Our Community
"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help."
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
The Cathedral is a centre for many groups, organisations and missions. We live out our commitment to Christ through various acts of fellowship and service.
Soul Food
Since February 2023, St Mary's has hosted Soul Food in the Walpole Hall: a meal where anyone over 60 can sit down for a hot meal, free of charge.
Young Families Group
St Mary’s Cathedral offers families with pre-school children a friendly monthly gathering, refreshments, a safe place to play, and a chance to talk together with other young parents and a member of the Cathedral clergy team.
Eco-Cathedral
St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral is an Eco-Cathedral. We stand in awe of God's glorious creation, and we are dedicated to being responsible stewards of this creation: to caring for our local environmental, to acting for environmental justice, and recognising and reacting to the climate emergency.
Bell-Ringing
Bells have been rung as part of Christian ritual for centuries: they have summoned the faithful to worship since the 4th century, and the bells of St. Mary’s have done so since the Cathedral was opened in 1879.
Community Groups
St Mary's a thriving body of Christians, coming together regularly to pray, to think, to act, and to talk.
Friends of the Cathedral
Most cathedrals have associated with them an organisation commonly known as “The Society of the Friends of the Cathedral” and some of these have been in existence for many years. Our own “Society of Friends” is comparatively recent in origin, having been founded in 1959. Its aims are threefold: To bring into a common fellowship of loyalty and devotion all who have a concern for this lovely Cathedral and its life, music and worship. To assist the Cathedral authorities in suitably maintaining its fabric and services. To provide regular intercession for its work and witness. Funds raised by the Friends are devoted to beautifying the building, improving the amenities or enriching the furnishings. But the Friends are concerned more widely than with the fabric of the Cathedral, and they also promote a proper understanding of the functions of the Cathedral, and an appreciation of its choral tradition. Last but not least, the Friends form a fellowship of prayer in support of the Cathedral’s ministry and witness.
