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THE RHYTHM OF LIFE

Canon Edward Probert, Chancellor (Sunday 1st July 2007)

My diary for July presents a curious appearance. The first two thirds of the month are pretty well filled with appointments and events; from the 23rd onward, things look very quiet. This is a reminder of the way that organisations such as the cathedral have their own rhythms, and that these rhythms, like the ocean tides being caused by the moon, are not always internally driven. In this instance, one big influence on our rhythms is the end of the academic year. There will be a flurry of activity connected with the end of term at schools in the Close. The Southern Cathedrals’ Festival is timed to round off the choirs’ school year. And this year we will be saying goodbye to Bob Thackray, a much-loved Headmaster of the Cathedral School, and his wife Trish, whose departure has been arranged to coincide with the school’s year. But we also prepare to welcome a new Vicar of the Close, Charles Mitchell-Innes, whose arrival depends on the end of his present appointment in July. There is no absolute reason why schools and colleges should take their breaks roughly at the same time, nor that the major holiday should begin in July and cover August. But it is certainly convenient that these patterns should be common, because it allows us to organise things with reasonable confidence. Imagine the nightmare if every school and college took its main holidays at different times: while summer holidays might be cheaper, almost every other aspect of my life would be more complicated. I mention this because it’s a reminder that our lives are corporate. For the cathedral and for me individually, life is affected profoundly by the patterns of institutions and society – by other people’s lives. It can be easy to take for granted the extent to which our lives are held in common, but for me this is one of the strongest and most attractive aspects of the cathedral. This is a community, with a beautiful building at its centre, which meets to worship God and to further his work. And sharing life with others is one of God’s greatest gifts.

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