St George's Cathedral, Southwark
Encyclopedia
St George's Cathedral, Southwark, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Archdiocese of Southwark
, south London.
The Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Roman Catholic Province of Southwark which covers the Archdiocese of Southwark (all of London south of the River Thames
including Kent
and north Surrey
) and the Diocese
s of Arundel and Brighton
, Portsmouth, and Plymouth
. It is the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Archbishop of Southwark
.
Opened in 1848, St George's became in 1850 the first Roman Catholic church raised to cathedral status since the English Reformation
. It was designed by Augustus Pugin
, famous for his work with Charles Barry
on the design of the rebuilt Houses of Parliament. Pugin was the first person to be married in the Cathedral on 10 August 1848 to his third wife Jane. The Cathedral was badly bombed during World War II and the rebuilt Cathedral was opened in 1958. Since then it has resumed its role as a focal point in the local community and has played host to many notable visitors, including the Dalai Lama
(1998) and Pope John Paul II
(1982), the latter being depicted in one of the Cathedral's many fine stained-glass windows.
Easter 2011 saw the partial restoration of the 1958 John Compton organ and the installation in the chancel of the George Pace
Choir Stalls, a gift from the Anglican St Alban's Cathedral. The Cathedral has strong links with both the Cathedral Church of Paderborn
, North-Rhine-Westphalia, which suffered bombing by the British in the Second World War, and Southwark Cathedral
, the local Anglican cathedral.
The Cathedral has a fine established choral tradition, with a Cathedral Choir of boys and men which sings at the 11.30am Solemn Mass every Sunday and on major Feast Days. The Choir's repertoire encompasses Gregorian Chant
, Tudor Polyphony, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Romantic Masses and motets, as well as the music of contemporary liturgical composers such as Judith Bingham
, Arvo Pärt
, Nicholas O'Neill and James MacMillan
. The Choir has also broadcast on Radio 4
and BBC
1 television in the UK and on BBC Prime
around the world. The Men of the Cathedral Choir are notable exponents of the performance of Gregorian Chant
, many of them having studied at Solesmes
in France. The Cathedral's Director of Music, Nick Gale, an Oxford graduate, is himself a pupil of Dom Daniel Saulnier of Solesmes
and the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music
in Rome. The Choir tours every two years and has sung in many notable churches including Santa Maria sopra Minerva
and Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, Rome
and Cologne Cathedral
in Germany.
The Cathedral is also proud to have a Girls Choir, run by the Cathedral Organist Norman Harper, which sings at the 10 am Mass on Sundays. In contrast to the male choir, the girls sing music of a more congregational nature, including in-house Mass settings by Nicholas O'Neill and Norman Harper, with English and Latin anthems and motets.
The Cathedral's choirs will sing Midnight Mass on 24 December 2011 live on BBC1 television. At this Mass the choir of men and boys will give the broadcast premières of Nicholas O'Neill's Missa Sancti Nicolai (Latin, SATB + Organ) and James MacMillan's In splendoribus (Latin, SATB + Trumpet), as well as singing the Gregorian Propers of the Mass. The girls will lead the congregational carols and sing an arrangement of the Medieval macaronic carol Of one that is so fair and bright by Timothy Craig Harrison. The Mass will be celebrated by His Grace Archbishop Peter Smith, Metropolitan Archbishop of Southwark
, and concelebrated by Canon John O'Toole, Cathedral Dean, and Fathers John Diver and Chukwuemeka Nnaji, the Cathedral's assistant clergy.
The Cathedral is situated opposite the Imperial War Museum
on Lambeth Road
in London (on the corner with St George's Road
). In Westminster Bridge Road
, close by to the north, is St George's Cathedral Roman Catholic Primary School and the headquarters of CAFOD
.
Each summer, the Cathedral is used by London South Bank University
for its graduation
ceremonies. It is also frequently used for the Convocations of the Academy of Saint Cecilia. The superb acoustics attract many orchestras and choirs to perform concerts in the Nave and the Whitehall Orchestra and Trinity College of Music are frequent visitors. But above all the Cathedral is a place of worship - on its historic site close to the Imperial War Museum, just a few minutes walk from London's South Bank and the Thames, Westminster Bridge
, the London Eye
, and landmarks such as St Thomas' Hospital
and Waterloo Station
, the Cathedral serves a lively and cosmopolitan community from all over London and has a strong parish identity in addition to its role as a Cathedral. For example, the vibrant Latin American community is served with a Spanish Mass every Sunday at 1pm, celebrated entirely in the Spanish language. On top of this, every Mass is attended by people of different ethnicities and ages, ranging from African to Asian to European. The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales
have, since Pope Benedict XVI
's Motu proprio Summorum Pontificum
(2007), made several visits to the Cathedral to celebrate both Low Mass and Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (the Usus antiquior or so-called 'Tridentine' Mass) and will continue to visit St George's over the coming years. The Cathedral is proud to be a religious home to all these groups.
Archdiocese of Southwark
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic archdiocese in England. The Archepiscopal see is St. George's Cathedral, Southwark and is headed by the Archbishop of Southwark...
, south London.
The Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Roman Catholic Province of Southwark which covers the Archdiocese of Southwark (all of London south of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
including Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and north Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
) and the Diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
s of Arundel and Brighton
Diocese of Arundel and Brighton
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese in southern England covering the counties of Sussex and Surrey. The diocese was established on 28 May 1965, having previously been a part of the larger Archdiocese of Southwark.-Bishops:There have been four...
, Portsmouth, and Plymouth
Diocese of Plymouth
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese in England. The episcopal see is Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Boniface, located in Plymouth, Devon. The diocese covers the counties of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset, stretching from Penzance and the Isles of Scilly in...
. It is the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Archbishop of Southwark
Archbishop of Southwark
The Archbishop of Southwark is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark in England. As such he is the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Southwark....
.
Opened in 1848, St George's became in 1850 the first Roman Catholic church raised to cathedral status since the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
. It was designed by Augustus Pugin
Augustus Pugin
Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin was an English architect, designer, and theorist of design, now best remembered for his work in the Gothic Revival style, particularly churches and the Palace of Westminster. Pugin was the father of E. W...
, famous for his work with Charles Barry
Charles Barry
Sir Charles Barry FRS was an English architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsible for numerous other buildings and gardens.- Background and training :Born on 23 May 1795 in Bridge Street, Westminster...
on the design of the rebuilt Houses of Parliament. Pugin was the first person to be married in the Cathedral on 10 August 1848 to his third wife Jane. The Cathedral was badly bombed during World War II and the rebuilt Cathedral was opened in 1958. Since then it has resumed its role as a focal point in the local community and has played host to many notable visitors, including the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
(1998) and Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
(1982), the latter being depicted in one of the Cathedral's many fine stained-glass windows.
Easter 2011 saw the partial restoration of the 1958 John Compton organ and the installation in the chancel of the George Pace
George Pace
George Pace , English architect, was born in Croydon, Surrey.He won many prizes as a student including the Pugin Studentship in 1937 and the RIBA Asphitel Prize for the best architectural student in England....
Choir Stalls, a gift from the Anglican St Alban's Cathedral. The Cathedral has strong links with both the Cathedral Church of Paderborn
Paderborn
Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader, which originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St. Liborius is buried.-History:...
, North-Rhine-Westphalia, which suffered bombing by the British in the Second World War, and Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge....
, the local Anglican cathedral.
The Cathedral has a fine established choral tradition, with a Cathedral Choir of boys and men which sings at the 11.30am Solemn Mass every Sunday and on major Feast Days. The Choir's repertoire encompasses Gregorian Chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
, Tudor Polyphony, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Romantic Masses and motets, as well as the music of contemporary liturgical composers such as Judith Bingham
Judith Bingham
Judith Bingham is a British composer and mezzo-soprano singer.Born in Nottingham in 1952 and educated at High Storrs Grammar School for Girls in Sheffield, she attended the Royal Academy of Music , where her teachers were Malcolm MacDonald, Eric Fenby, Alan Bush and John Hall , and Jean...
, Arvo Pärt
Arvo Pärt
Arvo Pärt is an Estonian classical composer and one of the most prominent living composers of sacred music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs his self-made compositional technique, tintinnabuli. His music also finds its inspiration and influence from...
, Nicholas O'Neill and James MacMillan
James MacMillan (musician)
James MacMillan CBE is a Scottish classical composer and conductor.-Early life:MacMillan was born at Kilwinning, in North Ayrshire, but lived in the East Ayrshire town of Cumnock until 1977....
. The Choir has also broadcast on Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
and BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
1 television in the UK and on BBC Prime
BBC Prime
BBC Prime was the BBC's general entertainment TV channel in Europe and the Middle East from 30 January 1995 until 11 November 2009, when it was replaced by BBC Entertainment.-Launch:...
around the world. The Men of the Cathedral Choir are notable exponents of the performance of Gregorian Chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
, many of them having studied at Solesmes
Solesmes
Solesmes is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays-de-la-Loire in northwestern France.It is located near Sablé.The commune is almost entirely agricultural, but is especially noted as the site of the Benedictine St. Peter's Abbey, originally founded in 1010 and re-established by...
in France. The Cathedral's Director of Music, Nick Gale, an Oxford graduate, is himself a pupil of Dom Daniel Saulnier of Solesmes
Solesmes
Solesmes is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays-de-la-Loire in northwestern France.It is located near Sablé.The commune is almost entirely agricultural, but is especially noted as the site of the Benedictine St. Peter's Abbey, originally founded in 1010 and re-established by...
and the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music
Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music
The Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music or Pontificio Instituto de Música Sagrada is an institution of higher education of the Roman Catholic Church specifically dedicated to the study of sacred music. It is based in Rome, Italy.-History:...
in Rome. The Choir tours every two years and has sung in many notable churches including Santa Maria sopra Minerva
Santa Maria sopra Minerva
The Basilica of Saint Mary Above Minerva is a titular minor basilica and one of the most important churches of the Roman Catholic Dominican order in Rome, Italy. The church, located in the Piazza della Minerva in the Campus Martius region, is considered the only Gothic church in Rome. It houses...
and Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, Rome
Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, Rome
The Chiesa della Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini is a church in the historic city centre of Rome. In the Regola rione, it neighbours other important historic buildings such as the Palazzo Farnese, Ponte Sisto and the Via Giulia.In 2008 Pope Benedict XVI entrusted the parish to the Priestly...
and Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...
in Germany.
The Cathedral is also proud to have a Girls Choir, run by the Cathedral Organist Norman Harper, which sings at the 10 am Mass on Sundays. In contrast to the male choir, the girls sing music of a more congregational nature, including in-house Mass settings by Nicholas O'Neill and Norman Harper, with English and Latin anthems and motets.
The Cathedral's choirs will sing Midnight Mass on 24 December 2011 live on BBC1 television. At this Mass the choir of men and boys will give the broadcast premières of Nicholas O'Neill's Missa Sancti Nicolai (Latin, SATB + Organ) and James MacMillan's In splendoribus (Latin, SATB + Trumpet), as well as singing the Gregorian Propers of the Mass. The girls will lead the congregational carols and sing an arrangement of the Medieval macaronic carol Of one that is so fair and bright by Timothy Craig Harrison. The Mass will be celebrated by His Grace Archbishop Peter Smith, Metropolitan Archbishop of Southwark
Archbishop of Southwark
The Archbishop of Southwark is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark in England. As such he is the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Southwark....
, and concelebrated by Canon John O'Toole, Cathedral Dean, and Fathers John Diver and Chukwuemeka Nnaji, the Cathedral's assistant clergy.
The Cathedral is situated opposite the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
on Lambeth Road
Lambeth Road
Lambeth Road is a road in Lambeth and Southwark , London running between Lambeth Bridge over the River Thames at the western end and St George's Circus at the eastern end. The road is designated the A3203....
in London (on the corner with St George's Road
St George's Road
St George's Road is a road in Southwark, London running between Westminster Bridge Road to the northwest and Elephant and Castle to the southeast. Its name derives from its crossing of St George's Fields, being an open rural area of the parish of St George the Martyr, Southwark...
). In Westminster Bridge Road
Westminster Bridge Road
Westminster Bridge Road is a short, but busy, road in London, England. It runs on an east-west axis and passes through the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark....
, close by to the north, is St George's Cathedral Roman Catholic Primary School and the headquarters of CAFOD
CAFOD
The Catholic Agency For Overseas Development, previously known as the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development, is a United Kingdom-based international aid agency working to alleviate poverty and suffering in developing. It is funded by the Catholic community in England and Wales, the UK government...
.
Each summer, the Cathedral is used by London South Bank University
London South Bank University
London South Bank University is a university in south London. With over 25,000 students and 1,700 staff, it is based in the London Borough of Southwark, near the South Bank of the River Thames, from which it takes its name...
for its graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
ceremonies. It is also frequently used for the Convocations of the Academy of Saint Cecilia. The superb acoustics attract many orchestras and choirs to perform concerts in the Nave and the Whitehall Orchestra and Trinity College of Music are frequent visitors. But above all the Cathedral is a place of worship - on its historic site close to the Imperial War Museum, just a few minutes walk from London's South Bank and the Thames, Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames between Westminster on the north side and Lambeth on the south side, in London, England....
, the London Eye
London Eye
The London Eye is a tall giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames, in London, England.It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually...
, and landmarks such as St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS hospital in London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It has provided health care freely or under charitable auspices since the 12th century and was originally located in Southwark.St Thomas' Hospital is accessible...
and Waterloo Station
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
, the Cathedral serves a lively and cosmopolitan community from all over London and has a strong parish identity in addition to its role as a Cathedral. For example, the vibrant Latin American community is served with a Spanish Mass every Sunday at 1pm, celebrated entirely in the Spanish language. On top of this, every Mass is attended by people of different ethnicities and ages, ranging from African to Asian to European. The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales
Latin Mass Society of England and Wales
The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales is a Roman Catholic society based in England and Wales that is dedicated to making the Traditional Latin Mass more widely available...
have, since Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
's Motu proprio Summorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum is an Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XVI, issued "motu proprio" . The document specified the rules, for the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, for celebrating Mass according to the "Missal promulgated by John XXIII in 1962" , and for administering most of the sacraments in...
(2007), made several visits to the Cathedral to celebrate both Low Mass and Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (the Usus antiquior or so-called 'Tridentine' Mass) and will continue to visit St George's over the coming years. The Cathedral is proud to be a religious home to all these groups.
See also
- Saint George: Devotions, traditions and prayersSaint George: Devotions, traditions and prayersSaint George is one of Christianity's most popular saints, and is highly honored by both the Western and Eastern Churches. A wide range of devotions, traditions, and prayers to honor the saint have emerged throughout the centuries. He has for long been distinguished by the title of "The Great...
- List of churches and cathedrals of London