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When you walk into a cathedral, you can’t help but look up. The height, the light, the beauty — they all lift our eyes and hearts toward God. But a cathedral is far more than an architectural landmark. It is a living community — a spiritual home that serves not only its congregation, but also the diocese and the city beyond its walls.

At its core, a cathedral is the bishop’s church. The word itself comes from cathedra, meaning “chair” — the symbol of the bishop’s teaching authority and pastoral care. [and yes the origin is from a Greek word -καθέδρα, meaning “seat” or “chair”].

From the earliest days of Christianity, cathedrals have been the heart of the diocese — places where the people of God gather for worship, teaching, and mission. Over time, they also became civic and cultural centers: spaces where the sacred and the public meet, and where the life of faith connects with the life of the community.

In the Anglican tradition, cathedrals have evolved to embody this wide and generous vision. They are not only places of beauty and prayer, but also of service, music, and dialogue — where the Gospel is proclaimed in word, art, and action. They remind us that the Church’s mission is not confined to Sunday mornings but reaches out into the heart of the world God loves.

Here at Christ Church Cathedral, we often describe ourselves as three in one:

  • A parish church, nurturing a vibrant worshipping community of disciples who love God and serve their neighbours.

  • A diocesan cathedral, anchoring the ministry of the bishop and symbolizing the unity of our diocese. Here we host ordinations, synods, and diocesan celebrations that connect us to the wider body of Christ.

  • A cathedral for the city, a place of welcome for all people across Metro Vancouver and even the Lower Mainland — whether joyful or weary, curious or seeking, rooted in faith or just beginning to explore it. We open our doors for concerts, civic services, interfaith gatherings, and moments of communal reflection and hope.

This threefold identity gives the Cathedral a unique calling: to stand at the crossroads of faith and life, proclaiming that in Christ alone our hope is found. Everything we do — from Eucharist to outreach, from music to advocacy — flows from this hope. In the beauty of worship, the care of community, and the call to justice, we bear witness to God’s love at work in the heart of Vancouver and across the diocese.

A cathedral, then, is more than a building. It is a sign — a living, breathing witness to God’s presence among us. It’s where the Church gathers and where the city comes to meet it. It’s where heaven and earth touch, and where all are invited to look up, be renewed, and discover again the living heart of God in the midst of our shared life.