Ripon Cathedral has attracted huge numbers over the Christmas period. with thousands of people attending its festive services.
The combined attendance at the Festival of Lessons and Carols held over two evenings on Saturday and Sunday, was in excess of 3,000 and the Dean of Ripon the Very Revd John Dobson, told the Stray Ferret:
“It is the busiest I have ever seen the Cathedral. It was pleasing to see so many local residents and people from the wider region celebrating Christmas with us.”
He added:
“To cater for the huge demand, we had to provide additional seating down both the outer aisles and behind the altar. “
The cathedral has been packed for services throughout the Christmas season.
Midnight Mass, which started at 11pm on Sunday night, saw 500 in attendance and a similar number attended the Festal Eucharist Service on Christmas Day morning, led by the Bishop of Leeds the Rt. Revd Nick Baines.
The Bishop, who also gave the sermon, spoke of Christmas and Christ’s birth bringing light into the darkness that the world faces through ongoing conflicts affecting millions of people.
From serious situations to the more light-hearted, he brought laughter from the congregation when he talked about daring to wear a Christmas jumper.
Cathedral choir praised
Among the many highlights of the choir’s performances over the Christmas weekend,, was their stunning rendition of the traditional sacred Scandinavian song Gaudete, dating back to 1582 and remembered by some attendees as a 1970s hit record for the folk group Steeleye Span,
The work of the choir and the cathedral’s director of music Dr Ronny Krippner, was praised by Dean John, before a long-line of young choristers queued in single file to receive their Christmas pay – a £2 coin apiece!
The Dean quipped:
“We have so many choristers that the queue almost reaches back all the way to the Royal Oak on Kirkgate!”
A tradition was maintained when the choristers gave an apple to each member of the congregation as a Christmas gift from the cathedral.
Among the recipients was the Bishop, seen in the main image with Dean John and canons Claire Renshaw and Matthew Pollard.
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Nidderdale vicar’s plea to parishioners: ‘Book early for Christmas’
A Nidderdale vicar has called on parishioners to book early for Christmas services to avoid disappointment.
Places of worship are allowed to re-open today although people can only interact with their households or support bubbles, and must conform to social distancing rules.
With Advent underway and Christmas approaching, many Christians will be keen not to miss out on festive services.
The Rev. Alastair Ferneley, Vicar of Dacre with Hartwith and Darley with Thornthwaite, said the church was keen to offer comfort and joy after such a difficult year but added:
“We do need to maintain social distancing, so it is essential for people to book in advance for most of our services.
“My message is, please book sooner rather than later for the public Christmas services – not just to avoid disappointment, but also to help our planning.
“If it turns out no one wants to come to a particular service we can save a lot of time and effort on decoration, Christingles, heating, etc.”
Booking in advance for Christmas services across four Nidderdale parishes will help with planning.
The Rev. Ferneley said churches needed to consider issues such as appropriate seating for families and bubbles. He added:
“Parishioners will need to wear a face covering in church and we are sadly not able to sing as a congregation while inside, though we can offer carols sung by a few socially distanced singers and/or on CD.”
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The government has issued new guidance, saying carol singing outside can be part of public worship.
The Rev Ferneley said:
“This is difficult to plan for given the unpredictability of the weather, but we may be able to begin and end services outside so we might have a bit of a sing as part of some of these services.
“We will fully understand if people are not comfortable with coming to services at the moment, which is why we are also offering numerous online alternatives whereby people can join in our Christmas celebrations – either via a live stream or a pre-recorded service.”
For further details you can email Alastair Ferneley at irreverend@btinternet.com.