Canon Wendy Wilby writes:

I think it would be fair to say that there are just some roles in life from which you never properly retire! Thank goodness that applies to licensed church ministry, whether ordained or lay. Office-holding clergy reach compulsory retirement at 70 (give or take a year). However, we have been blessed with many retired and some serving priests, as well as lay ministers in the Diocese of Leeds who have relished serving our many visitors for a few hours each month in a vital pastoral and listening role – something which, naturally, is at the very heart of ministry. This certainly enabled our Cathedral’s Daily Chaplaincy to come into existence in 2016 , and these people have kept it going 10 years later!

Regretfully, people do move on though, and we are having to say ‘au revoir’ to two extremely faithful ministers who have served for many years. On Tuesday June 23, the Revd. Christopher Cornwall, a priest with huge experience, and David Houghton, a lay minister, who has travelled up regularly from Leeds, both put their cassocks on for the last time as Daily Chaplains, clocking up a mighty 18 years between them. We are enormously grateful to them. Dean John came along to thank them and present them each with a token of our appreciation.

But we really do need more chaplains! If you hold the Bishop’s PtO or Licence and can offer a few hours each month to serve in our wonderful cathedral, please contact Canon Wendy Wilby, the Chaplaincy Coordinator, wi***********@***il.com for more information and a chat.