1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity
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Cathedral News October 2014 • No. 633
From the Dean
Quod omnis mutatis est
Between us, Google Translator and I came up with the tag line above: it means
'change is all there is' and is both an observation on the nature of life and has
become something of 'motto' for me. As it happens, a lot of change has been
taking place in the Chapter of Exeter Cathedral over the summer.
Just before the summer, Bishop Robert asked our Chapter Canon Clive Cohen if
he would take up the post of Acting Archdeacon of Totnes as John Rawlings
retires. Clive has agreed to do this while remaining on Chapter. He will be busy
in his retirement...
Dr John Searle has been introduced into our life as a member of the Residentiary
Chapter, installed on the 11th of September. John will be a full, though 'selfsupporting' member of Chapter, and will be engaged in the full range of our life.
We welcome his experience, wisdom, humour and priestly ministry among us.
I am sad and delighted to say that Chapter Canon Hannah Foster will be leaving
Chapter by the end of the year, as she has become the new Director of Human
Resources for the Church of England. Hannah will continue a part of our life as
Chair of our Personnel Committee. We will miss Hannah on Chapter, but glad
to have her as a continuing part of our life.
Finally (for now!), I am delighted to say that Canon Anna Norman-Walker will
become a full-time residentiary Canon from the 26th of November. She will be
Canon Chancellor and Missioner, and will be moving into 6 Cathedral Close at
the beginning of December.
Looking ahead, we will begin the process of appointing a new Precentor during
the autumn with the hope that she or he will be able to start in post soon after
Easter. Preb David James, recently retired Vicar of Sidmouth, has very kindly
agreed to be Acting Precentor until Easter. He has already had a baptism of fire
in organising an installation, an event for the Friends at evensong, the installation
of Senior Choristers, Choral Scholars and Lay Vicars, and the ordination of 19
Deacons. Christmas will be easy...
Come to a Party!
You are warmly invited to the Cathedral Autumn Party on Thursday 6th
November at 7pm in the Chapter House, where you will be entertained by the
Cathedral Players (but chiefly yourselves!) at an evening of Music Hall. Tickets,
which cost £10, to include a hot supper, sweet, and a glass of wine, will be
available on Sunday mornings in the Chapter House after coffee throughout
October. Numbers are limited, so buy early to avoid disappointment.
Holy Ground
October 12th
Creative Worship, Café Conversation &
Contemplative Prayer.
‘On the sofa with Bishop Robert’
All Welcome
7pm – 9pm
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College of Canons
Becky Totterdell is one of our newest members of the College of Canons, those marked
out by the Bishop as giving distinguished service, and given seats in the quire of the
Cathedral; she was only installed in June. In her role as Diocesan Director of
Ordinands, Becky has a crucial role in assessing and supporting men and women who
are exploring the possibility that God is calling them to ordination. She, thus, has a
close association with the Cathedral.
I tend to vary my route each day into Exeter
from Bovey Tracey, where I live. One of my
favourites is coming down the hill into St
Thomas. Suddenly the panorama of the city
opens up before you, the two towers of the
Cathedral rising majestically above the skyline
(with only John Lewis competing for highest
point). And, with a mix of glee and disbelief, I
say to myself, 'And there's the office!' At least,
I could say that until May of this year, when the
Bishop's offices relocated from the West Wing
of the Cathedral to the Palace Gatehouse. Now, we are very comfortably
ensconced there, but I don't so often find myself walking through the cool, quiet,
vast empty space of the cathedral early in the mornings, with just a few virgers
going about their duties, and the sun beginning to shaft through the east window.
Being installed as a Prebendary, in such a historic and beautiful place, is a great
privilege; one which I treasure and hope to do justice to. On the day of the
installation, I was wondering what my dad would have thought of it. I was
brought up in the Brethren, going to Chapel morning and evening on a Sunday,
with Sunday School in between. Dad was an elder there for many years. The
Chapel in which we met originally, housed a fellowship of Bible Christians. It had
been built by my great-grandmother, when my great-grandfather, who had been
a churchwarden at the parish church, had had a serious falling-out with the
Rector, and set up an alternative centre of worship. I realise that inheriting these
sorts of genes has meant that there is quite a strong streak of non-conformity
running through me - in the broadest sense of that. I don't do 'conforming' very
well! Except that, like all children brought up in the Brethren, I can sit still for a
very long time without moving - a skill honed by years of sitting through very
long sermons twice a week!
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I am the youngest of four siblings. My parents were dairy farming in the
Somerset levels by the time I came along. After school, I went to London Bible
College to study theology, then took a year's post-graduate course to train as a
PA. I was then able to fulfil my ambition of moving into book publishing, working
for Scripture Union Publishing as a commissioning book editor, for the best part
of ten years. Towards the end of that, I sensed God's call to pastoral ministry
and found the doors opening to train for ordained ministry in the Church of
England. I was ordained deacon in 1991, and priest in 1994. After a four-year
curacy in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, and a further four years as associate
minister in Stevenage, I was incumbent of two parishes just outside Stevenage for
ten years. For the latter part of that incumbency, I was also half-time Assistant
Director of Ordinands.
Mike and I were married a few years before I was ordained. He was a teacher,
and then moved into the world of university education. Our move to Devon, in
2008, was to make his commute to work at Plymouth University a little more
manageable than it was from Hertfordshire! We arrived in the diocese at a time
when Mandy Rylands, the then Diocesan Director of Ordinands (DDO), was
looking for some assistant DDOs to join her team, and it was a privilege to be of
assistance to her, and then to take over from her when she moved on.
So today, one of the highlights for me in this vast and beautiful building is the
annual Ordination Service, held at Holy Cross-tide in mid-September. On 14
September this year, Bishop Robert ordained nineteen deacons. Each spent a
year or more working with me, or one of the DDO team, exploring what it
means to be ordained, sometimes undertaking foundational study, being asked
probing questions, being prayed with, and being interviewed by a range of
diocesan assessors. And that is all before they are interviewed by the Bishop,
attend a selection conference (known as a Bishops' Advisory Panel), and embark
on two or three years' training.
So when they stood before the Bishop on that ordination morning, there was a
great sense of achievement, as well as trepidation (and often astonishment!), on
the part of the candidates, and great joy on the part of all who had prayed and
encouraged them along the way.
As those candidates look back over their journeys following God's call, and I
look back on mine, I think we are all surprised to find ourselves where we are.
All of us remain 'works in progress' - God hasn't finished with us yet! And so the
challenge we will always need to embrace is that, in signing up for discipleship,
none of us knows where it will take us. But as we journey together, we will find
that God is good, loving and faithful in equipping us to do what he calls us to do.
Becky Totterdell
4
If you feel that the God hasn’t finished with you yet, and might be calling you to
ordination, why don’t you contact Becky?
The Bishop’s Offices, The Palace Gatehouse, Palace Gate, Exeter EX1 1HX
Tel: 01392 477702. Email: [email protected]
Bishop Robert and the newly ordained Deacons 14th September 2014
Photo : Adrian Hough
From the Reverend Anne Dunlop
Sunday September 7th - a significant day - my last as one of the Cathedral
Readers. It has been a very happy association – so many memories and all of
them good. I am very grateful to those who have helped me during my training
and afforded me opportunities to learn and practice on you! I am also aware of
so many kind wishes and prayers. The exquisite stole made with such care and
skill, is and will be, an especial reminder and something I can take with me as
deacon into my new Parish. May I also thank the many people who have been so
kind to Graham over the years, the Cathedral is important to him and hopefully
you will see him on occasions, as often as possible.
Anne Dunlop
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Focus : Peggy Conway
A lady of many parts
O Love’s but a dance, where time plays the fiddle!
See couples advanceO Love’s but a dance.
A whisper, a glance‘ Shall we dance down the middle?’
O Love’s but a dance, where time plays the fiddle.
Cupid’s Alley,
Henry Austin Dobson 1840-1921
Why have I included a few lines from a poem about dancing, you ask?
It’s the Strictly Come Dancing Season again! You either love it, or hate it! I love
it. So it was a particular pleasure to talk with Peggy, (and David) just before the
first broadcast of this coming series. In our midst, we have an award winning
ballroom dancer! She is the holder of the Statuette, an award given by the
International Dancing Masters Association.
Peggy was born in 1930. She was raised, educated (at Ladysmith School and St.
James’s Secondary School), courted and married in Exeter. She was the only
daughter, having two older brothers, and one younger..
‘I was at their beck and call !’
Their mother came from a farming family, and father was a motor engineer.
Sadly, their father died when Peggy was sixteen. It meant that the family
experienced very difficult times, with only a ten shilling allowance for their
mother. There was no such thing as a pension! They had to make do and mend;
a grant helped to pay for the younger brother’s fees at Hele School. As young
children, they played in the park, and with great excitement went on the train to
Exmouth for the annual Sunday School outings. Family holidays, were camping
ones at Goodrington; with them all sleeping on rugs and cushions, cooking their
food on a primus stove. Peggy recalled Ladysmith School being bombed. The
children and staff, on hearing the air raid sirens, were evacuated to neighbouring
houses. On leaving school, Peggy became a probationer telephone operator at
the Post Office Telephone Exchange; and later becoming a supervisor. She
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remained there for fifteen years. At the age of nineteen, she learned to drive an
ambulance, and was a member of Exeter Civil Defence.
It was through ballroom dancing that she met David. For many years she had
been attending the Ida Tremayne Dance School, and had begun to help with
some teaching; after coffee, on one Sunday morning, she was asked to come in
the following Tuesday.
‘We’ve got a rather tall student coming!’
Thus began their relationship. They were married at St. Mark’s Church, Pinhoe
Road, in 1958.
‘We were very much married! There were three vicars participating in the ceremony! As
David (a pupil of the Cathedral Organist, Reginald Moore) played the organ at Exwick
Church, their choir came to sing for us.’
Peggy ceased to work at the Telephone Exchange, but became secretary and a
director of David’s printing company.
They regularly attended the Five Shilling Friday Night Dances at the Rougement
Hotel, and the black tie dancing nights at the Palace Hotel in Torquay, where
there was a resident orchestra; here they could practice their dancing moves.
(Here David declared that he still has two left feet!)
Their son, Trevor was born in 1965. He became a day boy at the Cathedral
School, becoming the Head Boy, before going on to Blundells. He learned to play
the organ and the French horn. Whilst an undergraduate, he played the organ at
St. Mary’s Church at Helsdon, in Norwich - a church with a pretty rose garden very popular for weddings! He was kept busy. He still managed to obtain his
Hons.Degree in Mathematics. The musical tradition continues now in their
fifteen year old grandson, Alexander, with these differences; he sings, and plays
the trombone. He has passed his Grade V1 examinations in each skill.
How did they become involved with the Cathedral?
‘David had always gone to the Saturday Evensong. He couldn’t go on a Sunday because
he was playing the organ. But, when Trevor became a pupil at the Cathedral School, we
started to attend regularly, and joined the Cathedral Fellowship, which organised
monthly talks, held in the Chapter House. There was, at that time, no coffee after the
Sunday morning Eucharist.’
One Sunday morning heavy snow had fallen. They had to walk to the Cathedral.
After the service, the then Dean and his wife (Clifford and Nan Chapman)
brought coffee over from the Deanery for members of the congregation who
had struggled to get to the service.
‘That was nice! But, nothing will get done here!’ They thought on their way home.
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A while later, they were invited to dine with the Succentor and his wife ((Harry
and Ruth Rann). The snowy Sunday coffee was talked about, and how nice it had
been to be able to talk with people after the service. A decision was made to
hold a Cheese and Wine Party on the 7th of July, 1974. They borrowed plates
from Thorne’s China Shop in Fore Street, hired glasses from the Southern Wine
Shop, where they had bought the wine. A hundred people attended. Peggy kept a
little note-book, the Blue Book, (which she still has), in which she recorded that
eleven bottles of red, and eleven bottles of white wine had been drunk, and they
had provided too many tomatoes, and far too much cheese and lettuce! This
little book - The Little Blue Book - is a treasury of records concerning the social
life of the Cathedral, and will become part of the Cathedral’s Archives.
They had lift-off!
‘We’re going to form a young committee!’
Brian Matthews, a former Server, became the first chairman, with Canon John
Thurmer his vice chairman; Peggy acted as secretary cum treasurer, and there
were five other committee members. David was the ‘go-fer’; go for this and go
for that! Upwards and onwards………towards holding the first Advent Party,
on the 21st of December, where they were entertained by the choir, and Peter
Toyne, Head Server, was Father Christmas. A hundred and fifty people attended.
It was suggested that they organise a Pancake Day Party.
‘Over my dead body!’ said Peggy!
It happened! On the 11th of February, 1975, they catered for one hundred
adults and forty boys. The School Matron provided the pancake batter for the
boys, who ate the pancakes after singing Evensong. Then at 7pm, the adults
arrived; ten of them having made pancake batter……… hundreds of pancakes
were tossed! The costs of the evening were £28.49.
The list goes on… in 1977, a hundred and fifty people attended the Farewell
Party, for Harry Rann, when he became the vicar at Colyton; one hundred and
eighty-five at the finger buffet to celebrate HM The Queen’s Silver Jubilee,
costing £154.00. Then years ahead, on the 26th November, 1999, to celebrate
the Silver Jubilee of the formation of the Social Committee, a party was held,
catering for one hundred and thirty-six people. The main course, of chicken and
broccoli in a white sauce accompanied by peas and carrots, was prepared and
cooked by Julie Hernandez and her team in the Refectory; the twenty-six
different desserts were organised by the committee. The costs were £461.10 for
the food, and £150.47 for the wine. The entertainment was a miscellany of music
taken from the very popular musical, Oliver.
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It was not just parties! They provided teas tri-annually for the Diocesan Synod,
and the Stewardship Renewals.
During the Seventies, all the choristers were boarders. Peggy, and David used to
arrange, or assist with the arranging of, outings for the boys; to take place after
Sunday Evensong……a picnic on the Haldon Hills, or climbing Haytor on
Dartmoor. Once, when they asked the boys what they would like to eat, the
reply was Kentucky Fried Chicken! They ate it in the Cloister Room.
At Eastertide, they used to collect many sacks of moss to create the garden
around the rocks which formed the sepulchre. It only stayed in place for two
weeks.
After some twenty-five years, Peggy felt she should retire, but was persuaded by
the then Canon Treasurer, the late Very Revd Neil Collings, to stay on for a
further three years. It was, also, Neil who encouraged her to consider training as
a Eucharistic Minister. Five years ago, she was licensed by Bishop Bob, the
former Bishop of Crediton. She, with David, also, sold tickets for the Summer
Organ Recitals…only stopping this year, after forty years.
‘The parties were hard work. We had wonderful band of helpers. They were wonderful
times, and great fun. The men acted as ‘porters’, and David had to buy a larger car to
transport all the food, wine, crockery and glasses etc!’
Life is full for them both beyond the Cathedral, too. They used to play tennis and
golf. They are past and present members of Rotary and Round Table, Churchill
and Probus Clubs. Through these organisations, they have been involved with
the raising of funds for charitable causes. Peggy loves cooking, and likes to read
historical novels, especially those concerned with Exeter. She watches some TV,
the natural history and travel programmes in particular. Her favourite piece of
music is Fauré’s Requiem.
Peggy, and David, have contributed huge amounts of time, effort and love to, and
for, the Cathedral. They still are! When I asked if there was anything they would
like to emphasise, this is what they said.
‘Clifford Chapman, when Dean, was the man who socialised the Cathedral. You could
tell the difference it made in the congregation! There must be a warm atmosphere,
where all are made to feel welcome; especially those who are not so adept at talking to
people they do not know, or who live alone. Our hopes are that we shall continue to
develop the Cathedral’s social and friendship opportunities to everyone.’
This is some legacy for us to follow.
Thank you, Peggy.
Rosemary Bethell
9
News from the Library and Archives
Exon Domesday – or The Conqueror’s Commission:
Unlocking the Domesday survey of South West England
Most people will have heard of the Domesday Book, which is held in the
National Archives. What many people will not know, is that it is a truncated
version of other records generated by William the Conqueror’s 1086 survey
carried out by his commissioners, who recorded the taxable assets of the newly
acquired kingdom, settlement by settlement, and county by county. Only one
collection of the original records still exists; which cover what was then known
as the south west region: Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire.
The records are contained in what is now called Exon Domesday, which survives
in its original form, and contains vital evidence relating to the way the survey was
conducted and recorded. It is here in Exeter in the care of the Dean and
Chapter, and held in the Cathedral Archives.
In 2011, a generous grant from ‘The Friends of Exeter Cathedral’ allowed the
1816 binding to be removed. It had become tight, and was causing damage every
time the document was being handled.
Whilst some research had been undertaken over the years, the opportunity for
more in depth work to take place whilst it was unbound was too good an
opportunity to miss. Working with Julia Crick, we agreed that in order to carry
out such a detailed piece of work, funding was a key issue. We came to the
conclusion that an application to the Arts and Humanities Research Council was
the way forward. Julia had by this time moved from Exeter University to take up
a Professorship at Kings College London, and they, in partnership with the
Cathedral Library and Archives Team, were prepared to make this application.
A considerable amount of preparation work took place and Stephen Baxter one
of the world’s Domesday experts came to Exeter in May 2013 and gave us a
fascinating evening, talking about what was known, but what was not known
about Exon Domesday. Stephen will be one of the Senior Investigators on the
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research team and has promised to return to Exeter to tell us what new
information has been discovered.
Throughout our discussions, it was always key to our application to ensure that
the Cathedral would also benefit from the research, by offering the potential for
educational, cultural and visitor resources.
Our application was submitted in November 2013, and we heard in June of this
year that it had been successful. The project will last three years from October
2014 to October 2017. ‘The Friends of Exeter Cathedral’ have accepted the role
of Project partners. They will be supporting the project in kind. The Chairman
will sit on the Knowledge Transfer Advisory Group, together with others from
the Cathedral and Exeter University, who will be monitoring the project, and
promoting what happens after the research is completed.
The aim of the project is to publish the contents of Exon Domesday for the first
time, and to unlock the evidence which the book contains for the conduct of the
survey at both local and central level.
It will create:• A series of freely available electronic resources for the use of scholars
and the general public, to include text, translation and a digital facsimile
or virtual codex.
• The virtual codex will pioneer an innovation in digital codicology, which
will allow users to rearrange the units of the volume, and so reconstitute
its content in different orders.
• A detailed examination of the composition of the book, and a
reconstruction of its creation and history, will be published in printed
form as a permanent record of the project.
After the research is completed, the project is designed to have a legacy.
Funds are set aside in the grant for the maintenance of the website after the
lifetime of the project itself. Other ways of using the outcomes of the
project are already under discussion.
If anyone is interested in learning more, please feel free to contact me.
However, with the permission of the editorial team of the News, we will
keep you informed of progress and events over the next 3 years.
Ann Barwood, Canon Librarian
on behalf of the Library and Archive Team
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Advance Notices: Remembrance-tide 2014
Requiem for All Souls Day : Monday 3rd November at 7.30pm
The Sung Requiem for All Souls will be at 7.30pm on Monday 3rd November.
The setting will be the Duruflé Requiem. Please note the start time which is
different from previous years.
There will be an opportunity to add names to the Book of Remembrance nearer
the time. Please look for details in the Weekly Sheet.
Evensong Thursday 6th November at 5.30pm
As part of our commemorations of the centenary World War One, the music
for Evensong on 6th November will be as it was on the same day in 1914. The
setting of the Magnificant & Nunc Dimittis will be by Thomas Causton and the
anthem will be S.S. Wesley Thou judge of quick and dead.
Fauré Requiem : Tuesday 11th November at 7.30pm
A concert performance by the Cathedral Choir of Fauré's moving Requiem, and
sacred choral music by other composers to mark Armistice Day.
Tickets are now available from the Cathedral Admissions Desk, Visitors Office
(01392 285983) and online.
From the Tapisers
The Company of Tapisers is making a selection of small items to sell as part of
the ‘Devon Remembers’ Project. These tapestry items will all have a poppy
motif and will be on sale after the service on Remembrance Sunday in November
– and then in the Cathedral Shop. Half of all the proceeds will go to The British
Legion. Please support us in this venture. Thank you.
Diana Symes, Chairman of the Company of Tapisers
RIP
We were very sorry to hear of the death of Horace Denner, Head Sidesman of
the Cathedral for many years, and of the Venerable Basil French, a long-standing
member of the congregation. Their funerals were in the Cathedral on 24th and
26th September respectively. We hope to include obituaries next month.
Welcome!
A warm welcome to Anna Steinmetzer, our new Stonemason.
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CHURCH OF ENGLAND
GOOD NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF EXETER
OCTOBER 2014
DEVON
Join a Devon
Credit Union
this month
‘I
AM VERY PLEASED to become
a member of a Devon credit
union,’ says Christopher Futcher
Archdeacon of Exeter. ‘I’m a saver
with Plough and Share, here
in Exeter. I know that what I save with
them will be invested in the people and
communities of Devon.
‘I became aware of credit unions in
the 90s when my church supported the
foundation of one. I learned then what a
good idea they are for encouraging
a culture of saving and borrowing
small sums.
Plough and Share is one of three Devon
credit unions; the City of Plymouth Credit
Union and HOPE (Plymouth) Credit Union
both serve the Plymouth area. Exeter
Diocese has become a corporate member
of all three.
Now in honour of International Credit
Union Day on Thursday 16 October, the
Archdeacon is launching ‘Join a Devon
Credit Union Month’ when he hopes Devon
people will join up during October to keep
their savings in Devon.
Archdeacon joins Plough and Share in Exeter
All three credit unions are keen to
welcome new active members. As well
as savers they need people with relevant
skills to join up, get to know them and the
way they work, and then volunteer their
financial, website, or marketing skills.
Credit unions are not-for-profit cooperatives, financed largely by interest
or charges on loans made to members.
Generally they need to be lending about
60% of their deposits. So they need
borrowers as well as savers.
“I encourage clergy and congregations
to join one of our three credit unions in
Devon this autumn,” says Christopher.
“Let’s make high interest loan companies
reduce interest rates to get any business
and show high street banks that we
want to support local investment in
our communities.”
Plough & Share
Credit Union
The City of Plymouth
Credit Union
HOPE (Plymouth)
Credit Union
www.ploughandshare.co.uk
01837 658123
www.cpcu.co.uk
01752 201329 or 01752 310698
www.hopecreditunion.co.uk
01752 301871
Pray,
act,
give Moving On
T
HE Bishop of
Exeter is urging
Christians
in Devon to
support those
persecuted in Iraq and
Syria through a campaign
launched on the Church
of England website. The
unfolding events are of
particular concern for
our Diocese as we have
a strong link with the
bordering diocese of
Cyprus and the Gulf which
includes St George’s
Church in Baghdad. The
pray, act, give resources
includes prayers, details
of how to contribute to
Church-based emergency
appeals and an advocacy
action to help keep this
crisis before the eyes
of the international
community.
Visit www.tinyurl.com/
cofe-iraq
Y
OU WILL probably be familiar with the five
little letters MOiMM: Moving On in Mission
and Ministry. They’ve been around for 10
years or more now, and have been shaping
what we hope to do as the Church in
Devon – although we are not quite there yet.
Hasn’t MOiMM ‘Moved On’ by now? 10 years is an
awfully long time to be banging on about moving on.
In some ways things have moved a long way. Well
over half our parishes have moved some way towards
being part of a Mission Community. Lots of those have
Mission Action Plans. Some have got a Local Ministry
Team – and in places which have all three of these
things, the Church is growing!
But some parishes still want to party like its 1999 and
aren’t ready to face up to the opportunities that the
21st Century has brought us.
The Mission Community Development Team is here
for help and advice, so that one day we really will all
be Moving On. They are here to help with vision, with
Mission Action Plans and with team work – which is not
about a few people helping the Vicar out, but everyone
working together for the kingdom.
ANDREW GODSALL, MISSION COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
TO CONTACT THE TEAM:
Penny Doe [email protected]
Andrew Godsall [email protected] or
Guy Chave-Cox [email protected]
Ministry Matters
A
DAY WORKSHOP exploring Reader and Ordained Ministry is taking
place on Saturday 1 November from 10am to 3.30pm in St Luke’s
Church, Buckfastleigh. To book a place and for more information
contact the Vocations Adviser Philip Sourbut on 01392 817296
or email [email protected]
Archdeacon retires from role
A
FTER nearly
nine years as
Archdeacon of
Totnes, the Ven
John Rawlings
retired on 30 September.
He joins the Ven
David Gunn-Johnson
who recently retired as
Archdeacon of Barnstaple,
however both have
been invited by Bishop
Robert to continue as
Archdeacons Emeritus
and so will continue to
have a presence among
communities in Devon.
John says, “I want to
express my gratitude
for the opportunity of
exercising this ministry
which I didn’t expect. It is
an honour to share in the
lives of the people and
clergy as well as the life of
the parishes.”
John, who has been
married to Janette, a nurse,
for 45 years, was a chaplain
in the Navy for 16 years and
recalls holding services
in his cabin on HMS
Fearless when the ship was
engaged in exercises. John
says his work as a Navy
chaplain has helped him
to relate to everyone he
meets in parish life:
“As the role holds no
rank, it makes it possible
to relate as an equal to
everyone from the Admiral
to the men working in the
engine room,” he says.
“Being an Archdeacon
is not something I ever
thought I would do but
I’m really glad I did it. It
has been a pleasure and
enormous privilege. Like
any post it has its things
that make you feel this
ministry is very worthwhile
and sometimes there
are things that drag you
down but I have especially
enjoyed the pastoral
side of the role and
working with
churchwardens on
re-ordering projects
and with other
advice, and helping
PCCs to look at what
they are doing and
to look optimistically
to the future. I can see
a real enthusiasm for
the gospel and people
working very hard to show
the love of God in their
communities.”
John and Janette are
retiring to Honiton where
John plans to commit to
some serious practice on
his two-manual and pedal
digital organ as well as
tending his new garden.
The Earth is the Lord’s
P
RESIDENT MUSEVENI of
Uganda described climate
change as an act of aggression
by the rich against the poor.
Tough talk. He is articulating
a perception that climate change is a
developed world problem for which the
developing world has to pay the price.
Most of the greenhouse gasses are
indeed produced by the West, but also
increasingly by China as it industrializes.
And the worst effects of climate change
are being experienced by poor nations
such as Bangladesh, which is being
flooded much more regularly, and
Ethiopia, which is being decimated by
the relentless spread of desert. In Devon
we remember the devastation caused by
the storms last winter but that is nothing
compared to what some parts of the
world are experiencing.
Climate change not only threatens the
planet: it also increases the risk of global
conflict. Climate change and growing
competition for scarce resources, we
are told, are together likely to increase
the incidence of humanitarian crises and
undermine international security. The
areas most at risk – the Middle East, South
Asia, and the Sahara belt – are already
prone to instability.
But what does all this have to say to
us as we gather this month to hold our
harvest festivals?
As Christians we believe that ‘the earth
is the Lord’s and everything that is in it’
(Psalm 24.1). We are to be stewards of the
planet, not exploiters. Exploitation steals
from future generations. One practical
thing we can do is to engage with the
environmental initiative of Shrinking our
Footprint because in the end it is as much
about Jesus’ call to be peacemakers and
living justly as caring for the environment.
The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins
lamented the way humankind has
disfigured the world. ‘All is seared with
trade; bleared, smeared with toil; and
wears man’s smudge and shares man’s
smell.’ And yet, he says, there still ‘lives
the dearest freshness deep down things’.
The earth has an amazing capacity to
recover from our mistakes and failures.
This harvest, as we give thanks for God’s
abundant provision, it is vital that we never
take that for granted. Both for the sake of
the environment and for world peace it is
important that we act now and that we
act together.
+ROBERT ATWELL, BISHOP OF EXETER
CHURCH OF ENGLAND
DEVON
Diocesan Communications Unit
www.exeter.anglican.org
twitter.com/cofedevon
facebook search diocese of exeter
From the Canon Missioner
Exeter Cathedral’s Support of the Homeless and Vulnerable of
the City Centre.
For several years now, the Cathedral has been active
in supporting the work of the Exeter Soup
Kitchens, a partnership between several city centre
churches that are seeking to support the city centre’s
vulnerable community, by the provision of hot meals
throughout the weekday evenings.
As a community, we take up the reins on Wednesday
evenings with the Cathedral’s ‘Supper On A Run’
team providing a jacket spud supper at the top of
South Street along with hot drinks and cake at 6pm.
On Friday evening the Friday Night Café team throw open the doors of our
Chapter House and serve a soup & bread supper along with cakes and fresh fruit
between 7pm – 9pm.
We estimate that an average of 100 hot meals are served each week to the
homeless and vulnerable of our city through Exeter Cathedral.
Our volunteers come from the Cathedral Community, the university, and from
those who are friends of the Cathedral and are keen to support this sort of
work. We have been supported in practical ways by local shopkeepers offering
produce at low and often no cost. More recently, the Devon & Cornwall Food
Association have been the most wonderful source of soup and fresh fruit. We
have also benefited hugely from the generosity of the wider Cathedral
Community, who regularly make individual donations towards the work, and also
the Cathedral Community Committee, who support the work though the annual
giving for mission. There is much to be thankful for!
Sometimes people ask me ‘what can I do to help?’ If you are someone who
would like to lend your support to our support of the homeless and vulnerable
of the city centre, we would be delighted for any of the following:
•
Occasional volunteers for Friday evenings. When our wonderful
students are on holiday, we sometime struggle to find the extra hands! If
you would be happy to help on an occasional basis, do let me know, and
I will chat with you about what is involved. Some of our volunteers help
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•
with set up and serving, and some simply come to sit at table and chat
with those who come.
Cakes!! Our guests absolutely LOVE cake, especially home baked ones.
If you would like to donate a cake from time to time, it will always be
eaten. We have one wonderful person who leaves a cake in the Chapter
House Kitchen area almost every Friday.
•
Finances. Each week incurs a financial cost, both on Wednesday and
Fridays. We estimate £2,000 – £3,000 per year to sustain this work in
total. If you would like to make a donation, please make a cheque
payable to Exeter Cathedral (you can use a yellow envelope) and label
the envelope clearly HOMELESSNESS SUPPORT.
•
Winter warmth – During the winter months, we are constantly asked
for warm gloves, hats, and especially socks and sleeping bags.
Many of our visitors sleep rough, or in tents, and until there is a proper
Night Shelter in Exeter, these people are particularly vulnerable.
If you can donate any of the above, we would be very grateful.
Thank you for your interest and your prayers, it is wonderful to know that the
Cathedral Community is with us! Please do be in touch if you would like any
further information.
With love, Anna (Canon Missioner) & the SOAR / Friday Night Teams
[email protected]
What’s on at Sheldon
Enneagram : Spiritual Gifts and Antidotes led by Karen Webb
3 day workshop taught in the Narrative Tradition. £202 for non-resident
participants. 9.30am Tuesday 30th – 4.30pm Thursday 2nd October.
Fun with Words led by Richard Skinner
Book ahead for this perennially popular workshop, deceptively simple but
reaches hidden depths. Wednesday 22nd October. £30.
20% ministry discount available on all events.
01647- 252752 or email [email protected].
www.sheldon.uk.com
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Forthcoming St Michael's Lectures
All to be held at The Church of St Michael and All Angels, Dinham Road,
Mount Dinham, Exeter EX4 4EB
7.30 pm, Wednesday 24th September, The Rev. Dr Susan Durber (Theology
Advisor to Christian Aid; Moderator for the Faith and Order Commission of the
World Council of Churches), "Theology and Climate Change: Is there a Link and
is it Helpful?"
7.30 pm, Wednesday 15th October, Ed Pawson (Head of Philosophy, Religion
and Ethics at the King's School, Ottery St Mary; Chair of the National
Association of Teachers of RE (NATRE)), "What is the Point of Religious
Education Today?"
Remembrance Lecture: 8.30 pm, Sunday 30th November, Suzanne Steele
(Official Canadian War Artist in Afghanistan, 2008-2010, poet and librettist;
Department of English, University of Exeter), "Bearing Witness to those who
Bear Witness"
7.30 pm, Wednesday 3rd December, David Beadle (Department of Theology
and Religion, University of Exeter), "Death and Dying in the Bible and
Contemporary Europe"
Christmas Shoeboxes
As mentioned last month, this year we will once again be making up Christmas
shoeboxes for needy children and elderly folk in Eastern Europe. We hope that
members of the congregation will again join in and fill boxes for pensioners.
The charity we use – International Aid Trust – sends boxes for 4 different age
groups of children: 2-4, 5-9, 10-14 and 15+, as well as boxes for pensioners. The
boxes all go to really needy people – the pensioner ones go to people who are
lonely and forgotten, and are often the only gifts that these people receive. The
charity welcomes boxes for all the age-groups specified, but is always particularly
short of boxes for pensioners. If you would be able to make up a box, please
see the suggested list of items provided by the charity, which is shown below.
You do not have to put every item into your box, but a mixture of types of
items (e.g. something(s) from each of the different categories listed below)
always makes for a lovely box.
You are also asked to wrap both the box and the lid in Christmassy paper, but
to wrap them separately – the boxes have to be opened and the items checked
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by the charity. For this reason also, please do not wrap the individual items
inside the box. When completed, please bring your box(es) into the Cathedral,
and give them to Chryssa Turner, or leave them in Cloister Club on a Sunday
morning. A voluntary donation of £1 per box, towards the cost of transporting
the boxes to their destination, would also be appreciated by the Charity. We
hope that, as previously, all the filled boxes will be blessed in the Cathedral and
then go off on their journey at the beginning of Advent
In the last four years we have sent a total of over 300 boxes from the Cathedral
Community, which has been a fantastic effort. Our 'record' send is 94 boxes
at any one time ~ maybe we could match or even break this record, this year?
For pensioner shoeboxes please choose a mixed selection from the following
list:
tationery:
notepad, pencils, pens, rubber, ruler, scissors, sellotape, pencil sharpener,
greeting card, photo of donor
Foods/Sweets:
chocolate, packets/tubes of sweets, biscuits, dried food, pasta/rice
Toiletries:
aerosol deodorant, comb, hairbrush, mirror, shampoo, soap, sponge/flannel, talc,
toothbrush/paste, wash bag.
New Clothes/Misc:
baseball cap, warm hat/gloves, body warmer, T shirt, shorts,
socks/tights/underwear, headscarf, sewing kit (including needle/thread)
Please fill your box if at all possible, as this makes it much nicer to receive.
If you wish for further details of the scheme, please contact Chryssa Turner:
[email protected] or on 01392 202330.
Shoeboxes will need to be ready by Sunday 9th November. Thank you in
advance for your support of this venture, which we consider to be an important
part of our Christian work.
Chryssa Turner
Thank you, yet again….
So many people have been kind and sent me, yet again, good wishes and prayers
for my recovery. I promise to try and stay firmly on my own two feet in future!
Thank you all so much.
Sheila Atkinson
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Devon Historic Churches & Deanery Prayer Walk
Saturday, 13th September
Once again, the second Saturday in September was a perfect day for walking.
David Smith, Chairman of Christianity Deanery and our great stalwart and
leader, was unable to be with us, but rather than cancel the event, Diane offered
to lead a shorter walk. She was well rewarded as a number of familiar faces and
some new ones joined us. A special delight was the two very young walkers, and
an energetic West Highland terrier. At one point we were 16 in the party and
at the end there were 11.
The walk started at 9.30am at St Mary Steps and, for the first time in several
years, this delightful church was open in spite of all the scaffolding.
Diane had attended the recent launch of Professor Nicholas Orme’s new book
The Churches of Medieval Exeter. Most of the churches we visited were from this
period. She gave a very brief mention of the date, and a little snippet of
information about each of them, all gleaned from this new book. We then held
this history, and the ministry of the church today, in prayer.
From St Mary Steps, we made our way up Fore Street to St Olave’s, where we
were greeted by our guide of many years. He kindly outlined the modern
history of the church, before taking us on to St Mary Arches, where we gave
thanks for its special ministry as the Church Unlimited, with its outreach to
those who find formal church a complete ‘turn-off’.
We crossed the High Street, to St Petrock’s, a bell ringing centre, and of course
with its ministry to the homeless.
We then made our way to the Cathedral, where several members of the
congregation came to join in the prayers, which were led by the Dean. We also
enjoyed tea/coffee/soft drinks, kindly provided by Renate, and were pleased to
meet up with Judith, who provided our back-up car. The usual photographs were
taken for our records, and that of the Devon Historic Churches Trust. Some
are on display in the Chapter House thanks to Peter’s skills.
Duly refreshed, we made our way to St Pancras and St Martin’s. Sadly neither of
them was open, so prayers were said outside. St Stephen’s was open as always,
and hosting an art exhibition which distracted some of our members! We
continued to St Sidwell’s and to St Anne’s Orthodox Church, where we were
led in a special Office for Holy Cross Day; on then to St Matthew’s, and the
Chapel of St Luke’s College. Our next church was St Leonard’s, where we
enjoyed welcome refreshments, including jaffa cakes.
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The Dean and the walkers in the Chapter House
Photo: Peter Moore
Then came the most pleasant part of the walk, as we made our way along the
river to St Luke’s, Countess Wear, and the end of our journey. Following our
prayers in the church we were once again greeted with liquid refreshments to
enjoy with our picnics.
It was a delightful day, and so encouraging to realise that so many of our city
centre churches have stood as a witness to the love of God for so many
hundreds of years and are as active as ever in their ministry today.
Our two stalwart members who used their bus passes, went to Torquay this
year, where they trailed up hill and down dale, visiting a total of 18 churches of
all denominations.
Thank you to all who walked, supplied refreshments or sponsored us. The final
total raised will be displayed on the Chapter House notice board in due course.
Delia, Diane, Judith, Mary, Peter, Renata, Ros and Sue
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Cathedral Community Outing to Boconnoc
On Wednesday September 17th, 42 of us set out for a day at Boconnoc, a large
country house near Lostwithiel. (It is pronounced BoCONnoc, we soon
discovered, though many of us favoured Bocker Nock…..). An uneventful drive
down the A30 to Bodmin, a short mystery interlude soon resolved by a call on
Blanche’s phone, and a quick three-point turn, and we were being warmly
welcomed by Sam Cox, recently the Dean’s PA and now administrator at
Boconnoc.
The house, in massive grounds and parkland, is now a recently and
comprehensively restored Georgian mansion, used for weddings, corporate days,
house parties, shooting and events. It is owned and lived in by the Fortescue
family.
The Fortescues themselves were away, so two personal friends of theirs, Jill and
Michael, made their apologies, and took their places as our hosts and guides. We
were given a short historical introductory talk by Jill. We learned that there had
been habitation on the site since well before the Norman Conquest, and that the
house and lands had passed through the hands of many families. In the late 16th
century it entered the ownership of the Mohun (pronounced ‘Moon’) family, and
by 1643, the incumbent Mohun was a prominent Royalist cavalry commander.
The house was one of the main Cornish Royalist headquarters, and hosted
Charles I on at least one occasion. There were two nearby battles, one within
the present grounds, in both of which the Royalists were victorious.
The Mohun owner in 1712 was killed in a duel and the estate passed in 1717 to
the Pitt family until 1804, when the then owner was……killed in a duel. Evidently
Boconnoc residents were not known for their duelling expertise. The first Pitt
(Governor of Madras and grandfather of ‘Pitt the Elder’, who himself lived at
Boconnoc as a young man) bought the estate with some of the money he
acquired by selling the famous Indian Pitt Diamond, which subsequently travelled
via Louis XV’s crown, to the hilt of Napoleon’s sword, in which it still resides in
the Louvre.
The estate eventually passed in 1864 from the Grenvilles to the Fortescues of
Castle Hill in North Devon, and has remained within the family. After many
structural changes and other vicissitudes, including American military occupation
during World War II, the house lay empty and decaying from 1969 into the late
1990s. Serious restoration began in 2001 and was not finally completed until
2013.
Jill took one group of us around the house: highlights included Sir John Soane’s
staircase with its meticulously restored ‘trompe d’oeil’ sculptural paintings, and
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the superb collection of bedrooms and bathrooms including that thought to have
been used by Charles I, and now the ‘honeymoon suite’! The interior decoration
had been created and directed by the two daughters of the present Fortescue
family, and was much admired by our party. There were also thoughtfully
restored reception rooms and a library, but we were not allowed to roam free
in the wine cellars….
Meanwhile, Michael gave a second group of us an excellent tour of the gardens
and the church. The parkland has never been formally ‘landscaped’ but relies on
the existing contours. The gardens contain many splendid trees, mainly planted
between 150 and 100 years ago. Initially there were flowerbeds amidst the trees,
but these were soon lost largely because of the deaths of estate staff in the First
World War. We were not able to visit the deer park, which lies in a fairly
remote part of the vast grounds. A surprise, behind a wall in the gardens, was a
deep, capacious and solidly built Georgian swimming-bath and small bath-house,
which looked as if it would still be possible to restore to working order.
The church, situated very near the house, is particularly interesting. There has
been a place of worship on the site since the 14th century, though few
unrestored original structural features remain. The church itself has never been
dedicated to a saint, but is thought originally to have been a chapel of a monastic
settlement near Lostwithiel dedicated to St. Winnow. It still contains several
fascinating monuments and carvings from the 16th and 17th centuries.
Our two groups then reunited for a delicious Cornish ‘Cream Lunch’ (it was a
bit too early in the day to be a Cream Tea, some of us thought….!). The scones
were plentiful and very ‘more-ish’, and the jam and cream bore their correct
Cornish relationship on each scone. Afterwards the groups changed over, so
that by the end of the tours we had all seen house, gardens and church.
Though the weather had remained pleasant all afternoon, by the time we were
to leave the sun had emerged, so Chris our driver kindly agreed to bring us back
via Tavistock and over Dartmoor. Views were excellent on the high moor, and
there was some skilled and very well-judged steering of the coach through
Moretonhampstead and the subsequent road home.
Many thanks from us all to Diane Coombes and Mary Wolffe for organising such
an enjoyable day.
Richard & Joss Newell
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What’s On in October
Bach Cantata : 5th October at 6.30pm
The choir and orchestra of the Exeter Bach Society, together with soloists, give
a liturgical performance of J.S.Bach's Cantata No. 27 Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein
Ende? All are welcome to join us at this act of worship.
The service will be followed by a recital in the Chapter House (admission £10).
Lunchtime Bites : 1pm in the Pearson Building
Thursday 2nd October : Digitising the Dead Sea Scrolls
Julia Craig-McFeely explains how digital imaging has lead to a revolution and
revelation in manuscript studies.
Topics include how digital technology has allowed us to rediscover lost texts in
manuscripts from the Dead Sea Scrolls to Florentine madrigals.
£3. Please call 01392 413174 to book.
Wednesday 15th October : The Ravages of Heathen Men –The Vikings
Derek Gore examines the evidence for their activities and assesses their impact
on the region.
£3. Please call 01392 413174 to book
Friday 31st October : Meeting Places of the Living and the Dead
The border between the living and the dead could be very permeable in the
Middle Ages, especially at this time of year.
Naomi Howell (University of Exeter) will explain how medieval beliefs about
ghosts, bodies, and restless spirits are reflected in art, literature, and the tombs
of Exeter Cathedral.
£3. Please call 01392 413174 to book
Exhibition : Gerard Stamp
'At the still point' is a major exhibition from artist Gerard Stamp of large-scale
watercolours of Exeter Cathedral and Dartmoor, painted to celebrate the 900th
anniversary of Exeter Cathedral.
The exhibition is at the invitation of the Dean and Chapter and is in association
with Grapevine Contemporary Art.
Admission to the exhibition is included in the Cathedral admission charge.
Please check opening times on the Cathedral website before making a
special journey.
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St Luke the Physician
The church remembers St Luke on his feast day, 18th October. There will
be a series of events with a medical theme to mark this celebration.
Monday 20th October 2014, 1pm (Cathedral)
Medical Memorials Tour
Christopher Gardner-Thorpe
Tuesday 21st October 2014, 1pm (Library and Archives)
Surgery and Medicine in the 18th and 19th centuries
Andrew Knox (this event is repeated on Friday 24th October)
Wednesday 22 October 2014, 1pm (Library and Archive)
John de Gaddesden’s Rosa Medicinae (1313)
Richard Newell
Thursday 23 October 2014, 1pm (Library and Archives)
Historical Medical Instruments
David Radstone
Friday 24 October 2014, 1pm (Library and Archives)
Surgery and Medicine in the 18th and 19th centuries
Andrew Knox (repeat of the event earlier in the week)
All Tickets £3.50 from 01392 285983 and online
www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk/boxoffice
Save money when you book for 2 events
Extreme Imagination :
Exeter’s Festival of Writing for and by Young People
Monday 27th October :
Fantasy writing workshops by Ellen Renner
Tuesday 28th October :
A Day of Enchantment with Babette Cole
Wednesday 29th October :
Hilary Robinson shares the magic of her books
Please see the Cathedral Website for full details.
Other Highlights from the Diary
1st-4th Exhibition : Henry Bracton - Making Laws in Medieval Devon
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6th
11th
12th
13th
15th
16th
17th
18th
19th
22nd
24th
26th
28th
10.30am
Meeting of the Music Foundation Trust
4pm
Founders and Benefactors Service
11.30am
Prison Prayer & Support Group
7pm
Holy Ground
Edward the Confessor, King of England, 1066, Founder of the Cathedral
5.30pm
Solemn Eucharist
10am
Tapisers’ Committee Meeting
2.30pm
Julian Prayer Group in St Gabriel’s Chapel
2pm
Buildings Committee Meeting
9.30am
Chapter Meeting
5.30pm
Solemn Eucharist for the Eve of St Luke
Luke the Evangelist
7.30pm
Two Moors Festival Concert
11.30am
Trafalgar Day Service
2.30pm
Meeting of the Cathedral Preservation Trust
Exeter College Graduation Ceremony
Harvest Festival
7pm
Devon Young Farmers’ Harvest Thanksgiving
Simon & Jude, Apostles
Churches Together in Central Exeter: Supper and Speaker
Churches Together in Central Exeter have organised a supper on Thursday 30th
October at 7pm for 7.30pm at Southernhay United Reformed Church Hall.
Supper will be a choice of pie and vegetables, a choice of pudding and soft drinks.
Cost £9.
The speaker will be Sally Farrant, Diocesan Social Responsibility Officer, who will
introduce a one hour, interactive information session, “Dementia Friends”,
designed by the Alzheimer’s Society.
If you would like more information or to book a place, please contact the Revd
Sheila Swarbrick 01392 438866 [email protected]
Next month - please send all articles for October 2014 by Monday 13th
October to both of us; Heather Morgan (01392 877623) [email protected],
and Sheila Atkinson [email protected]. The Cathedral Website can be
found at www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk
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