St Edmundsbury Cathedral

Today is #WorldBookDay! Here's some recommendations from Cathedral staff for your next read...

What better day to welcome the Bury Psalter back to the Abbey of St Edmund site than #WorldBookDay! Join us at 5.30pm this evening, Thursday 5 March, for a special Evensong where we will formally receive the Bury Psalter. Everyone is welcome.

We're looking for a Tenor Vicar Choral and a Finance Committee Member (two separate roles, you don't need to be able to sing while creating financial spreadsheets!). If you're interested in in either, please visit stedscathedral.org/vacancies to find out more and apply.

Together on Tuesday: A short, informal and friendly communion service suitable for those with dementia and their carers.

Refreshments and cake ☕️🍰 is served after the service to which you are warmly welcome. Join us in the Edmund Chapel on Tuesday 10 March at 2.00pm.

Join us on Sunday 15 March at 5.00 pm for a meditative performance of Marcel Dupré’s Symphonie-Passion, played on the organ by Assistant Director of Music, Richard Cook, with spoken reflections. Free to attend with a retiring collection.

Come and join us for Messy Easter on Tuesday 31 March at 2.00 pm. See and hear about Holy Week and Easter and take part in fun crafts! Book a free space here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/messy-easter-at-st-edmundsbury-cathedral-tickets-1983885625310

March’s Dogs of the Cathedral Calendar model is Bobby the Collie-cross who hails from Romania and now lives with their English human. Bobby might be crossed with a Papillon which would explain his compact size & floofy tail!

Dogs are welcome, if they are well-behaved and on a lead 🐕‍🦺

in the dark / cathedral collaboration with we are sound see nothing, hear everything - in the dark: the ground breaking, live, sound experience in total darkness

Tickets are now on sale for in the dark: a 70 minute sound experience with around 80 performers who will take the audience on a sonic journey performed fully live and in total darkness. Check out the video: https://youtu.be/IiBLlPdUb7M

Learn more/tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/in-the-dark

This week's reflection is from the Reverend Canon Matthew Vernon who reflects on the cycle of nature and life.

https://youtu.be/C6RtiuMzpE8

Join us this Sunday, 1 March, The Second Sunday of Lent for:
8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
9.00 am All-Ages Eucharist
10.30 am Choral Eucharist
3.10 pm Lent Organ Recital
3.30 pm Choral Evensong

Last night we began our Online Lent Series with The Reverend Dr Adrian Burdon. Building on his experience of working with and for Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, he gave a hopeful exploration into what 'A United Church' might look like, envisioning it as a dynamic, ever-renewing community.

Last June, we welcomed Kenneth Wilson to the Cathedral as part of his Pilgrim Cello journey. He's turned his tour around the cathedrals of the UK into a new book which you can buy in the Cathedral Shop. He has nice things to say about his stay here!

Today, Tuesday 24 February, we mark the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine by dedicating the day to praying for peace. A prayer station is available and all our services will have a focus on praying for peace. We welcome members of the Ukrainian community to Evensong at 5.30 pm.

During Lent, the music department are hosting five short recitals of seasonal repertoire prior to Sunday Evensong. The recitals will start at 3.10 pm, and lead straight into Choral Evensong at 3.30 pm. Free to attend.

Today is the first Sunday of Lent. Traditionally, Lent is a time of self-examination, penitence, self-denial, study and giving as we prepare to celebrate Easter. To reflect this, worship has a more sombre tone; we don't sing the Gloria or say the word 'Alleluia' and a cross hangs above the altar.

Visions of a Future Church | St Edmundsbury Cathedral This years online Lent course looks at the future of the church and welcomes eminent speakers from across the UK.

This Lent, we're asking big questions with faith leaders in our online Lent Course.. Each week, a different voice shares their vision. Starts Wednesday 25 February. More details: https://stedscathedral.org/events/lent-course-visions-of-a-future-church/

It is ours - taken wonderfully by a member of our social team a few years ago. We would rather you don't use, but thank you for asking :)

Join us this Sunday, 22 February, The First Sunday of Lent. Services at:

8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
9.00 am All-Ages Eucharist
10.30 am Choral Eucharist
3.10 pm Lent Organ Recital
3.30 pm Choral Evensong

Today we welcomed a special group to the Cathedral: the Shrine of St Edmund tapestry makers gathered to celebrate 20 years since their artwork was installed at a special service in February 2006.

You can find out more here: https://ow.ly/RmBP50Yi3F4

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Ashes are an ancient form of penitence, and, from the middle ages, it has been the custom for Christians to begin Lent by being marked in ash with the sign of the cross. Both our 1.00 pm and 7.00 pm services today include the offering of ashes.

God of All People,
as you direct the moon and the stars,
guide us in this Lunar New Year.
May communities around the world
be blessed and renewed by your abundance and tranquillity.
Help us to know your goodness wherever we are.
Amen.

Cleaning work will begin on the Lady Chapel ceiling on Wednesday 18 February for four weeks. There will be scaffolding up in this area of the Cathedral while the work is carried out. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience.

Tower Tours return for 2026 on 1 March! They are available to book online now. Tick it off your to-do list this year, or, they make a great gift if you've already experienced the climb. Find out more via: stedscathedral.org/tower-tours

Today we mark Racial Justice Sunday at our services. At a time when there are so many narratives of hostility, fear and hatred of the ‘other’, this is an opportunity to reflect on what it really means to love our neighbour, and strive for a world where everyone is loved & affirmed for who they are.

We're joined this weekend by our visiting choir Priory Singers. They will sing:
Saturday 14 February, 3.30 pm Choral Evensong
Sunday 15 February, 10.30 am Choral Eucharist
Sunday 15 February, 3.30 pm Choral Evensong

Join us on Ash Wednesday, 18 February, to mark the start of Lent. Both our 1.00 pm and 7.00 pm services include the offering of ashes, the ancient sign of our humanity and mortality. Our Preacher at the 7.00 pm service the Right Reverend Dr Joanne Woolway Grenfell.

Join us this Sunday, 15 February, for Racial Justice Sunday. Services at:

8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
9.00 am All-Ages Eucharist
10.30 am Choral Eucharist
12.30 pm Holy Baptism
3.30 pm Choral Evensong

There's still time to book a seat at our inaugural Benedict lecture where Abbot Christopher Jamison explores how we might frame the future, why pessimism is prevailant and what frame Christian faith might generate?

Tickets are just £5.00: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980195118906

Each year, the Cathedral donates to a small number of local charities. This is Julie Stokes from ActivLives who work with individuals and communities of all ages, but with a particular focus on 55 plus who live-in hard-pressed areas in Ipswich and Suffolk. Find out more at http://activlives.org.uk

This year's online lent course welcomes expert speakers each week who will explore visions of a future church:

The Reverend Dr Adrian Burdon
Dr Nick Spencer
The Right Reverend Dr Anderson Jeremiah
The Right Reverend Dr Joanne Woolway Grenfell
Dr Gemma Simmonds CJ

Book 👉 https://ow.ly/c3mV50Y9o15