The leaves are well and truly gone from the trees outside the Cathedral, and the last month of this 150th anniversary year is upon us. December signals a busier liturgical schedule, as Advent progresses and the feast of the Lord's birth is celebrated towards the end of the month. Among the highlights of the present season are the 'O' antiphons, sung each day at Vespers (17th-23rd December). This year the crib will be blessed at first Vespers of Christmas, which takes place on 24th December at 4pm and includes the Office of Readings. There will also be a chance to prepare for Christmas at a reconciliation service (with individual confession) on Tuesday 22nd at 7pm. The other major feast of December is the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, which is celebrated on 8th. Alongside the liturgical celebrations there are various school events, involving both our own primary school and Our Lady's Catholic College, and a couple of concerts (4th: University of Lancaster Music Society and 11th: Lancashire Sinfonietta's popular 'Candlelight Baroque'). Full details can be found in the Cathedral diary,
here, and we'll follow all these events on the blog as the month goes by.
It's the final month for Billington's Blog, which has been tracing the Cathedral's history since January. During the month there'll be more on some of the people who have had an impact at the Cathedral, including Canon Blundell, Bishop Pearson, Bishop Foley, and Canon Billington himself, who was appointed to the parish in December 1893. There'll also be some coverage of the ways in which Christmas has been celebrated over the years, and various other bits and pieces that haven't been covered already this year. You can call these extras 'stocking fillers' if you like! You can find Billington's Blog
here.
The leaves are well and truly gone from the trees outside the Cathedral, and the last month of this 150th anniversary year is upon us. December signals a busier liturgical schedule, as Advent progresses and the feast of the Lord's birth is celebrated towards the end of the month. Among the highlights of the present season are the 'O' antiphons, sung each day at Vespers (17th-23rd December). This year the crib will be blessed at first Vespers of Christmas, which takes place on 24th December at 4pm and includes the Office of Readings. There will also be a chance to prepare for Christmas at a reconciliation service (with individual confession) on Tuesday 22nd at 7pm. The other major feast of December is the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, which is celebrated on 8th. Alongside the liturgical celebrations there are various school events, involving both our own primary school and Our Lady's Catholic College, and a couple of concerts (4th: University of Lancaster Music Society and 11th: Lancashire Sinfonietta's popular 'Candlelight Baroque'). Full details can be found in the Cathedral diary, here, and we'll follow all these events on the blog as the month goes by.
It's the final month for Billington's Blog, which has been tracing the Cathedral's history since January. During the month there'll be more on some of the people who have had an impact at the Cathedral, including Canon Blundell, Bishop Pearson, Bishop Foley, and Canon Billington himself, who was appointed to the parish in December 1893. There'll also be some coverage of the ways in which Christmas has been celebrated over the years, and various other bits and pieces that haven't been covered already this year. You can call these extras 'stocking fillers' if you like! You can find Billington's Blog here.
