Following a change in Government and Church of England policy we were delighted to be able to resume public worship from Sunday 5 July.
Currently, we offer a 'said' Eucharist on Sunday mornings at 11am. From Sunday 26 July we will also be inviting people to join us for a 'said' service of Evening Prayer at 6pm daily.
We're sure you'll understand that there are major modifications to the way we run services in order to comply with social distancing and other Covid-safe practice.
The Cathedral is also undergoing work at the moment to complete our lighting upgrade and to install the infrastructure for live-streaming services in the future - so everything looks very different at the moment. Please bear with us!
So that you know what to expect, please note:
- Entry to the Cathedral for private prayer, Evening Prayer and the Eucharist is via Meadow Gate
- Parking is available on Sunday mornings only from 10.30 am. Please note the barrier will be closed again at 12.30pm.
- If possible, please download the order of service for the Sunday Eucharist before coming to the Cathedral.
- You will be asked to sanitise your hands on arrival.
- To maintain social distance we need to spread out. Please follow the directions of the vergers. This means that we may have to turn people away if we run out of space.
- There will be organ music but no choir or congregational singing
- Please do not touch or hug anyone who is not part of your household, especially during the Peace.
- Communion will be offered in one kind, i.e.the chalice will not be offered to the congregation. If you would like to receive, please follow the instructions of the Vergers.
- The President will be following best practice to minimise risk. If you would like a blessing, please keep your head bowed. The President will pray a short blessing without touching you.
For more information on our Covid safe modifications, email Joseph Denby, Operations Manager.
The Cathedral is open between 4pm and 6pm every day for private prayer but will remain closed outside of these hours. Please follow the instructions of Cathedral staff and government advice regarding social distancing.
Our prayers for the work of this Cathedral, Diocese and all the peoples and communities we seek to serve will continue - to express the love of God being with us all at this time. Read the Dean's Epistles (right) to find out more and his 6 May 2020 blogpost for Modern Church, Good Grief.
Cycle of Prayer
During lockdown, please do join us in our weekly cycle of prayer.
Sunday – Our Dean, Chapter and clergy
Monday – Our Cathedral congregations
Tuesday – Our Choirs (Cathedral Choir, Cathedral Singers, Frideswide Voices)
Wednesday – Our Cathedral volunteers
Thursday – Our honorary canons and honorary chaplains
Friday – Our Cathedral staff
Saturday – Parishes of which Christ Church is patron, our Cathedral School; the College
You may also like to make use of the special booklet of Prayer Resources we have created.
See also: www.chch.ox.ac.uk/onlineworship
COVID 19 Pastoral Care and Resources FAQ
Is the Cathedral open?
From Sunday 5 July public worship is now possible. We are starting with a simple, said Eucharist at 11am and will adapt our approach in the coming weeks.
The Cathedral is now also open for private prayer and the lighting of candles. This means that between 4pm and 6pm you can come to the Cathedral to pray, reflect or light a candle. Entry is via Meadow Gate. Outside of these hours we remain closed. Please note that the rest of the Christ Church site remains closed to visitors, even when the Cathedral is open.
Please do make use of our online resources, on this page, through our cathedral blog and through our online worship page.
Who can I contact for prayer and support?
The Cathedral is seeking to offer as much pastoral support as possible during this difficult time. If you would like prayers for yourself or someone you know, or to speak with one of the clergy, please email subdean@chch.ox.ac.uk
Are you live streaming services?
On Sundays, we are publishing a simple pre-recorded service at 9am, alongside our public services. You can find this and our offering of online worship elsewhere on our website. Do keep checking back as the content we offer will evolve over the coming weeks.
The diocese will continue to livestream Sunday services at 10am.
What can I do as an alternative to public worship?
We would encourage the Cathedral community to continue to worship in new and different ways. If you don't feel comfortable coming to the Cathedral, bear in mind:
- We will still be posting two sermons every Sunday, which can be found here: www.chch.ox.ac.uk/services-and-events/sermons you can also listen to past sermons here
- You can listen to daily prayers at pray-as-you-go.org
- Daily prayers for morning evening and night can be found at www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-service-daily-prayer
- Simple daily prayers can be found at anordinaryoffice.org.uk/
What radio and TV programmes are available?
- The BBC have announced they will be broadcasting a live church service on Sunday mornings on BBC 1
- The Daily Service is available online, on DAB and Long Wave
- Songs of Praise is Broadcast on BBC 1 at 1.15pm on Sunday
- BBC Radio 4 has Lent talks on Wednesdays at 8.45pm, Prayer for the Day at 5.43am each day and Sunday worship at 8.10am
- BBC Radio 3 broadcasts Choral Evensong at 3.30pm on Wednesdays
What is happening about special services and concerts?
In line with Church and Government advice most special services have been cancelled or postponed. However we are doing our best to make a version of special services available online. For an up to date list of event cancellations please see here: www.chch.ox.ac.uk/events/all/cathedral-services-and-events
