Portsmouth Cathedral: at the heart of Christmas this festive season

All are invited to all to discover or rediscover the good news the Christmas season celebrates, and Portsmouth Cathedral will be at the heart of Christmas this festive season. The Cathedral’s choirs will once again be uplifting spirits with joyful music throughout the Christmas period, with services continuing to be safe and comfortable for all to join.

See more Christmas services and events on our website →

Carol Services Fully Booked

Pre-booked spaces are now full for our popular carol services. If you haven’t been able to book, a livestreamed service on 22 December will let you join in the celebration and worship easily from home. Very limited spaces will be available on the door for the carol services.

If you have booked for one of our services but no longer plan on attending, please make sure to cancel your booking via Eventbrite, to allow those on our wait list to book. When attending services please ensure you have your booking ready to scan either on your phone or printed e-ticket. Please check your email on the day of the service for further information about attending, which will include door opening times and other measures we’re taking to keep your visit safe and comfortable.

Deck the halls! Support the Flower Guild as they prepare for Christmas

This year the Flower Guild will once again be decorating the Cathedral for Christmas with beautiful greenery and poinsettias. You can get involved with the preparations by volunteering to help the Guild to install their decorations. Meet at 9.30am on Tuesday 21 December at the north entrance (the entrance opposite Becket Hall), or pop into the Cathedral any time that morning after we open for visiting at 10am (after 10am please use the main south doors). You do not need any prior experience of flower arranging, but you do need to be over 18.

The Flower Guild also welcomes donations towards poinsettias, foliage and their other decorations. A donation of £5 could cover the cost of one poinsettia, and larger donations will cover the costs of more expensive items. Donations can be made via cash, please leave your donation in a Gift Aid envelope in the Cathedral donation boxes, clearly marking that it is for the Flower Guild (please do complete the Gift Aid declaration on the envelope if you are eligible). Thank you.

An invitation to go deeper at the Advent Retreat

It is so easy to go for long periods without connecting with God at a deeper level. Yes, we attend worship services, pray regularly and get glimpses of God’s presence in our daily lives, and that is all very important, but there’s something about setting an extended period of time aside to make ourselves available to God in an intentional way. It’s like the difference between having a catch-up conversation with a friend and spending a whole afternoon out on a walk with them. There is time and space for everything.

The Advent Retreat on 18 December is an opportunity to take that time. There will be a mix of material to prompt our reflection and prayer, and plenty of quiet and space to let God deal with us directly as individuals. Something happens when we slow down and place our attention on listening to what God is whispering to us. You never know what God is going to do and we can often be surprised!

Find out more here →

Explore Portsmouth Cathedral this Christmas

The Portsmouth Cathedral online app is full to the brim with insightful history and interactive experiences. As well as our cathedral highlights tour you’ll find family friendly tours such as the bite-to-eat tour and our brand-new virtual reality experience showing you what the cathedral might have looked like with a different design. As well as this, check back throughout the Christmas holidays for more family friendly tours you can do for free when visiting the cathedral. You’ll also find our 12 Days of Christmas series published here first from the 25 December.

Find the online app free portcath.app

A Very Old Portsmouth Christmas

Uncover unique gifts and festive cheer this Christmas in Old Portsmouth, home to small businesses and fantastic places to eat and drink. As we countdown to Christmas, check back to our Old Portsmouth page for special offers and incentives from businesses around Old Portsmouth, helping you shop local and support your local area this Christmas.

Follow Portsmouth Cathedral on social media, or visit the Old Portsmouth page →

Portsmouth Cathedral Shop Opening Hours

Don’t forget! If you’re shopping online for collection, the last day for orders is Monday 19 December. Please also note the shop will be closed for the Christmas break from 3pm, Friday 24 December , until 10am, Wednesday 5 January . Thank you so much for your continued support this year!

Shop Christmas online now →

Festive fun at this year’s Cathedral Christmas Fair and Christmas Gift Market 

For the first time this year, Portsmouth Cathedral ran two complementary Christmas events, a new Christmas Gift Market in partnership with Love Southsea Markets and the welcome return of our much-loved Cathedral Christmas Fair.

Dean Anthony writes, “It is amazing that over the course of two to three days, over 3,500 people visited the Cathedral for our Christmas Gift Market and Christmas Fair, especially when we consider that in pre-Covid times we welcomed 20,000 visitors annually. The Market and Fair have together raised over £9,000 to support the mission and ministry of Portsmouth Cathedral with over £6,000 of that total associated with our Christmas Fair. This is an amazing success, both in terms of raising vital funds to support our work, and also in bringing new people into the Cathedral.”

A wrap-up meeting will be held in the new year, reviewing what went well and what we could improve for next year.

Find out more about both events →

Cathedral Office Opening Hours

The Cathedral Offices will be closed from lunchtime 24 December until Tuesday 4 January. The office will operate with a much reduced number of staff the first week of January. Due to Covid precautions staff will continue to work from home when possible.

Please email info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk or telephone 023 9282 3300 as these will be monitored over the holiday period.

Worship and Visiting

Portsmouth Cathedral is open daily for prayer, services and visiting. Booking is no longer required for services, unless otherwise indicated. You can find out more on our website , where you can also download orders of service.
 
We continue to take every precaution to reduce the spread of coronavirus. It is now mandatory to wear a face covering inside the Cathedral, including when singing as part of the congregation, unless you are medically exempt. Please also continue to check in with the NHS Covid-19 app and remaining at a safe distance from other groups. Further information can be found on our Covid-19 information page.
 

Joining us for Christmas Services

If you’ve booked to join us for services this Christmas at Portsmouth Cathedral, please check your email for useful information which will enable all to have a safe and enjoyable visit.
 
If you have booked a space for one of our more popular service, but no longer plan on attending, please make sure to cancel your ticket via your Eventbrite account.

Prayers and Intercessions

All those affected by COVID-19

We remember the following for whom prayer has been asked by members of the Cathedral Community: Derek, Clare, Beverley, Richard, Aaron, Jane, Alan, Libby, Lesley, Hilary, David, Stan, Andrew, Jean, Amanda, John, Wendy, and all those in need.

Long-term sick including: Alison, Graeme, Christopher, Clifford, Jane, Johnny, Melissa, Jenny, Suzy, Sarah, Bob, Michael, Rita and Izzy.

We pray for those who have died recently: Vera Loomes, Aida Mackenzie, and Jean McCulloch (Cathedral funeral 11.00am Thursday 30 December) RIP.

Upcoming Services & Events

Getting in touch

Please feel free to get in touch if we can help in any way, or if you just want to hear another voice!

Get in touch with us by email to pastoral@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk or leave a message via phone on 023 9282 3300.