Sponsor a Sanctuary Lamp

In the late 4th century the Christian poet Prudentius described the experience of being in church:

Ceilings fretted with gold, gleam with brilliant light
Shed from pendulous lamps swaying on supple chains;
The flame fed by the oil languidly swims about,
Casting flickering rays through the translucent glass.

Centuries later, our churches gleam still with the light of lamps, a constant reminder that we are in the presence of God. In the book of Exodus, we hear how the people of God were asked to ‘keep a flame burning perpetually’ (Exodus 27: 19-20); a reminder to the faithful to turn to the Lord and there are a number of lamps which burn perpetually in the Cathedral, in particular before the Blessed Sacrament, in the Lady Chapel, in the Sacred Heart Shrine and at the relics of St John Southworth. A lamp also burns in the Chapel of the Holy Souls as a sign of the Church’s constant prayer for the departed, that they may attain their final reward in the heavenly kingdom. A lamp may also be requested for a private intention in the Chapel of St Joseph.

Would you like to light a sanctuary lamp in memory of a loved one or for a particular intention? The lamps can be sponsored with the proceeds going towards the costs of the Sacristy. The lamps burn for one week, always beginning on a Sunday. Please note that lamps do not burn during Holy Week.

The minimum recommended donation is £10 per week. A weekly list of sponsors is published at the back of the Cathedral.