1859: The Lady Chapel

A day after the main altar was consecrated, the Lady Chapel altar followed. Miss Elizabeth Dalton of Thurnham gave £1098 for this chapel to be built, and hence it is sometimes known as the Dalton Chapel. Here are some extracts from Canon Billington's section on this chapel: "The Dalton Chapel, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in honour of her Immaculate Conception, is entered from the north transept. It is 26 feet long and 12 feet wide. The two arches on the chancel side are enclosed by open iron screen-work, and the arch into the transept has another screen, with gates. The floor of the chapel is raised by two steps above the transept, and is of mosaic work. Two more steps lead to the altar, the table of which is of veined marble and is supported by Irish green marble shafts. The reredos is also of marble. Over the tabernacle in the centre it has a figure of our Lady carved in white marble and standing under a canopy; on one side there is a panel carved with the Annunciation, and on the other side one of the Nativity of our Lord. The altar was consecrated by the Bishop of Liverpool the day after the church, viz. October 5, 1859."; "The chapel was restored in 1904 at a cost of £380, in celebration of the jubilee of the proclamation of the Immaculate Conception in 1854."

1859: The Consecration of St Peter's

Around the walls of the Cathedral there are candles; these mark the places where, on this day in 1859, Bishop Alexander Goss anointed the walls of the new church with oil. The Cathedral Church of Lancaster, as it became in 1924, is today 150 years old. Given the great crowds that will come to celebrate the anniversary today, it seems strange that in 1859 only a small number were allowed to be present (Canon Billington will explain!). Sadly, there are no know photographs of the event and Canon Billington's account of the day is surprisingly brief: "The ceremony of consecration, lasting over four hours, took place on Tuesday, October 4, 1859, Bishop Goss officiating. As it requires the floor space of the building to be kept clear, the people are not admitted to it as a body. The new church of St Peter, Prince of the Apostles, wsa opened for public worship on the following Thursday, with pontifical high mass." The account then gives a fuller desciption of this event, which we will share in due course. One signifcant fact about this day is very striking: it is not permitted to consecrate a church that is yet to be fully paid for. Therefore every penny (indeed every farthing) towards the building of the church had been paid off before it was ever opened to the public. The people of Lancaster had paid for their new church. If you'd like to know more about the consecration ceremony, a blog from Westminster Cathedral has details and images of its consecration in 1910 (the rite of consecration would be largely unchanged between 1859 and that time); you can find the post here.

1872: Bishop Alexander Goss

Rt Rev. Alexander Goss, the second Bishop of Liverpool, died on this day in 1872. Born at Ormskirk, he was educated at Ushaw and the Venerable English College, Rome, where he was ordained priest in July 1841. In 1853 he became coadjutor Bishop of Liverpool (alongside George Brown) and he took over the Diocese on 25th January 1856. For St Peter's he was an important figure: it was he who consecrated the church on 4th October 1859; he also consecrated many of the side altars. He was present at the funeral of Dean Brown, the founder of this church, and appointed Provost Walker as Brown's successor.

1995: The Cathedral reordered

Just ahead of the date of the Cathedral's consecration, today Billington's Blog features a few words about the 1995 reordering of the Cathedral. The work has already been featured in some earlier posts; today we briefly look at its completion. The Cathedral was rededicated and the new altar reconsecrated on 4th October 1995 by Bishop John Brewer; the church was packed with representatives from around the Diocese of Lancaster, along with eight bishops and over 100 priests. The Apostolic Delegate was also present, representing the Pope. The restoration work, masterminded by Preston architect Frank Roberts, met with great critical acclaim. It included the creation of a new sanctuary at the transept crossing; in this sanctuary were a new altar, ambo and cathedra, and above the altar a corona lucis was installed. The 1909 triptych, which for many years had been removed to other parts of the church, was returned to the east end of the Cathedral.

The diocesan newspaper, the Catholic Voice, led its November 1995 edition with the reordering, under the title "A Cathedral to be proud of". Indeed it was an occasion for congratulation around the whole Diocese of Lancaster, throughout which a great fundraising campaign had taken place to secure the £250,000 needed for the work; a grant from English Heritage also made a significant contribution. The restoration work was undertaken at the request of Bishop Brewer and the Cathedral Chapter, and was overseeen by the Administrator at the time, Canon Patrick Mulvany.

1909: The New High Altar

100 years ago today the new high altar, installed to mark the Golden Jubilee of St Peter's, was consecrated. Canon Billington gives us some details: "On Friday morning, beginning half-past seven, the bishop proceeded to consecrate the altar, Mgr. Gillow and Fr. Langtree being masters of ceremonies. The Rev. T. Murphy of Skerton and Dr. Kenny acted as deacon and subdeacon, the Rev. R. O. Bilsborrow being book-bearer, and the Rev. E. Stephens thurifer. In the stalls were Canon Billington and Dean Crookall. The service for the consecration of an altar lasts about two hours, and though of great interest to those who take part in it, is scarcely intelligible to the distant spectators in the body of the church." He goes on to outline the rite, and his account is too long to reproduce here. In short, it involves the recitation of at least five psalms and other scriptural texts, the placing of the relics within the altar, the use of holy water and later holy oil to anoint the altar with five crosses and then the anointing of the entire surface of the altar. Incense is also used on several occasions during the rite. "When its consecration was finished", Canon Billington tells us, "the bishop said mass at the new altar. Later the Blessed Sacrament, which had during the alterations been reserved in the Lady Chapel, was placed in the tabernacle of the high altar." The church reopened to the public on Sunday 3rd October.

1909: The Golden Jubilee begins

These images show the Cathedral as it appeared in 1909, following the alterations made for the Golden Jubilee. It was on this day, 30th September, that the Golden Jubilee celebrations began. The great changes that were made, along with the celebration itself, were overseen by our own Canon Billington, who was rector at the time. His book devotes a whole chapter to the event; here are a couple of extracts: "To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the consecration of the church, considerable alterations were made, all tending to the greater beauty of the building and the convenience of the congregation... they may be summarised here as the provision of a new high altar with fine reredos and triptych; new flooring for the chancel, aisles, chantries, and passages of the nave and aisles; new benches all through the church, new doors, and a screen for the west door, the recolouring of the walls, the decoration of St. Charles's altar, and minor changes. During the alterations, which occupied many months, the services of the church had to be somewhat curtailed, and were conducted at much inconvenience to the clergy and the people, but the result has caused all that to be forgotten."

Here is the new high altar referred to. It was consecrated on 1st October, but the ceremonies for the jubilee began the previous evening: "The celebration began on Thursday evening, September 30, with the veneration of the relics of SS. Urban and Valerian, which were to be deposited in the new altar. The relics, enclosed in a suitable casket, were placed on the altar in the baptistery, and the night office of 'many martyrs' was recited there. Those present were the Bishop of Liverpool [Thomas Whiteside], Canon Billington and the other clergy of St. Peter's, Mgr. Gillow of Kirkham, Dean Crookall of Douglas, Isle of Man, and the Rev. R. J. Langtree of Grange."

1850: The Hierarchy Restored

On this day in 150 Pope Pius IX restored the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales. At the Reformation the English bishops had broken links with Rome, and after that time the life of English Catholics was overseen directly from the Vatican. Before the restoration of the hierarchy there were bishops in England, but no dioceses; the bishops were known as 'Vicars Apostolic' - meaning that they deputised for the Pope and exercised his authority here. 159 years ago today that changed; dioceses were founded, with a Metropolitan See at Westminster - its first Archbishop, Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman, is pictured here. Lancaster at that time became part of the Diocese of Liverpool, in which it remained until 1924.

Cathedral Life in 1963

This impressive scene shows part of the Second Vatican Council, which took place 1962-1965. The Council resulted in sweeping changes to Catholic life, particularly to the liturgical expression of our faith. Back in September 1963 prayers were being asked for the Council as its second session began, as the notice book entry for 29th September reveals. The following extracts also show other aspects of parish life - the approach of the annual dedication feast, and the collection for the Bishop Flynn memorial (the Social Centre) are perhaps worthy of special mention. Here are some of the notice booke entries for that day:

· Next Sunday we keep the feast of the anniversary of the church; sermons preached by Canon Kershaw. This is our big day of the year for upkeep of the Cathedral – the second collection next Sunday, but we appeal to your generosity for the support of the church
· Special Collection today for Bishop Flynn memorial
· Fr Lockwood wishes to thank you for prayers and donations on the occasion of his silver jubilee
· We remind you of the Nazareth House bring and buy sale next Saturday, at Nazareth House, 2:30pm. Your support is requested on this annual occasion
· The second session of the Vatican Council opens today. The Holy Father asks prayers for its success.
· We begin October devotions on Tuesday. There will the devotions every night before the Blessed Sacrament at 7:30pm.

1939: The Little Flower

At the time of writing in 2009 the Cathedral is preparing to welcome the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux, the saint who has become known as 'the Little Flower'. Seventy years earlier Fr Vernon Johnson was at the Cathedral delivering a course of sermons on St Thérèse, as the flyer shows and as the notice book for 24th September 1939 confirms. Even the best laid plans sometimes go wrong, however, and the notice book reveals that the time of the sermons had to be altered. The flyer here shows that the plan was to have Benediction and sermon on weekdays at 7:30pm; the notice book advertises the event at 6:45pm. The reason? The outbreak of war meant night-time blackouts, so all public gatherings had to take place before dark. The notice book also shows that other activities were affected: "Owing to the war and difficulties of blackout, we think it better in the interests of your own safety not to have any social activities at present. So the Christmas draw and reunion will be suspended this year." Despite the disruption, it seems that Fr Vernon was able to deliver all his sermons; he also preached on 8th October at Mass and Benediction, for the 80th celebration of the dedication of the church.

1888: Richard Leeming

The more observant visitors to the Cathedral may have spotted this - it is the crest of the Leeming family, and can be found on the organ loft, just above the central aisle. Both the organ and the gallery were donated by Richard Leeming of Greaves House, who died on this day in 1888, just a few months before the organ was opened.

The Saint Peter Windows

This window is the second in a series of four which run along the north aisle and depict the life of St Peter. It was given by Margaret Coulston, in memory of her sister Elizabeth, who died on this day in 1893. The other three windows are also given in memory of the dead, though no inscription is found in the church itself. The first window was given by Mr Robert Preston in memory of Dean Brown, the third formed part of the memorial to Provost Walker, and the final window was given by members of the Leeming family in memory of Richard Leeming and his wife.

The Centenary III

Although it didn't result in the large-scale alterations that marked the Golden Jubilee in 1909, the centenary did provide an opportunity for some repairs and physical changes to the building. A fund was established, and the £4500 raised was used for a number of changes: wooden panelling was added to the Lady Chapel (above) and new statues were put in the Cathedral.

Four new reliquaries (pictured) were bought for the high altar, along with a new thurible. Other furnishings and fittings inside the church were restored or replaced to mark the anniversary.