Join Chichester Cathedral as we journey through the poignant moments of Holy Week, retracing the steps of Jesus' final days — from the triumphant entry on Palm Sunday to the solemnity of the Last Supper, the anguish of Good Friday's crucifixion, and the jubilant resurrection on Easter Day.
Whether you are joining us in person, or online, there are opportunities for our community and beyond to worship, reflect and observe Holy Week and Easter. Read below to discover how you can be involved.
Join our Services
Everyone is welcome to attend services at Chichester Cathedral. Our regular services, including Holy Communion (8.00am), Mattins (8.30am) and Evening Prayer are also available to attend throughout the week. Select services will be livestreamed here>>
Palm Sunday
WHEN: Sunday 24th March
- 8.00am - Holy Communion according to the Book of Common Prayer (said)
- 9.15am - Service for Children, Families and Caregivers
- 10.15am - Choral Mattins
- 11.15am – Sung Eucharist with Procession of Palms (also livestreamed)
Our service begins outside on the south-east corner of the Cathedral Green. Palms are blessed, and we process along West Street into the Cathedral, recalling Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and the beginning of his journey to death and resurrection. When the congregation reaches the Cathedral the service continues with a dramatic reading of the Passion
3.00pm - A Service of Readings and Anthems for Holy Week (also livestreamed)
Sung by the Cathedral Choir.
Holy Monday & Tuesday - Choral Compline
WHEN: Monday 25th & Tuesday 26th March (8.00pm)
WHERE: Quire & Presbytery
Compline is a service of quietness and reflection before rest at the end of the day. It derives its name from the Latin word for "completion", referring to the completion of the waking day.
Holy Wednesday - Tenebrae: The Liturgy of Shadows
WHEN: Wednesday 27th March (8.00pm)
WHERE: Nave
A service of readings, reflection and organ music. Candles are lit, and extinguished, as we recount Jesus’ last days.
Maundy Thursday
WHEN: Thursday 28th March
- 8.00am - Holy Communion
- 8.30am - Mattins said
- 10.30am - Holy Communion according to the Book of Common Prayer
- 5.30pm - Evening Prayer said
- 7.00pm - The Liturgy of Maundy Thursday (also livestreamed)
In this special Eucharist service, we recall Jesus’ supreme example of humble service in washing the feet of his disciples. Sung by the Cathedral Choir.
Preacher: The Reverend Canon Simon Holland, Interim Dean. The service concludes with a silent vigil in the Lady Chapel until 10.00pm.
Good Friday
WHEN: Friday 29th March
- 8:30am - Mattins said
- 9:30am - The Easter Story Retold: A Service for Children, Families and Caregivers
In this special service for children, families and caregivers, we follow in the footsteps of Jesus from Palm Sunday to Good Friday, pausing at different places in the Cathedral to remember the path to Calvary that Jesus followed.
The service will end with Hot Cross Buns. - 12:00pm - Three Hours' Devotion (also livestreamed)
Led by The Reverend Canon Simon Holland, Interim Dean - 1:30pm - The Liturgy of the Passion (also livestreamed)
The Cathedral Choir sings the account of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus in The Liturgy of the Passion, and we are invited to pray before the cross.
Easter Eve – Easter Vigil
WHEN: Saturday 30th March (7.30pm)
In this special service marking the beginning of our Easter celebrations, our watching and waiting throughout Lent is rewarded with light. Our service begins outside, where from a new fire the Paschal Candle is lit. As we process into the Cathedral, the light from the candle is shared amongst the congregation. We celebrate the victory of light over darkness, of life over death, as we hear scriptural readings telling of our creation by God and how he restores us to new life.
Easter Day
WHEN: Sunday 31st March
We celebrate Jesus’ glorious resurrection from the dead in the following services:
- 8.00am - Holy Communion according to the Book of Common Prayer (said)
- 9.15am - Service for Children, Families and Caregivers
- 10.15am - Choral Mattins
- 11.15am - Sung Eucharist (livestreamed)
Celebrant and Preacher: The Bishop of Chichester, The Right Reverend Dr Martin Warner - 3.00pm - Choral Evensong (livestreamed)