Now that there is a gradual relaxation of some restrictions due to Covid-19, church buildings are permitted to open for private prayer.
From 1 June 2020 the doors of Down Cathedral will be open to allow people the opportunity to come in for the first time since St Patrick’s Day.
The Dean of Down, the Very Revd Henry Hull, said:
We are very thankful that the doors of the cathedral can open for private prayer.
In a normal year, as many as 70,000 people visit Down Cathedral – a mixture of tourists, pilgrims and worshippers visit this special place and it has been truly painful for us as a community to see the doors of the cathedral closed every day.
We haven taken every will be precaution to make sure that it will be as safe as possible to come to the cathedral and pray. It will also be necessary to apply rigorous social distancing and robust cleaning protocols.
We pray regularly that visitors to Down Cathedral will know God’s blessing and we are redoubling those prayers, and we hope that people will continue to be enriched as they pray in this place.
Down Cathedral will be open for private prayer on weekdays from 2-4pm.
Services are still taking place with clergy-only. All services will be live-streamed.
