Following Church of England guidance, we have taken the painful step of suspending public worship in the Cathedral and we are now also closed to all visitors. Please be assured that the Cathedral's rhythm of prayer will continue nonetheless.
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.
Update 7 May 2020
Guidance on the Use of Churches has recently changed, following a meeting of the House of Bishops this week. Under the new protocols, the Dean will pray and celebrate on behalf of the Community and Chapter, and with a member or members of the Deanery household also able to enter the Cathedral too. All the provisions and protocols set out by Bishop Steven will be strictly observed.
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 still open?
In line with current Church of England rules, the Cathedral has suspended public worship. We are also no longer open during the day for people to come in and pray. We would therefore ask you to stay away from the Cathedral for now. Please do make use of our online resources, on this page and particulary through our cathedral blog.
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?
We livestreamed the service on Mothering Sunday (22 March 2020) when Bishop Steven joined us for the Eucharist. You can find a podcast of the services on the diocesan website.
On Sundays, we are publishing a simple pre-recorded service at 9am. 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 during the suspension of public worship.
What can I do as an alternative to public worship?
Although the Cathedral will suspend public worship we would encourage the Cathedral community to continue to worship in new and different ways. The Cathedral will remain open during the day for private prayers for those who are able to make it to the Cathedral and we will attempt to make as many of our services as possible available electronically. Other things you may want to consider doing:
- Follow us on Twitter for daily prayer and reflections
- A daily Psalm and reflection will be posted on the Cathedral Blog, which can be found here: www.chch.ox.ac.uk/cathedralblog
- A Topical Prayer and acompanying anthem, sung by the Cathedral Choir will be posted on the Cathedral blog each Sunday and Thursday
- 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 public worship is suspended, therefore you will not be able to attend special services. However we will looking to make a version of special services available online. Concerts that would have been held in the Cathedral are also cancelled, please contact your ticket provider for further information. For an up to date list of event cancellations please see here: www.chch.ox.ac.uk/events/all/cathedral-services-and-events
