Support Worcester Cathedral’s Christmas of Peace and Joy for all.

My Dear Friends,

It is my privilege and joy to personally invite you and your loved ones to the Cathedral for our rich programme of Christmas celebrations and worship. The doors will be open for everyone – from regular worshippers to those who have yet to set foot inside. And all will receive the heartiest of welcomes.

This Christmas will also be extremely important to me, as it will be my first as Dean of Worcester. It is a huge honour to have been appointed to this responsibility – and I believe that this coincides with a renewed sense of hope and opportunity for us all.

It is my prayer and deepest wish that this Christmas can be a time of friendship, togetherness and shared joy within our community – joy for the sake of joy – and I want the Cathedral to be at the heart of that. This wonderful, iconic building can be both a calm, warm, safe space for those who are struggling and a joyous house of life-affirming Christian celebration.

The Cathedral is always a special, moving place – but perhaps never more so than at Christmas time. I love how each year lights transform the Cathedral; the lights on the Christmas tree, the flickering candles of thanksgiving and remembrance, the silver stars painted high on the vaulted ceiling. All combine to deliver moments of true delight and wonder.

This year, our wonderful team of staff, Chapter members and incredible volunteers have designed a programme of Christmas celebrations that offers, we hope, a very special moment for everyone. Once again, we are delighted to be offering our Christmas services of Nine Lessons and Carols at 6:30pm on 22 and 23 of December. Visitors to the Cathedral’s cloisters will be delighted with the bright designs and illuminations of Christmas Trees, provided by local schools, churches and community organisations.

Christmas at Worcester Cathedral begins with our Advent service on Sunday 1 December and continues until the Epiphany carol service on Sunday 12 January. If the Cathedral has been a part of your family Christmas for many years – please do come again. But if you have not yet had the chance to visit this wonderful place – please make this Christmas your first time. You will all be welcomed as friends.

Inside the Cathedral there will again be a large, beautifully lit Christmas tree where we shall proudly display prayers and messages from members of our community of all backgrounds. This year, our theme is ‘Peace and Joy’ to show that all - the Cathedral and the Community it serves - can find the warm Christian spirit of Christmas here. I urge you to visit the Cathedral to write your own message tag to be read by friends and family, but also by those who are lonely and isolated this Christmas. Let your words help to bring Peace and Joy into every life.

Lastly, if you are able to support financially, please contribute here whatever is reasonable and affordable for you, to help us to keep the Cathedral open, warm and welcoming this Christmas. In a time when many local families are struggling, the Cathedral is one of the very few places that is completely free to visit. Your support will help us to pay for the increasingly challenging costs of keeping this magnificent building open over Christmas – so that we can continue to be a bright beacon of peace and joy for all. I sincerely hope we will have the pleasure of your company in the Cathedral this Christmas.

Thank you, in advance, for any support you feel able to offer – and for the words you choose to display on our Christmas tree. On behalf of every member of Chapter, all of our staff and volunteers, may I wish you and your loved ones a Christmas of peace and joy, and every blessing for the season.

Peace and Joy,

The Very Revd Dr Stephen Edwards
Dean of Worcester