Solemnity of the Dedication of The Cathedral

In every parish across the Diocese today is kept as the Feast of the Dedication of The Cathedral, but here in The Cathedral the day ranks as a solemnity. On this day in 1856 The Cathedral Church of Our Lady Help of Christians and Saint Peter of Alcantara was dedicated. Like every church building that is consecrated, The Cathedral has crosses on the wall to mark the places where the Bishop rubbed Sacred Chrism into the walls, setting the building aside as a place of prayer and dedicating it to the glory of God. Those candles burnt for all to see today as Canon Stephen presided over the solemnity celebrations. The sun even shone in Shrewsbury!

Sadly Bishop Brian couldn't be with us today, but we will excuse him, as he was in Westmnister Cathedral to be with Archbishop Vincent Nichols as he was enthroned as the new Archbishop of Westminster.

At our Mass of celebration, we prayed for Bishop Brian, the priests, people, religious and deacons of our diocese, and offered a prayer or two for the new Archbishop.

Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us.

May, the month of Mary

May is one of the traditional months dedicated to Our blessed Lady. To mark the month, and because our Cathedral is dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christains, today the children's liturgy group presented flowers to our statue of Our Lady at the end of Mass.

Saint Joseph the Worker

Today is the Feast of Saint Joseph, and tonight we are celebrating his feast and all the great work that goes on in our three parishes by singing Vespers in The Cathedral and then sharing a meal together. SO many people do so much to keep the parishes going - cleaners, counters, secretaries, flower arrangers, stewards, Extra-Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, readers, catechists, altar servers, gardeners, SVP, CAFOD, friends, CWL, musicians, organists, cantors, the choir, we could go on and on and on! So tonight is about celebrating that work and giving thanks to God for it also.

He is Risen!

Bishop Brian turns 73!

Last night not only did we celebrate the Easter Vigil, the baptism of two new Christians and the reception of eight new members of the Catholic Church, we also marked Bishop Brian's 73rd birthday! Happy Birthday Bishop Brian. Here we see Bishop Brian cutting his cake, and (thanks to Lancaster Cathedral Blog) a picture of a much younger Bishop Brian, when he was a pupil at the Cathedral School in Lancaster.

Newly Blessed Oils

Last night at The Chrism Mass, held this year at Our Lady and the Apostles Church in Stockport, Bishop Brian blessed the three oils that will be used through out the diocese in the coming year. The Oils were then brought back to The Cathedral, where they will be displayed in their new cabinets. The Oils were placed in the cabinets for the first time today ready for this evenings Mass of the Lord's Supper.

CAFOD Campaign Launch

Last night The Cathedral played host for the regional launch of the new CAFOD Climate Justice Campaign. During the day many of our primary schools dropped in for an afetrnoon of fun and learning based around this new campaign. Then in the evening people traveled from across the Diocese to join with Bishop Brian, the national Director of CAFOD, and many others to launch this new and important campaign. It was great to see The Cathedral so full!