Lent At Wenchoster Cathedral

The Lenten issue of the Pharisaios Journal is now posted at the cathedral website. I've selected a few highlights from the journal, but there's more, much more, that's worth your attention "over there".

The Bishop's Column

Greetings to one end awl in the Darsis! It falls to me, es your Bishop, to say a ward or two at the beginning of yit another Lint. I awlways find the beginning of Lint a very prarful tame. We make our Linten promises end sing Farty Days end Farty Nates, end it is es if our laves take on a new pace end meaning. What will you be doing, or rather not doing this Lint? What will you give up, end what extra will you tray end fulfil in our Lawd's name? On a parsonal note I have decided to denay mayself one of the pleasures closest to may heart and have asked the Peliss starff to remove awl soft towels from the episcopal bathrooms. For the next few wicks I will use only rough hemp seckcloth after may morning ablutions. This will surely be in the spirit of the Prar Book Collect which exhorts us to "subdue the flish." I hope it will do mane.

May thenks to awl who supported the Pencake Races arind the Close on Shrove Tuesday. It was again a great success, end a great joy to see so many members of the Cwar penting end covered with better. Such tradit-i-ons keep us unated es a femily of faith, end we must never lose them.

Before I adjourn to the West Tar room for may daily reading end mortification, I must arge the more rural members of the clargy to moderate their Linten disciplines this yar, especially es the Casualy Department of Winchoster Gineral Infarmary have reduced their opening hours. On this metter the Archdeacons end I are of one mained. Indeed.

With every Linten blissing!

+ Roderick Codpiecium

It's a lovely letter, isn't it? Except that I'm confused by the bishop's reference to adjournment to the "West Tar room" to read and mortify himself. The phrase doesn't translate well to this side of the pond. Surely the bishop's mortifications don't include the use of tar. "Tire"? No, a cathedral wouldn't have a tire room. Wait! I think I've got it! The Tower Room! Yes, that's it.

Now to the words of my favorite person of all at the cathedral, who keeps all the wheels greased and turning, but, in my humble opinion, does not get nearly the recognition he deserves.


Mr. Grindle the Head Verger

Pulling out the Lenten array this year produced a few surprises yes it did there was that funny stain on the bottom left ‘and corner that happeared hafter Mothering Sunday last year and which I thought ‘ad been sorted hout then there was a rip in one of the chasubles in a most peculiar place then I remembered we ‘ad that visiting priest from New 'Ampshire who ‘ad his own hopinon about ‘andling the larger ciborium with larger then life actions still its hall in place for the Hash Wednesday services with a huge bucket of hash that the Dean likes to throw about a bit its less a cross of the forehead and more of a fistfull of carbon in the face so what shall I give hup for Lent well it may be chocolate again like last year or perhaps that flagon of porter I halways enjoy at the end of the working day Mrs. Grindle ‘oo is walking just fine without ‘er surgical stockings thank you very much says that I should give hup the Welsh tarts but I don’t know what with spring just around the corner and all that perhaps I’ll just stick to one lump of sugar in my tea. Sorry, no flowers ‘till Heaster. That’s just the way hit his!


And that's the way it is during Lent at Wenchoster Cathedral.