In every church that has been consecrated or dedicated there is kept an annual feast on the anniversary of that dedication in thanksgiving to God. The feast of the dedication of the cathedral is kept in every church in the diocese. For us here in Lancaster Diocese the feast of the Cathedral’s dedication is kept on 5th October except in the Cathedral itself where it is kept on the nearest Sunday.
The consecration of a church and an altar sets them aside forever for the worship of God alone. It makes them a sacred place, a privileged place to encounter God and to be filled with His grace. When our cathedral was consecrated on 4th October 1859 a series of rich prayers and ceremonies drawn from the Old Testament and the Book of the Apocalypse made visible and tangible this setting aside of the Cathedral as a holy place.
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| The altar at Lancaster Cathedral |
The walls themselves would have been anointed with the oil of Chrism in 12 places. In the last book of the bible we find the New Jerusalem (both a symbol of the Catholic Church and of heaven) built on the 12 foundation stones which are the apostles of the Lamb. These 12 anointings remind us that our Cathedral is an image of this New Jerusalem, a symbol of the Catholic Church in physical form and a reminder of heaven. Today 12 candles burn on the walls of the Cathedral at these places that were anointed.
SS John Fisher and Thomas More
Relics of saints (especially martyrs) are buried in a consecrated altar. In the main altar of the Cathedral are enclosed relics of SS John Fisher and Thomas More who gave their lives in the persecution of Catholics by Henry VIII. Again, in the book of the Apocalypse, we see those who ‘have washed their robes clean in the Blood of the Lamb’, in other words the martyrs, under the altar. The gift of their lives is an echo of Christ’s sacrifice offered on the Cross and made present on the altar during Mass.
The anniversary of the consecration of a cathedral has a special significance because it is a focus of unity for the diocese. It is the seat of the bishops teaching authority (the Greek word for a teachers chair is cathedra, the name we give the bishop’s throne). It is the centre of the solemn worship of God for the diocese where the Bishop leads His people in prayer and praise.
In thanksgiving to God for the gifts and graces He has given to His people in this place there will be Vespers (evening prayer) and Benediction at 4pm this afternoon.
O God, who year by year renew for us the day when this your holy temple was consecrated, hear the prayers of your people and grant that in this place for you there may always be pure worship and for us, fulness of redemption. Through Christ our Lord. Amen