More than four hundred people are estimated to have come through the doors of Ripon Cathedral on Saturday October 25th, to take part in a Consultation Day which invited the views of the public on the Cathedral’s future.
Clergy and staff of the Cathedral were on hand with large post-it boards ready for people to contribute their ideas on a wide range of Cathedral work - from education and mission to the use of the building, helping develop Christian faith, and forms of worship.
Staff have now started sifting through a sea of post-it notes recording all the views expressed both on Saturday and in emails and letters. The Very Revd John Dobson, who became Dean of Ripon in June, said the response from people to being asked their views was very encouraging. “I am delighted with the enthusiastic engagement from such a large number of people on the first day of a consultation process that will be ongoing over the next few months.
“People from both the Church community and the wider community were represented on Saturday, with people coming from right across the diocese and region.”
Dean John added that the consultation process will continue with other events to ensure that a broad cross-section of opinion is heard. “We will be structuring some focus-group events to ensure that we have heard fully from all sectors: church, voluntary, public and private. This is part of an envisioning process that also needs to include much prayerful discernment. My hope is that together we will discern God's will for Ripon Cathedral, and his vision for how his mission is extended through it in the next chapter of its life."
Anyone with a contribution to make to the consultation process is invited to express it through the Cathedral website..
A prayer has been written by Dean John for the cathedral community to use during the process.
“We live in hope! And we also keep praying:
Creator God, you reveal your love for us in Jesus and sustain us by your Holy Spirit;
by your grace, open our eyes to your presence and our ears to your call,
that united with our patrons St. Peter and St. Wilfrid
and in the whole community of Ripon Cathedral
we may serve your will and see your kingdom grow in this city and diocese;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen”