The Building
The Cathedral is open during most of the day, seven days a week. Everyone is welcome to come in and pray, and there are many small chapels you can use for prayer. Note that the Cathedral has an admission charge for tourists, but there is never a charge for worship or prayer. Please tell the person on the welcome desk.
Let the building inspire you. It was built to the glory of God. Allow your eyes to be drawn up, and watch the play of light on the golden stone. Ponder the love and attention paid to the craft in wood and stone. Touch the walls and feel the prayer that has soaked into them over the centuries.
In particular, the Lady Chapel at the east end is is reserved for private prayer. There is also a board just outside where you can post specific requests for prayer. To its right is St Gabriel’s Chapel, where the blessed sacrament is reserved. Two to its left is the Speak Chantry Chapel. Here there are often materials, such as pebbles, you can use for sensory forms of prayer.
Regular Worship
The cycle of worship and prayer throughout the year underpins the life of Exeter Cathedral.
If you find a structure helpful to support your prayer life, you may like to join us for worship at Morning Prayer, Choral Evensong or Evening Prayer, and the Eucharist.
After 9.15am Morning Prayer on Sundays, you are welcome to pray in St Gabriel’s chapel before the start of the 10am Eucharist.
The service booklets used in the Eucharist often include some reflections at the beginning, which you could use for prayer before the service.
Our Weekly community notices include the readings and special prayers used in the previous Sunday Eucharist. You might like to use these in your prayer. Throughout the month we pray for different aspects of the Cathedral’s life and work at our daily services. We invite you to pray with us for the Cathedral in your own prayers.
Prayer Groups
Our Contemplative Prayer Group meets from 12 noon to 1pm on the First Tuesday of every month. In June and July 2023 it is meeting in the Richard Eyre Room, and from August 2023 in the Sacristy, accessed via the Oldham Passage. It will incorporate a time of extended silence, an opportunity for reflection on the practice and an opportunity for extempore prayer.
We welcome any who would like to join us in this prayer fellowship. If you would like more information, please contact the Canon Chancellor, Revd. Canon Deborah Parsons or the Cathedral Deacon, Revd. Phil Wales.
The Prayers for Healing group meets in the Cathedral every Monday at 12:30pm.
In the context of a short service, this group spends time in prayer for those in need of healing, whether of illness, uncertainty, unemployment, relationships or lack of peace. Coming together regularly in this way encourages the group members in their prayer, and friendships are further deepened over refreshments afterwards.
If you are in need of prayer for healing, there are boards in the Cathedral where you can leave a message. The group prays through all these messages each week, as well as the Cathedral intercession lists and the work of the Cathedral and the wider community.
A Lectio Divina Group meets on Wednesday evenings at 8pm on Zoom, following this ancient method of praying with the scriptures. New members are warmly invited to join:
Zoom Meeting ID 940 4683 2921 Passcode: lectio
Exeter Cathedral Julian Group
A Julian Group, hosted by Nicola Cowling, meets regularly on the second Monday of the month at 7.30 pm. The format consists of a brief catch up, a lead in to the silence, followed by 40 minutes of silence. The session closes with a short prayer and/or The Grace and the group leaves in silence. The lead-in might be a Bible extract, Psalm, extract from a book, a poem, a picture or even a piece of music. More information about Julian meetings is available at The Julian Meetings – Christian Meditation and Contemplative Prayer. If you would like to join this group please contact Deborah Parsons for more information.
