Baptism Festival planned for Blackburn Cathedral in autumn

Blackburn Cathedral has held an annual festival for the past two years to foster growth in faith amongst parishes, writes Rt Rev. Philip North, Bishop of Burnley and Cathedral Episcopal Canon.

Two years ago, there was a Festival of the Eucharist and last year a Festival of Prayer.

The response to these first two events has been strong and they have also proved to be a good way for the Cathedral to serve the local church.

This year the third festival will be on Saturday October 19 and it will contribute to our ongoing ‘focus on discipleship’ as a Diocese by being a Festival of Baptism.

Aimed at lay people and clergy it will explore...

what baptism is and especially how Baptism enables us to participate in the saving work of Christ
what it means to live out the promises of baptism in daily life in the workplace, the family etc
how parishes can best use baptism as a way to make contact with families and draw people into the life of the church

The day will start with the Eucharist at 10.30am and the Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt Rev. Stephen Cottrell, will give the keynote address.

There will also be a range of 10 workshops to explore the theme further and the festival will end with a liturgy of renewal of baptismal promises.

Please note, there will not be Messy Church this year. This is because the crypt is not available because of another event.

More information will be forthcoming in the months to come, but for now mark the date in your diary and keep an eye on Diocesan and Cathedral communications channels for the latest news.