moon features detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface.
The Moon is one of several currently touring the world, attracting more than three million visitors. The Priory will welcome the largest version by UK artist, Luke Jerram who has created a number of extraordinary art projects which have excited and inspired people around the globe. He is known worldwide for his large scale public artworks.
Luke’s installation is complemented by a fusion of lunar imagery, moonlight and surround sound created by BAFTA and Ivor Novello awardwinning composer, Dan Jones.
Luke had the idea for The Moon 15 years ago but the data for creating its imagery was only made available by NASA fairly recently.
“As a child I always wanted a telescope so I could study the Moon and the night’s sky,” he said. “Now with my own Moon, I can fly there, study every detail and share this experience with the public. We can explore the far side of the Moon which is never visible from Earth.”
Lancaster Priory has a growing reputation for its cultural programme, and this lunar artwork is its biggest event to date.
The Vicar of Lancaster, Canon Chris Newlands said: “In this 50th anniversary year of the moon landings, we are very excited and proud to host such a spectacular artwork at the Priory and I’m sure everyone will be impressed by its beauty and scale.
“We encourage as many people as possible to take the opportunity of seeing The Moon while it’s in Lancaster and enjoy the themed programme of events.”
-
Appointment of our new Schools and Family Learning Officer
Lancaster Priory is delighted to announce the appointment of our new Schools and Family Learning Officer!
Viv McCracken will begin this new role in September, developing links with the schools in the parish, as well as supporting the existing work with children and families in the church and in the wider community.
-
“The Major Churches Network” is launched in Lancaster
A recent meeting of the Greater Churches Network took place in Lancaster Priory, hosted by the
Chair of the Network, The Revd Canon Chris Newlands, Vicar of Lancaster. The decision was taken
to rename the group as the Major Churches Network, and to adopt a new constitution. This was a
significant move and, though several questions were raised in the discussion, the vote by the
members of the Network was unanimous in favour of the change. The Greater Churches Network
was therefore formally closed, and the new “Major Churches Network” was formed, and its
Inaugural General Meeting took place.The Greater Churches Network had been formed in 1991 as a support group for clergy and laity
who had responsibility for churches with a “cathedral-like” building and ministry, but without the
resources available to cathedrals in the Church of England. This informal network had no formal
relationship with the Church of England, but its informal nature meant that the members could
come together to share best practice and bring in experts to advise on matters of importance to
their ministry and mission. Regional meetings have also been set up to allow members to meet
together for mutual support and encouragement.More recently an important study has been commissioned into “Major Parish Churches” under the
auspices of the Church Buildings Council, the official body with overall responsibility for the Church
of England parish churches and chapels, together with Historic England and the National Lottery
Heritage Fund. This resulted in the appointment of a “Cathedrals and Major Churches Officer”
within the CBC, and the identification of around 300 churches in England which met certain agreed
criteria. These define a “Major Parish Church” as having exceptional significance, being physically
very large (over 1000m2 footprint), listed as Grade I, II* (or exceptionally II), open to visitors daily,
having a role or roles beyond those of a typical parish church, and making a considerable civic,
cultural, and economic contribution to their community.Churches in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland that meet the criteria of a Major Church are
welcome to become Associate Members of the MCN, and attend the annual conferences, which
will have many elements which will be relevant to their ministry and mission, even though they do
not fall under the auspices of the Church of England.The new constitution was formally adopted at the General Meeting, and officers were elected, and
a number of new members were welcomed into the Major Churches Network (MCN). All churches
who are recognised as Major Churches by the CBC are eligible to join the MCN, on payment of an
annual subscription, if they feel that membership would be of benefit to them.
The Network will meet annually, the next meeting in 2020 being a Day Conference in London
hosted by the Church Buildings Council, and the next residential Conference in 2021.For further information, please contact: The Revd Canon Chris Newlands (Chair)
Photos of the Conference delegates in Lancaster Priory on the final day:
