On this sad day for our nation and for Her Majesty the Queen, we at Portsmouth Cathedral join the rest of the people of this diocese in expressing our condolences as she mourns the death of her husband His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. We assure her and all the members of the Royal family of our continuing prayers at this time.

For nearly seven decades the Duke of Edinburgh has served alongside Her Majesty the Queen, giving her unwavering support and offering outstanding service to the life of our nation and to the whole Commonwealth. We were glad to welcome His Royal Highness to the Cathedral in 1998 for the Royal Maundy service, and again in 2008 for a special service concerning the Victoria Cross. We also appreciated his understanding of and support for the Royal Navy and all things seafaring – including his regular visits to the Isle of Wight for Cowes Week.

As we honour the memory of His Royal Highness and give thanks for his life of service, Portsmouth Cathedral is open for all to come to pay their respects, light candles and attend worship.

The Very Reverend Dr. Anthony Cane,
Dean of Portsmouth

Opening times

The Cathedral will be open until 6pm on Friday, 9 April.

Our opening times for subsequent days may be adjusted to allow people to come and pay their respects or light a candle for HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. Please check our website and social media for the latest updates opening times.

Book of Condolence

Leave a message in the Church of England online book of condolence for His Royal Highness Prince Philip. You can find it on the Church of England website.

Community News

Portsmouth Cathedral welcomes lifeline funding from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage

Portsmouth Cathedral is delighted to announce that we have been awarded a grant from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage.

We are one of thousands of cultural organisations across the country being awarded support totalling nearly £400million today. This grant will provide a continued lifeline to Portsmouth Cathedral, safeguarding jobs and supporting us financially over the next three months as we start to reopen for public visiting.

If you want to learn more about how this vital funding will be supporting the Cathedral, read more on our website.

Cathedral Churchwarden Receives Maundy Money

We’re so pleased to share that Her Majesty the Queen has honoured a member of the Portsmouth Cathedral community for their Christian service to the nation.

Sue Ward, who many of you will know as one of our churchwardens, is one of 190 people receiving Maundy money, as part of the Maundy Thursday tradition dating back to the 17th century.

Sue has been churchwarden at the cathedral for 10 of the past 13 years, in two separate stints. She trained as a teacher and has worked in the UK and as a Voluntary Service Overseas volunteer in Pakistan, as well as accompanying her husband Terry and continuing to contribute on further VSO tours.

Find out more

Refresh your space this Spring – Explore our Home & Garden Range

If you've not already explored the new Portsmouth cathedral shop then take the opportunity to explore our assortment of handpicked, ethically sourced home and garden range. Find local producers such as The Southsea Bathing Hut Co, or our very own Cathedral Collection range inspired by our heritage and building.

We've also sourced some of the UK's best producers from further afield, including Liga - a family business drawing inspiration from nature to design eco homewares for everyday living, using only sustainable materials.

Find all this and more in our new online shop

Enjoy home delivery from 12 April

We are delighted to announce that from 12 April, you will be able to have orders from the Cathedral Shop delivered to your door (UK addresses only). You’ll still be able to take full advantage of our convenient click and collect service.
In line with Government guidance, you’ll be able to shop with us in-store as the Cathedral Shop is due to physically re-open again on 17 May.

Shop online now

Vision and Strategy – Update and Feedback from our Consultation, Tuesday 13 April, 7:00pm

We welcome you to join Dean Anthony and Richard Abraham, Chief Operating Officer, for an online update on Tuesday 13 April at 7:00pm via Zoom.

This session will include an update on the Vision and Strategy as well as feedback from the consultation and how it has helped to shape the vision to take the Cathedral through to its centenary in 2027.

Please email info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk for the link to this event.

Bishop Christopher’s Leaving Gift

On April 24 at 4pm there will be a service in Portsmouth Cathedral to celebrate and give thanks for Bishop Christopher’s leadership in the diocese since 2010. This is a special and important service in the life of the diocese, but it takes place when we will continue to live under some restrictions due to Covid 19.

It will be livestreamed to enable as many people as possible from across our diocese to be part of the service. It’s sad that the number of those able to be physically present in the cathedral will be limited, and as such it will by invitation only. It is the wish of Bishop Christopher that the invites will be issued to as diverse a group as possible, so the different aspects of diocesan life will be represented by those present.

If you would like to contribute towards a farewell gift to Bishop Christopher and Sally, please click here to find out more and get in touch with the diocese directly. Please could all gifts be received by April 9, 2021.

Get your dancing shoes on – we’ve got a challenge!

Kitty Price is organising a Portsmouth Cathedral version of the Jerusalema line dance challenge. Not sure what this is? You can find some fantastic examples here.

If you would like to take part in a socially distanced congregational contribution, please email her at mrskittyprice@aol.com

Bible Discussion Group

Our Bible Discussion Group resumes, after an Easter break, on Thursday 22 April at 7 pm. This term, we will be looking at biblical characters, and we will be starting with Ruth – so if you’d like to prepare, do read the Book of Ruth.

Cathedral Safeguarding Meeting

The Cathedral’s Safeguarding Group met on 16 March to discuss regular updates in addition to preparations for the SCIE Audit in June. The Cathedral’s Safeguarding Policy and contact details can be found on our website.

Worship and Visiting the Cathedral

Portsmouth Cathedral continues to be open daily for private prayer, daily Holy Communion and Sunday Services. Sadly, government guidelines do not allow for sightseeing and our shop is also closed for now, except for click-and-collect from the online shop.

We continue to take every precaution to reduce the spread of coronavirus, including the mandatory wearing of face masks, except for those with exemptions (please note face visors should only be worn with a face mask). Find out more on our Covid-19 information page.

We broadcast three services a day on our live page and Facebook. Find out more on our website and download orders of services.

Please note: Our opening times will be adjusted over the coming days to allow people to come and pay their respects or light a candle for HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

Please check our website and social media for the latest updates on this.

Compline

Please note there will be no online Compline from Monday 5 April to Sunday 18 April. Services will resume again on Monday 19 April. In the meantime, you can find online prayer resourceson our websitefor worship at home.

Prayers and Intercessions

We pray for all those affected by Covid-19.

We remember the following for whom prayer has been asked by members of the Cathedral Community: Bob, Derek, Trevor, Izzy, Clare, Sarah, Jenny, Michael, Laurence, Rita, Dave, Mercedes, Peter, Amanda, Joan, Reuben, Kathy, Alison, Emilia, Anthea, David, Linda, Mervyn, Beverley, Oliver, Richard and all those in need.

Long-term sick including: Graeme, Clifford, Christopher, Johnny, Jane, Andrew, Melissa, Christopher, Bishop Peter, Tara, Jenny, Arthur and Suzy.

We pray for those who have died recently: Dennis Ede, David Stuart, Monty Seal, Barry Paul, Joan Kinlough, Jane Hunter, Binnie Fisher, Mike Bailey and Susan Martin RIP

To add someone to the prayer list, please email info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk

Sunday Refreshments via Zoom – 11 April, 6:30pm

Due to Sunday evenings Service of Commemoration, we regret to inform that our weekly Zoom refreshments will not be taking place. We hope to see you again next week and welcome you to join us online for services this Sunday and during the week.