All are welcome to Ripon Cathedral for worship. Christian worship has taken place on this site since St Wilfrid founded the cathedral in 672 AD. The cathedral crypt is the oldest part of any British cathedral and regular prayer has taken place there for almost 1350 years.
Built on the firm foundation of that heritage, the cathedral today continues to proclaim the Christian faith, with daily prayer and active service in Jesus’ name.
Today's Services & Events
Ripon Cathedral does not receive any regular government support. We rely on the generosity of donations from our visitors to sustain this great cathedral so that we can continue to provide care and support to everyone in this community.
With the suspension of public worship and social distancing measures due to Covid-19, our finances have been impacted like never before. Donations from visitors, worshippers and lost income from cancelled events has made it more difficult to secure the work of this historic place for future generations.
If you are able to support us at this difficult time, you can do so by following the link below.
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Distinctive Cafe Style Worship
Our Distinctive Café-style church meets on the third Sunday of every month at 5.30pm – often teaming up with other organisations such as the Salvation Army. This Lent, as we considered the line ‘Give us this day our daily bread,’ in The Lord’s Prayer – we prayed for those living in hunger and poverty in our society and thought about what we could do to help.
Space for Grace
A quiet, reflective, candlelit Eucharist in the Chapel of the Resurrection lasting about half an hour each Tuesday evening at 7.30pm. Space for Grace aims to give us that space in the day to pause and reflect in our busy lives so we can let God’s grace flow in us.
The entrance to the Chapel of the Resurrection is outside the main building. Go along the churchyard footpath along the south side of the cathedral and you’ll find the steps going down into the chapel near the east end of the cathedral.
Every Tuesday at 7.30pm
Access via the outside door on the footpath along the south side of the cathedral
Telephone the Vergers on: 01765 602072 for more details
Children's Church and Worship
Children’s Church Online
Join us for a weekly activity, brought to your homes via Youtube. You can find the videos by clicking the links below.
We welcome children in the cathedral community and they are a vital part of our life. Made in the image of God, they are loved by him unconditionally. Jesus said ‘let the children come to me and do not stop them’. He understood what many parents notice: that children have a sense of wonder about the world and a natural closeness to God. At the cathedral we want to offer children and parents opportunities to allow that wonder to flourish and to grow. This is a little about what we offer for children.
We know sitting through a long service planned for adults doesn’t work for children so each week in term-time we have:
Children’s Church
At the 10.30 sung Eucharist for children of primary school age, the children explore faith through bible stories, craft and play. (younger children may attend, accompanied by an adult).
The Pop-up Creche
A a soft play area with toys where children can amuse themselves with their carers as the adults listen to the service.
At different points of the church’s year we have special services at 10.30 for children and their adults. Two such services in the spring this year are:
Mothering Sunday 31 st March where the children help with the service and distribute daffodils to their mothers and other adults Journey to Jerusalem Good Friday 10.30 a service for adults and children exploring the last week of Jesus’ life, his death and the hope his resurrection brings. Followed by hot cross buns.
To prepare the children to take part in that service, we have a children’s workshop
Messy Cathedral
A couple of times a term at 4.30 on Sundays as advertised we have a special service for young children (up to about the age of 8), babies and their parents where we have a story songs, and some good craft activities around a theme. There’s tea too at the end, finishing about 5.30.
Watch out for the information.
A final note: we take the safety and well-being of the children very seriously. No one works with children or teenagers without having a DBS (a ‘Disclosure and Barring Service’) check and all receive training.