Hundreds of people from across Lancashire explored the wonder and beauty of The Lord’s Prayer in schools and as part of a multi-media event at Blackburn Cathedral.
Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, was on the latest leg of his Faith in the North Lord’s Prayer Tour, during which he is visiting dioceses in the Northern Province of the Church of England to speak and share the importance and relevance of the Lord’s Prayer to our world today. He is using the Prayer to foster deeper connections with the Christian faith across the north and renew the Church’s missionary purpose to share God’s love with all.
The Archbishop was in the Diocese of Blackburn (which covers the whole of Lancashire) for a whole day on Friday, during which he also visited several Church of England schools – St Christopher’s High School in Accrington; St Aidan’s Primary School in Blackburn and St George’s Primary School in Chorley.
Coinciding with his visit, the Diocese filled its social media channels alongside the Archbishop’s channels with video and picture content, beforehand and on the day itself, to do two things: promote the events and the day’s activities and also to encourage people to post comments and videos about what the Lord’s Prayer means to them.
This content included a special video production featuring people from all across the County saying one line each of the Lord’s Prayer.
At the schools and alongside the Bishop of Blackburn, Rt Rev. Philip North, the Archbishop met many of the pupils, sharing his passion for the Lord’s Prayer with them and participating in some inspiring and challenging question-and-answer sessions. He also sat in on staff meetings and led Eucharist services at the schools.
Later in the afternoon, Archbishop Stephen visited our Centre for Christian Prayer and Discipleship at Whalley Abbey, where he met staff and the praying community who live and work there.
The main Lord’s Prayer Tour event was in the evening at the Cathedral, where the Archbishop was welcomed by the Interim Dean, Rev. Canon Andrew Horsfall.
Those who attended were able to hear about what the Lord’s Prayer means to young people; listen to the Cathedral Youth Choir sing the Lord’s Prayer to a beautiful musical setting; watch a series of inspirational videos; participate in discussions about their own experiences of using and saying the Lord’s Prayer, and much more.
At the heart of the night was a simple but profound invitation: to learn the Lord’s Prayer by heart and allow its words to shape lives for the better and for eternity.
The evening culminated in an address from the Archbishop, followed by the opportunity to ask questions. The whole event took place in the shadow of the spectacular Gaia artwork, which is on display at the Cathedral until November 16.
Reflecting on the day, Bishop Philip said: "The Lord’s Prayer is not just a set of words we recite - it’s a challenging invitation to live differently. What this tour has done so powerfully is remind us that prayer is the heartbeat of renewal.
“When people in our Diocese pray ‘Your kingdom come’ we’re committing ourselves to transformation - in our lives, our churches and schools and our communities. It was also wonderful to see in our schools how our children are learning to pray with such confidence.
“The Lord’s Prayer tour has brought us rich inspiration as we prepare for the Centenary of the Diocese of Blackburn. I hope that it will inspire people to pray boldly, live generously, and speak courageously of the love of Christ.”
Archbishop Stephen added, “What a joy it has been to explore the Lord’s Prayer with the people of Blackburn Diocese. It’s been encouraging to see so many reflecting on this powerful prayer – one that draws us back to the heart of our faith and sends us out to meet the needs of the world.
“Schools from across the North have found time in their school day to gather together to say the Lord’s Prayer, which is wonderful news. It is our hope that this shared moment will inspire young people to keep praying and growing in faith.”
Theo Sheridan-Watts, Faith in the North Programme Manager, said that the focus of Faith in the North is ‘encouraging churches, schools and individuals to explore and respond in a fresh way to the prayer that Jesus taught us’.
Theo continues: “We have lots of resources available on our website to help you do exactly that, from newly commissioned songs for children and choirs, collective worship resources for schools and small group resources for churches.”
Future Faith in the North Lord’s Prayer events offering more evenings of reflection, teaching, and worship are planned in 2026.
Visit the Faith in the North website to access resources and learn more.
