Cathedral open to all online

The Cathedral’s virtual doors will continue to be open online to both worshippers and visitors alike via the Cathedral’s website and social media, despite public worship being suspended in the Cathedral building due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Chapter of Norwich Cathedral has decided to suspend public worship in the Cathedral building from Wednesday 13 January due to the current situation with regard to the Coronavirus pandemic.

While the Cathedral Clergy will alone ensure the daily rhythm of worship continues in the building, the Cathedral’s virtual doors will continue to be open online to both worshippers and visitors alike via the Cathedral’s website and social media.

The Sunday Eucharist will be live-streamed every week on the Norwich Cathedral Services YouTube Channel and full details of how people can participate in daily worship at home are available on the Cathedral website.

A member of clergy will alone hold a Requiem to remember departed loved ones on Wednesdays and anybody who would like a candle lit in a loved one’s memory during the Requiem is welcome to email prayers@cathedral.org.uk

In line with Government guidance, the Cathedral building will remain open daily for individual prayer from 12pm until 2.30pm on Sundays and from 10am until 2pm Monday to Saturday.

The Dean of Norwich, the Very Revd Jane Hedges, said that it was with a heavy heart that the Chapter had chosen to suspend public worship for the time being but said that the current situation with regard to the Coronavirus meant that it was important to reinforce the message that people should stay at home.

The Dean said: “We all need to look out for each other at this time and to heed the message to stay at home as much as possible. As soon as we can we will resume public services but in the meantime we will live stream the 10.30am Eucharist every Sunday and the residentiary clergy will maintain the daily rhythm of Morning and Evening Prayer and offer a daily Eucharist, holding the nation, the local community, the NHS and everyone affected by the pandemic in our prayers.

While we may not be able to gather for public worship or welcome general visitors at this time, the Cathedral’s virtual doors are always open via our website and social media. We hope the Cathedral’s digital worship and online events will be of help and comfort to people at this difficult time for everyone.”

The Cathedral’s organists will be playing weekly online organ recitals throughout the lockdown, starting with a performance by assistant organist George Inscoe at 7.30pm on Wednesday 13 January on the Norwich Cathedral Services YouTube Channel.

The concert series will continue with the following online performances:

• Organist David Dunnett - Wednesday 20 January 2.30pm-3pm
• Master of Music Ashley Grote - Wednesday 27 January 7.30pm–8.30pm
• Assistant Organist George Inscoe - Wednesday 3 February 2.30pm–3pm
• Master of Music Ashley Grote - Wednesday 10 February 2.30pm–3pm

Next week, people will also be able to watch a Facebook discussion about Norfolk nurse and First World War heroine Edith Cavell who is buried at the Cathedral.

Norwich Cathedral’s Canon Librarian, the Revd Dr Peter Doll, and Nick Miller, who runs the Edith Cavell website www.edithcavell.org.uk for St Mary's, Swardeston, are taking part in the discussion which is being hosted on the @findmypast Facebook page on Wednesday 20 January at 4pm.

Part of the discussion will focus on a letter written by Nurse Cavell just days before she was captured by the Germans in occupied Belgium in 1915, and which was gifted to Norwich Cathedral ahead of Armistice Day last year.

The Cathedral’s virtual tour, created by Norwich-based Vortex Visual and hosted on the Cathedral website, also means that people can continue to enjoy exploring Norwich Cathedral on the Cathedral website even if they cannot visit in person at this time.

All the latest details of digital worship and events at Norwich Cathedral will be made available on this website.

If people would like to donate to the Cathedral during this challenging time for all organisations, they can do so via the online giving page on the Cathedral website: www.cathedral.org.uk/about/support-our-future

It costs nearly £5,000 a day to run the Cathedral and all donations will help support the future of the Cathedral for generations to come.

Picture: Bill Smith