On the 20 September, Bishop Mark will begin his public ministry as the Bishop of Chester, a moment that in times of normality is symbolised by the bishop taking up the "cathedra", a physical seat at Chester Cathedral. Dean of Chester Cathedral, Tim Stratford, explains the significance of the cathedra and why the 20 September will be different due to Covid-19.
Many of you will know that a Church is designated as “Cathedral” when it contains a “cathedra”. The cathedra is the physical seat that the bishop occupies representing his or her teaching and oversight of the churches and people in the diocese. The cathedra belonging to the Bishop of Chester sits in the Quire of Chester Cathedral. We are looking forward to the day when Bishop Mark can take up this seat now that he is legally recognised as the Bishop of Chester. That day may, however, be some months off yet. Covid-19 means that it would not be possible for us to hold a service of this significance with the number of representatives who should be present for the time being. Furthermore, we cannot arrange this service until Bishop Mark has paid homage to Her Majesty the Queen and she is not yet receiving formal engagements.
On 20 September we will therefore be doing something else to celebrate the beginning of our new bishop’s ministry. Bishop Mark will process formally through the cathedral into the Quire with prayers at the door, the font and the nave platform. He will pause at the cathedra and reflect on the consequences of covid and then sit with the College of Canons and Choir for Evensong. At the end of Evensong Bishop Mark will receive the Melanesian Crozier at the High Altar and go to the West doors to pray for the diocese, the city, the county and our nation.
The Melanesian Crozier currently stands alongside the cathedra in our Quire. It was given by our link diocese of Melanesia to the Bishop of Chester in honour of our fellowship. A crozier is one of the signs of the ministry of a bishop taking the form of a shepherds crook symbolising care and maintenance of the unity of the flock.
Attendance in the Cathedral for this service will be limited to thirty people under covid regulations and there will therefore be no online booking facility. The service will be broadcast live on YouTube and I hope that you will join us in prayer for Bishop Mark that way. You can find the live stream directly by clicking this link: https://tinyurl.com/crozierservice
I very much look forward to the weeks and months ahead as we work with our new bishop. No sooner will his ministry have begun when we will be hosting ordinations under the extraordinary conditions that currently prevail. Along with you I am also very much looking forward to the normalisation of social interaction when the threat of the virus subsides. In the meantime, please be assured that Chester Cathedral remains as open as possible providing a safe space for exploration, Christian enquiry, prayer, reflection and worship.
With my prayers and best wishes,
Tim Stratford, Dean of Chester
Watch the service live on YouTube
Attendance in the cathedral for this service will be limited to thirty people under Covid-19 regulations. The service will be broadcast live on YouTube and I hope that you will join us in prayer for Bishop Mark that way. The service will be live on YouTube. You can find the live stream directly by clicking this link: https://tinyurl.com/crozierservice
