ATTENDANCE at services at Christmas exceeded pre-pandemic levels in more than a dozen English cathedrals, according to an investigation in The Times this week.
Of the 26 cathedrals that provided data on attendance levels in 2019 — the year before the pandemic began — 13 experienced an increase in the number of people attending Christmas services.
Southwark Cathedral was one of those at which attendance this year was higher than in 2019. On Wednesday, the Sub-Dean, Canon Michael Rawson, told the Church Times that “various things conspire together” to draw people in: “Live music in a stunning building, the quality of welcome where people feel that they will be noticed and looked after, and the way that the services are put together.”
He also referred to the volume of Christmas services as another factor: multiple carol services for specific causes or charities helped the cathedral to reach out into the community, he said.
Of the 30 cathedrals that provided data to The Times, 24 reported that the size of congregations had risen between 2022 and 2023.
The Acting Dean of Lichfield, the Rt Revd Jan McFarlane, told The Times: “Our experience this Christmas leads us to conclude that we shouldn’t be nailing down the lid on the Church of England’s coffin any time soon.”
In the C of E, attendance has risen since 2020, but has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels (News, 17 November 2023).
The Dean of St Albans, the Very Revd Jo Kelly-Moore, who chairs the Association of English Cathedrals, said in a statement that the rise in attendance was indicative of “the central place that cathedrals hold in the cities and dioceses they serve, and is undoubtedly a result also of the increasingly varied ways in which our cathedrals are committed to offering people of all faiths and none the chance to engage with their stories”.
She said: “January, the season of Epiphany, offers a continued chance to welcome people, and cathedrals have started the New Year with lots of opportunities on offer. Here at St Albans Cathedral, for example, we have higher January service attendances, so far, than last year, and much higher visitor footfall.
“Many parish churches are reporting the same increases over Christmas as they, too, have engaged with their communities creatively. All this offers great encouragement as we welcome new people and grow back from the impact of the global pandemic.”
Read more on this story in this week’s Press column here