1925: Electric Lights

84 years ago there was clearly controversy in the Cathedral over the installation of some electric lights. The notice book for this day in 1925 contains the following: "The offerings for the Electric Lighting amount to date to £78-19-0." Then comes the interesting bit; the entirity of the next section is bracketed off and the word 'omit' has been added: "The two lamps in the church are only samples. We welcome the criticism of the congregation. The primary object of the lamp is to light the church not to decorate it. There is no doubt about the illuminating power of these lamps, though some may think they are ugly. Possibly they may grow on you, especially if you picture a complete line of them and forget the familiar clusters. But remember they are only an experiment." It seems likely that the congregation were happy to provide more criticism than was actually welcome on this particular issue!

A mystery picture

In the process of searching through old cupboards for pictures and interesting historical items, from time to time things turn up which have survived the years but lost their meaning. This is one such image; it clearly had been kept because it had some sentimental value; on the back of the original is written "To Fr Blundell, from Fred. May 1919". It is clear that the picture was taken in Rome but the exact location is unknown. We know not who Fred was, but it seems likely that he is among those pictured. Fr Blundell is, of course, known to us: he was in charge here 1922-1935. He had clearly kept the image and it must have found its way from his personal belongings into the Cathedral's archives. As always, we'd be interested in your thoughts! Contact us using the details given here.

1982: The Pope in Britain

On this day in 1982 Pope John Paul II came to Britain, beginning the only visit ever made to this land. The six-day visit almost never took place: Britain was at war with Argentina and it was considered that a papal visit to Britain may be too politically sensitive. The cancellation of the visit was narrowly avoided, but as a result of the conflict a planned visit to Downing Street was omitted from the schedule.

The Pope landed at Gatwick Airport, which is located in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton; there he was met by the local Bishop, a certain Cormac Murphy-O'Connor (who can be seen in the Popemobile in the top photo). Seemingly from that time forward Pope John Paul used to refer to the future cardinal as "the Bishop of Gatwick". As had become his custom, he kissed the ground as he came off the plane.

The Pope made two visits to the North West. In Liverpool around a million people lined his route from the airport to the city centre. He celebrated Mass at the Cathedral (pictured) and also heard confessions there. The visit was centred on the sacraments, and in seven locations the seven sacraments were celebrated by His Holiness. At Manchester he ordained twelve priests at a massive open-air Mass at Heaton Park; around 200,000 people attended.

At Westminster Cathedral the Pope celebrated the sacrament of Baptism. The picture here is an extract from the baptism register at the Cathedral, and the name of the officiating minister is seen in the right hand column. The name of Pope John Paul is seen in the central entries, but look whose name is above and below - the future Bishop of Lancaster was sub-administrator of Westminster at the time, and had a major part to play in planning for the Pope's visit there. There is more about the Pope's visit to Britain on a special website: click here. The former blog of Westminster Cathedral also has a feature on the visit; click here and scroll down to take a look.

First Communions at STM

Found among the archives, a picture of children on their First Holy Communion day at St Thomas More's. The priest in the picture is Fr Carey. Nothing else is known about the picture... unless you can help us! If you can shed any light on the date or the people involved, let us know.

2000: Marsh Age Link

This picture shows the official opening of Marsh Age Link, a project based at St Thomas More's and designed to provide for the needs of elderly people in the Marsh area of Lancaster. The Cathedral administrator at the time (who also had responsibility for St Thomas More's) was Canon Mulvany, seen here on the right of the picture. The project is one of many examples of how the Church community has tried to forge links with the community around it over the years.

1993: The reordering of St Thomas More's

Two years before the Cathedral was reordered there was a major change in the liturgical arrangements at St Thomas More's. As we featured the opening of this church earlier this month, over the coming week we will share a few photographs and accounts of events here in its 72-year history. The above picture shows the old set-up, with the altar at one end of the church (please ignore the crib - we don't have any other old photos of this scene in our records!)

Here is the new arrangement. The altar has been moved to a more central position with the benches around. This sort of experiment was tried in a number of churches; the chapel at Nazareth House in Lancaster was reordered in a similar way.

1985: The Installation of Bishop Brewer

A young Bishop John Brewer poses for the camera. Born in Burnage, south of Manchester, he became a priest and then auxiliary bishop of Shrewsbury Diocese; in 1984 he came to Lancaster as Bishop Foley's coadjutor, and on this day in 1985 he was installed as the fourth Bishop of Lancaster.

Bishop Brewer was in his mid-50s when he came to the Diocese. During his fifteen years in charge he oversaw a difficult period of change and upheaval, with much in the Church still settling after the years of rapid change in the 1960s and 1970s. A man of learning himself, he encouraged others to learn, and made adult education one of his top priorities. The Talbot Library in Preston was established and more lay involvement in the running of the Diocese was encouraged.

Throughout Bishop Brewer's time the Diocese of Lancaster was able to send priests to work in other parts of the world; there was a particularly strong link with Zambia, which the Bishop visited on several occasions. He signed a 'Covenant with the Poor' as a mark of the commitment of our Diocese to serve those who suffered through poverty.

It was ten years into Bishop Brewer's time in Lancaster that the Cathedral underwent its highly successful reordering. The work the Chapter, Canon Mulvany (Cathedral Administrator at the time) and others brought a permanent liturgical arrangement after years of temporary solutions to the post-conciliar changes. No doubt Bishop Brewer too had his say, and it is certain that the project could never have gone ahead without his support. We will return to the reordering later in the year. Bishop Brewer died in office on 10th June 2000; there will be pictures of his funeral posted here next month.

1909: The Appointment of Dr Dixon

A young James Hugh Reginald Dixon took up his appointment at St Peter's, Lancaster on this day in 1909. He was born at Flaxton near York in 1886 and had excelled in musical studies, gaining his FRCO (Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists) in 1904. At Christmas 1908 he converted to Catholicism at St Wilfrid's in York, crossing the Pennines to make his home here early in the following year.

Imagine life at St Peter's at the time: Canon Billington was rector and it was the church's golden jubilee year. Much was being done to celebrate the anniversary, including the installation of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's new altar and triptych. This is how the organ console appeared at the time.

For over 60 years he gave distinguished service to St Peter's, also taking a very active role in the musical life of the Diocese of Lancaster after its foundation in 1924. In 1956 he was awarded the distinguished papal honour the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice by Pope Pius XII. Aside from his brilliance as a musician he was an extraordinary character, a man with a mischievous sense of humour and a passion for inventing. He also loved cats, as the above picture suggests!

On travels as well as in Lancaster he always had a role to play in providing music. During the first World War he served in Lyon and formed a male voice choir and a small orchestra. His numerous compositions included numerous Masses, motets and countless organ works. He composed a setting of Cardinal Newman's Dream of Gerontius (dramatised by Fr Lockwood of St Joseph's, Lancaster). Perhaps his most important work is his oratorio Panis Vitae, which was written by invitation for the Eucharistic Congress in Munich in 1960. It was later performed in Westminster and here in Lancaster.

In his later years he lived with his sister Beatrice, seen here at the edge of this picture in which Dr Dixon is seen in his doctoral robes. As a tribute to her he composed a Mass of St Beatrice, which has recently been revived in the Cathedral and sung by our junior choristers at Mass. With his declining health he retired in 1971 and died on 3rd May 1975. His obituary in the Lancaster Diocesan Directory 1976 ends with the following paragraph: "Dr. Dixon was a man of great charm, always courteous and respectful. In later years a copious beard added to his distinguished appearance. He was always happy in the Cathedral company, and his puckish humour made him a delightful companion. He did great service both for the Cathedral and the diocese. May he rest in peace." We gratefully acknowledge the help of Dr Dixon's former student and biographer, Joan Johnson, in producing this post.

2002: The Edmund Arrowsmith Window

This window can be found in the entrance to the Cathedral, and depicts St Edmund Arrowsmith, one of two canonised Lancaster Martyrs. Lancaster Castle, where he was imprisoned, can be seen behind him, while in his hands he bears a cross and a palm, the symbol of the martyr's victory over death. The window was blessed on this day in 2002, having been paid for by an anonymous donor. It is the cover image for the 2009 national Catholic Directory for England and Wales.

1934: How to recognise a nun

The Cathedral, like every parish, receives almost monthly warnings about people who may be operating a scam in our area. It's rare that the people mentioned ever turn up, but it is always best to be on one's guard against imposters pretending to be priests or nuns. It's obviously not a new problem, as the notice book for 20th May 1934 indicates: "There have been two persons going round the parish under the name of Little Sisters of the Poor of Nazareth – these are not our nuns. In future you may know whether or not they are genuine by asking them if they have a letter from our Bishop, or if they have his name on their books, or if notice has been given of their visiting from the pulpit." Useful advice. The nuns pictured here are, we should point out, entirely genuine - that could even be a letter from the local bishop in her hand!

The Martyrs Rallies

Centuries ago it had been a walk of shame and of torment, a route that led to death. For many decades in the 20th century, however, it became a walk of triumph. This is the route that the condemned took from Lancaster Castle to the site of their execution near the present-day Ashton Memorial. Following in the footsteps of the Catholic martyrs, the faithful for many years walked along the route, forming a great procession in the martyrs' honour.

All ages and groups took part in the processions,and people came from across the Diocese. One such rally took place on this day in 1963, and reports suggest that as many as 8000 people attended. The notice book entry for 27th June 1926 speaks of a party of 700 coming from the English Martyrs Church, Preston, to take part in the procession. The route for that day (and presumably for other years) is described thus: "We shall start from the Castle at 3.30 prompt and shall walk in procession saying the Rosary and other prayers, by way of Market Street, Stonewell, Moor Lane, Moorgate and Quernmore Road, to the open ground beyond the workhouse. There the hymn to the English Martyrs will be sung. Then the procession will return via East Road to the Cathedral, where there will be a sermon on the English Martyrs followed by Pontifical Benediction."

Although this extract from 1926 indicates a return to the Cathedral, it seems likely that on most occasions (particularly in later years when public address systems became available) the procession ended with a service at the execution site itself. Many of these rallies would have included prayers for the canonisation of the English Martyrs; this hope became a reality in October 1970 when Pope Paul VI canonised 40 martyrs of England and Wales, including two executed at Lancaster (St Edmund Arrowsmith and St Ambrose Barlow). It is a sad fact that after the canonisations interest seemed to wane; more recently there have been the beginning of attempts to revive devotion to the martyrs, and in 2007 a feast of the Lancaster Martyrs was institued within our own Diocese. It is celebrated on 7th August.

1967: The Metropolitan Cathedral

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, Liverpool, was consecrated on this day in 1967. Until our own Diocese was founded in 1924 Lancaster was part of the Liverpool Diocese; still today Lancaster remains in the Province of Liverpool, which consists of seven diocese and in which the Archbishop acts as figurehead. It is perhaps ironic that the Lancaster Diocese had a cathedral from the moment of its creation while its 'mother diocese', Liverpool, had to wait 117 years until a permanent cathedral was opened. The present Archbishop - Most Rev. Patrick Kelly - was a Lancaster Diocese priest and served at Lancaster Cathedral for a couple of years early in his priesthood.

St Thomas More's: the Lourdes Grotto

Following on from the earlier post about the opening of St Thomas More's, here is a picture of the Lourdes Grotto which was built there. When the Diocese of Lancaster was established in 1924 Our Lady of Lourdes was chosen as its principal patron. Not surprisingly, there has always been great devotion to her in the Diocese and a number of churches have statues or small grottos such as this. The grotto remains in place today and is still a focus for prayer and devotion. Those who know the scene will notice how much the backdrop has changed since this image was taken.

1937: The Opening of St Thomas More's

It's 72 years to the day since the church of St Thomas More on the Marsh estate was opened. The picture here records the event: Bishop Pearson, wearing cope and mitre, is seen in the centre sprinkling holy water. The rite involved walking around the new church while saying prayers of exorcism and singing the litany of the saints. The notice book from 1937 gives us a few more details: "Special buses will run to Marsh from the market entrance from 10am to 10:30am today; return buses leave Marsh about 12noon. This is for the solemn opening of the new church of St Thomas More at 10:30am by His Lordship the Bishop of Lancaster; Benediction in the evening at 6:30pm. Special sermons both morning and evening by Right Rev Mgr Lorne(?), St Bede’s Manchester." Today the church is still vibrant, thanks to the efforts of a small community of Ursuline Sisters who have cared for it over the past 15 years or so. Clergy from the Cathedral also serve the church, which is now the only Christian presence on the Marsh. On Low Sunday (19th April) 2009 it was formally re-merged with the Cathedral parish, after several decades as a parish in its own right.

We can't be absolutely sure, but our best sources tell us that the man on the left of the picture is none other than Dr Reginald Dixon, the Cathedral's Director of Music. It is almost certain that he would have been present at the opening, and here is very likely seen leading the singing as the procession walks around the new church.

1900: St Joseph's Church

109 years ago today the foundation stone of St Joseph's church was blessed by the Bishop of Liverpool. Canon Billington: "Skerton grew with the recent rapid growth of population in Lancaster. The distance from school was a great inconvenience to Catholic parents residing there, and through Miss Coulston's benefaction a school chapel was provided." Following the opening of the school in 1896, "Miss Coulston next determined to build a permanent church of St. Joseph and a priests' house... The architects were Pugin and Pugin... The house was completed in 1899, but Miss Coulstone retained this for her life, making it her residence, and dying there in 1909. The church was completed in little more than a year, and was consecrated on July 3, 1901; it was opened on the following July 7. Electric light was installed in 1902."

1975: The Death of Dr Dixon

34 years ago today Dr J. H. Reginald Dixon, who for 62 years had overseen music at St Peter's, died at the age of 88. During May on Billington's Blog we will have the opportunity to discover more about the life and character of this extraordinary man, and we will mark the 100th anniversary of his appointment here. The notice book from 4th May 1975 gives details of his funeral: "Dr Dixon's body will be received into the Cathedral on Tuesday evening at 7.0pm followed by Mass. The Requiem will be on Wednesday at 10.0am and the Bishop will be present. The funeral will be in the Cathedral cemetery." Dr Dixon was buried in the same grave as Laurenz Schmitz, who had been organist at Dalton Square from 1855, moving to the new church when it was opened and serving here until 1894. He died in January 1909, less than four months before Dr Dixon took up the role.

Set for a feast

In the archives at Cathedral House these images were found. The Cathedral Library is set for a feast, though the occasion is unknown. It is possible that the pictures date from the centenary of the church in 1959, though this is simply speculation. Whatever the occasion, it looks as though it was a fine feast with plenty of courses to keep the guests satisfied!