Ishmael's Website

We took a few days break last week in the west country to relax and recharge after a busy few weeks at school, in the cathedral and on the road. The weather was wild, and it rained a lot, so we didn’t get as much walking done as we would have liked. However, I loved simply standing watching the sea crash against the shore and it reminded me of just how powerful the wind and waves are and of course just how powerful our God is. The natural world never ceases to amaze me, and I love the way in which God has created, as well as the enormous crashing…

Last week was very busy taken up with my final school chaplaincy duties before retiring. We held a school Eucharist in the cathedral and I spoke on the Good Shepherd. I explained that the word ‘Chaplain’ is taken from the Latin cappa. In medieval times a cappa was the cloak soldiers used when they were on the battlefield to give them protection, comfort, and warmth. I hoped that I had fulfilled my role of providing safety and comfort over the last 6 years in school. Ish helped me out with the talk by dressing in a cloak and holding a shepherd’s crook while telling the children about his job when…

This week it was my privilege to welcome Yr 3 pupils to the cathedral to learn about a service of baptism and the differences between Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. I demonstrated a baptism and the children got to try out the font themselves. They also enjoyed trying on some robes. The teacher and pupils said it was really helpful to have these things explained to them and I was able to answer many of their questions about church. I can recall when I first started going along to the church youth group in my teens there was a lot I didn’t understand because I hadn’t been brought up to go…