It is with a heavy heart that Exeter Cathedral has decided to close for public worship for the time being. We shall remain open from Monday to Saturday, 11am-2pm, so that individuals can visit for personal prayer and reflection, for as long as this is allowed, and our services will continue to be broadcast online each day.
The suspension of public worship in the Cathedral comes into effect from Friday 15 January.
We take seriously our responsibility to keep people safe – including visitors, congregations, volunteers and staff – and this decision has been taken in response to the rapid growth in numbers of Covid cases in recent days.
We hope to open up again for public worship at the earliest opportunity, and shall review our decision according to the prevailing situation on 11 February.
Jonathan Greener, Dean of Exeter, commented: “This is one of the hardest decisions we have had to make. We are very aware how disappointed many people will be that they cannot attend worship in person, but we want to ensure that no one is put at risk. Because of our city centre location, most people travel in to the Cathedral, and many of our regular worshippers are in a particularly vulnerable category. We are still open for personal prayer, and remain completely committed to re-opening fully as soon as it is safe to do so.”