Worship at Ripon Cathedral

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.