Author: Leah Vasey-Saunders

Our June meeting was the Branch Festival, our Vicar, Chris Newlands, presided at the Eucharist.

The Branch festival supper followed, prepared as usual by members led by Joan Harding – to all of whom – many thanks!

In Christian Aid Week, Christians across the denominations join annually in a great act of ecumenical Christian witness – collecting money.  In Christian Aid Week, Christians across the denominations join annually in a great act of ecumenical Christian witness – collecting money that will fund the projects of Christian Aid’s partners across the world, as well as enabling Christian Aid to campaign for such universal causes as tax fairness, debt relief and awareness of climate change.

Christian Aid works to support the victims of disaster and refugees from war, and makes it possible for people to work to improve their own lives, through micro-financing and Fair Trade projects, and educational initiatives, which are chosen by the CA partners in each country. And no, the benefits are not restricted to Christians! To learn a little more, you could visit www.caweek.org

The Priory has been part of Christian Aid Week for more than forty years – and some members of the congregation have been collectors all that time! In recent years the Priory contribution to Christian Aid Week has been over £1,400, increasing despite the financial austerity affecting everyone.

The collections during Christian Aid week will fund the projects of Christian Aid’s partners across the world, as well as enabling Christian Aid to campaign for such universal causes as tax fairness, debt relief and awareness of climate change.

An exhibition of artwork by Artist In Residence Cathy Wilson on display in the Priory throughout April 2016.

I completed these portraits whilst I was Artist in Residence at the Priory from April 2014 to April 2016. This exhibition marks the end of the Residency and runs for the month of April 2016. My studio space during the residency was the room under the Bell Tower and when I was working, members of the public and staff of the Priory had access to watch me work as well as to see the progress of the drawings when I wasn’t around.

The first stage of the work involved asking people if they would let medraw them. To my surprise, all but one person agreed and the rest were willing to come to my studio on Castle Park to be photographed. I then worked directly from these photographs using soft pastel on watercolour paper, now and again walking the length of the Church to view the drawings from a distance. Some of the people I chose myself, others were suggested to me, but every face I have drawn posed a unique challenge and it has proved to be an incredibly enjoyable process.

I have tried to include a variety of ages, ethnicity and roughly the same number of men and women, to highlight the rich diversity of life in this Church. Some faces will be easily recognisable, others less so, but all are connected with the Priory, in some way such as members of the Clergy, Vergers, those who work in the gift shop and members of the congregation. I have tried to imbue the drawings with life and light, paying particular attention to details of skin texture, and colour, emphasising lines and creases in the skin. I want to place particular focus on the eyes.

There is a passage in scripture that I have in mind relating to this. It comes
from Luke 11: 34 – 36, where Jesus says “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your
eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light, but when they are bad, your whole
body is full of darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it
dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you”.

I have found that in making this series of drawings, my work has taken on a
new direction. Whereas previously I worked from photographs in magazines,
predominantly of young and smooth skinned models, I am now working from
photographs of people that I have a connection to, with all the character of a life lived
in their faces.

I aim to continue making work in this vein and have plans to make two
drawings, each twice the size of these, to be included in a group exhibition by Luneside
Studios in the gallery at the Storey throughout July and August 2016.

With the kind help of Paul Mullineaux, I now have a website and publicity
leaflet about myself, which can be found in the Church. If you would like to contact me
or view more examples of my work, my website is cathywilsonart.co.uk. I would gladly
take commission requests.

I would like to thank Reverend Chris Newlands for organising this Residency
and giving me such encouragement as well as all the people I have drawn for their
bravery posing for such large scale portraits, also Tom the verger and my fiance David
for their help hanging the exhibition.

Lancaster Priory has received a grant of £88,700 from the Government to carry out urgent repairs to its roof. The grant was part of the “Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund” which was set up by the Chancellor of the Exchequer who committed £15 million of funding in 2014. After a very significant demand from many places of worship, this grant was extended to a total of £55million available for necessary works to ensure that buildings were watertight and secure.

The ancient church of St Helen Overton also received a grant of £57,600 for the repair of its roof. In Lancashire a total of five churches have so far received grants from this fund.

Lancaster Priory is one of the most significant historical buildings in the northwest of England, but until now it has received no public money to support its repair and maintenance. The money will be used to prevent rain from entering the building through leaky joints in various places. Strategically placed buckets have, until now, been used to collect the rainwater that drips from the roof. The leaks occurred because of old flashings which have failed, along with rainwater hoppers and pipes, which have allowed rainwater to seep into the stonework. If left unattended this would have caused significant damage to the church building.

The Vicar of Lancaster, The Revd Chris Newlands said, “This is a very timely government initiative to support some of our finest buildings (not all of them are Church of England parish churches). Lancaster Priory has been a beacon of faith in the northwest for over a thousand years. This timely support will go a long way to ensuring that it can continue to fulfil that role for future generations.”

The Priory has to find an additional £15,000 for this work to begin, and plans are in place for the work to begin as soon as the necessary permissions have been given, and hopes to complete the work by November 2015.

The four Church of England parishes in Lancaster are looking to forge a link with the beautiful town of Goslar in Germany.

This is a part of our “Braunschweig link” between the Diocese of Blackburn and the equivalent body in the Evangelical Church in Germany.  There are many things which Lancaster has in common with Goslar.

1. They both have historic links with royal history: Goslar was the seat of the Holy Roman Emperor, and the 11^th Century Imperial Palace is at the heart of the modern city, as Lancaster was the seat of the House of Lancaster.
2. There is a large focus on tourism in Goslar, the old town centre is ranked as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Lancaster has just been listed as one of only eleven “Heritage Cities” in England.
3. Nestled near the Harz mountains, Goslar has more rain than anywhere else in Germany (!) and the Harz mountains are famous for their witches.

A small number of us visited Goslar last year, and this year a larger number of clergy and laity from Goslar will be visiting Lancaster between April 25 – 28, when they will have the opportunity to visit all four participating churches (Priory, St Thomas, St Paul’s & Christ Church).  We are keen to find hosts to provide bed and breakfast for our guests for those days, and if anyone is prepared to be a host family, please sign up at the back of the Priory, or contact the Vicar.

We hope this link will help us to understand each other, and as we commemorate the centenary of World War 1, to focus on the need for peace and reconciliation in the  21^st century and beyond.

The new Bishop of Burnley, The Rt Revd Philip North was consecrated in York Minster on 2^nd February, and installed in Blackburn Cathedral on 14^th February.

We were delighted to welcome Bishop Philip to Lancaster Priory on the day after his installation, when he attended our service of Choral Evensong, and gave the final blessing after the service.

This was his first visit to Lancaster Priory. Bishop Philip will be returning to the Priory on July 5^th, when he will preside and preach for our Sunday morning Priory Eucharist.

Bishop Philip North on his first visit to Lancaster Priory on Sunday 15th February at Choral Evensong at 6.30 pm.

He gave the final blessing at the end of the service.

He will have been installed as Bishop of Burnley on the previous day, Saturday 14th in Blackburn Cathedral.