As a Cathedral at the heart of our community and diocese, we are seeking to tackle the important issues;
- to allow space for healthy debate
- to be good stewards of this earth
- to be a voice for the vulnerable and marginalised
- to be a place of action that makes real and important changes towards a better future.
ECO Cathedral
As a Cathedral community, we are committed to caring for God’s Creation; we are a Partner in Action with A Rocha UK.
The Anglican Communion’s fifth Mark of Mission is
“to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.”
We have adopted an ethical and sustainable framework to guide our policies and practices. In-line with the Eco Church framework, we divide our activity under the following areas: Worship & Teaching, Buildings, Land, Community & Global Engagement, and Lifestyle.
Healthy Healing Hub
“The ministry of healing and wholeness is at the centre of our life as a Cathedral. We are committed to the Cathedral itself being a place of healing, offering visitors opportunities to pray and to experience hope and peace during difficult times."
In partnership with The Guild of Health and St. Raphael, we have become a Healthy Healing Hub, offering support for health and wellbeing to the local community and empowering other organisations within the Diocese to do the same.
Central to our focus for 2022 and beyond, this partnership will put the needs of the community and diocese in prime position, seeking to ‘recover together’ following the traumatic circumstances of the last few years.
"Silence and beauty combine to nurture the soul."
As a Gold-Tier Healthy Healing Hub we seek to serve as a centre of excellence and training.
FairTrade Church
We are a FairTrade Church, committed to using fairly traded products and promoting fair trade. Find out more about Fair Trade: www.fairtrade.org.uk
Latest News
Cathedral Achieves Landmark Dementia Friendly Church Certificate
Lichfield Cathedral has been recognised as dementia-friendly and awarded a certificate signed by the Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt Rev Dr Michael Ipgrave in honour of the efforts that have gone into the achievement. The certificate recognises that the cathedral is taking action on recognising the need to do more for people with dementia and their families.
Lichfield Cathedral has joined 94 other churches across the diocese in a journey towards becoming dementia-friendly.
The Cathedral is aiming to become a community where people affected by dementia – both someone with a diagnosis and their carers - are welcomed, understood, respected and supported with the confidence they will be able to contribute to church and community life. Fitting for the year in which Lichfield Cathedral has pledged to put its focus on how it can serve the community and heal together in the wake of the pandemic.
In the last 12 months Lichfield Cathedral has:
- Set up a small focus group on dementia, and met 6 times so far.
- Run “Dementia Friends” sessions for 85 participants from across the cathedral community of staff, volunteers and congregation.
- Held a dementia-friendly training course.
- Hosted the dementia-themed play, “The Disappearance of Eliza Grey”.
- Held dementia-friendly service, welcoming people living with dementia.
Looking ahead the Cathedral is planning to take action in three areas:
- Raising awareness and increasing understanding, including listening to those living with dementia.
- Adapting and adopting dementia-friendly practices.
- Engaging with congregation and local community, including the appointment of a dementia-friendly coordinating team.
Sarah Thorpe, Dementia-Friendly Church Enabler in the Diocese of Lichfield, said: “It’s important to celebrate the positive steps forwards we are taking, to make our cathedral and many churches across the Diocese of Lichfield more dementia-friendly. Naming and facing dementia together can do so much to open up conversations and connections, learning from people with lived experience of dementia. It’s strong to see the steps that the cathedral has already taken to increase understanding about dementia, including running training and hosting a dementia-themed play. And I’m delighted that the cathedral is connecting with others taking action on dementia in and around Lichfield.”
Canon David Primrose has been involved in the dementia-friendly church movement across the diocese for over ten years. He commented: “In our journey to become dementia friendly, we’ve involved congregation members, staff and volunteers. We want to ensure that however people affected by dementia come into contact with the cathedral, they encounter a community in which they are valued and included.”
Find out more about dementia-friendly places of worship within the diocese here: https://www.lichfield.anglican.org/inclusion/dementia-friendly-church