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Blackburn Cathedral marks 100 years with nine days of prayer and reflection
Blackburn Cathedral is inviting people to join nine days of prayer and reflection as part of its centenary celebrations, ahead of a special Thanksgiving service on Sunday 22 November 2026.
The Cathedral has published a 32-page Novena of Prayer, featuring daily readings, reflections and prayers to mark 100 years of worship, community life and service.
The nine days of prayer will run from Friday 13 to Saturday 21 November, with people invited to participate at the Cathedral, at home or wherever they choose.
A novena is a Christian tradition involving prayers repeated over nine consecutive days. The word comes from the Latin novem, meaning nine.
A century of prayer at Blackburn Cathedral
The special booklet draws inspiration from the words inscribed above the Cathedral’s famous West Doors:
“This is the House of God and the Gate of Heaven.”
The reflections also take inspiration from the Eucharistic Preface for Christ the King, which describes God’s Kingdom in seven different ways.
Each day features a reading from the Gospel according to John, a reflection written by one of the Cathedral clergy and a prayer.
The Revd Canon Andrew Horsfall, Interim Dean of Blackburn, said:
“For a hundred years, people have come through the doors of this Cathedral to pray. They have come in joy and in sorrow, to celebrate and to grieve, to give thanks and to seek help, and here they have found a place to meet with God.
“It is in that spirit of prayer that we offer this Novena of Prayer, as together we give thanks for the past century. In our prayer and worship we are given a glimpse of the Kingdom of God, and so it is right and fitting that our celebrations conclude with a Service of Praise on the feast of Christ the King.”
How to take part in the nine days of prayer
The Novena of Prayer has been designed so that people can participate wherever they are, whether attending the Cathedral or reflecting privately at home.
Printed copies of the 32-page booklet can be collected from Blackburn Cathedral.
Alternatively, the booklet is available to view or download online:
Canon Horsfall added:
“You are warmly invited to pray with us over these nine days, whether here in the Cathedral, at home, or wherever you find yourself.
“My hope is that this will draw us all deeper into our calling as Christian people: to root all we do in prayer, so that we may have the courage and conviction to make God’s Kingdom known to all who enter our doors.
“As we mark our centenary year, let us do so in prayer, giving thanks for all that has gone before, and looking forward in renewed hope that many people will find this place to be the House of God and the Gate of Heaven, and so be made members of the body of Christ, which is nothing less than the Kingdom of God.”
Centenary Thanksgiving service on 22 November
The nine days of prayer will lead into Blackburn Cathedral’s Centenary Thanksgiving service on Sunday 22 November 2026, coinciding with the Christian feast of Christ the King.
The service will provide an opportunity to give thanks for the Cathedral’s first century and look ahead to its future.
Further information about the Centenary Thanksgiving service is available on the Cathedral’s website:
https://blackburncathedral.com/event/cathedral-centenary-songs-of-praise-celebration-service/