Closer to thee: York Minster and Ripon Cathedrals come to life as clergy return

With a flock scattered to the four winds, the Reverend Michael Smith prepared yesterday to broadcast from inside York Minster.
The Revd Michael Smith, York Minster's Canon Pastor, rehearses a digital Evensong service inside the cathedral, as the government moves towards the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown.The Revd Michael Smith, York Minster's Canon Pastor, rehearses a digital Evensong service inside the cathedral, as the government moves towards the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown.
The Revd Michael Smith, York Minster's Canon Pastor, rehearses a digital Evensong service inside the cathedral, as the government moves towards the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown.

The cathedral has been closed since the beginning of the quarantine but the House of Bishops relaxed its restrictions on access by the clergy earlier this month, a dispensation that will see the Canon Pastor conduct a pre-recorded digital evensong, with readings, psalms and recorded music from the York Minster Choir, broadcast each Sunday on social media.

This weekend will also see the first appearance in church since the lockdown of Nick Baines, the Bishop of Leeds, who will lead a pre-recorded Sunday morning service for Pentecost, at Ripon Cathedral.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: “I invite everyone in the diocese and beyond to join me in celebrating and praying for our neighbours at home and abroad.

The Revd Michael Smith, York Minster's Canon Pastor, rehearses a digital Evensong service inside the cathedral, as the government moves towards the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown.The Revd Michael Smith, York Minster's Canon Pastor, rehearses a digital Evensong service inside the cathedral, as the government moves towards the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown.
The Revd Michael Smith, York Minster's Canon Pastor, rehearses a digital Evensong service inside the cathedral, as the government moves towards the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown.

“We look forward to being together physically again in due course; but, this is the beginning of a new phase in this pandemic and our response to it.”

The Deans of the two other cathedrals in the Diocese of Leeds – Bradford and Wakefield – will contribute readings to the Ripon service and there will be music from all three.

The Dean of Ripon, John Dobson, said: “The prayer and worship of the church has been sustained in the community throughout the period of locked churches. We have come to realise afresh just how significant these sacred spaces are.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The feast of Pentecost, or Whit Sunday, is celebrated 50 days after the Resurrection and considered the birthday of the church itself.

The restriction on congregations in churches is expected to remain in place for some time.

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson, Editor

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.