Faculty notices
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Catherine of Aragon Festival comes to St Paul's
The Catherine of Aragon Festival 2022 is coming to St Paul’s on the
evenings of Thursday June 9th and Friday June 10th with separate
productions on each evening.
On Thursday June 9th, the play Magallen & Elcano, will premiere outside
of Spain for the first time. The play is a collaboration of eight
Spanish writers and described as a “magical journey through Spanish
music from the 16th to 20th centuries”. Tickets are priced at £19.00.
On the Friday evening we host a professional production of the
well-known Carmen v Carmen with performers from the prestigious
Madrid-based dance company Iberica de Danza. Tickets priced at £24.00.
The festival was hosted by Peterborough Cathedral in 2019 and 2020, but
with its key organiser living near the centre of Bedford, it seems
appropriate for it to be coming to St Paul's this year.
Further details for both evenings are available on
the event website
with ticket sales through
Eventbrite.
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St Paul's Church is awarded 'Major Parish Church' statusSt
Paul's church in the centre of Bedford is celebrating its award as a
Major Parish Church and being granted membership of the Major Churches
Network, in recognition of its importance to the town.
The Major Churches Network is a body set up by the Church of England
which comprises 350 of the largest and most significant churches across
England which are not cathedrals but fulfil many of the same functions
within their communities and includes some of the best loved places of
worship around the UK.
There are strict qualifying criteria to become a member such as being a
building of exceptional significance (often Grade I listed), being open
daily to visitors, to have a role which goes beyond a normal parish
church by fulfilling an important civic and cultural role and by making
an economic contribution to their local area.
St Paul's qualifies in all categories - it is the biggest religious
building in the St Albans Diocese after St Albans Cathedral, the civic
and county church of Bedfordshire, and it plays host to events and
concerts throughout the year. For the past year the new Bedford Visitor
Information Centre - which replaced the old Tourist Information when it
closed - has also been based inside the main body of the church.
Canon Fr Kevin Goss, Vicar of St Paul's said: "We are delighted to
have received this recognition and to have been officially designated a
member of the Major Churches Network. We welcome thousands of visitors
every year and would hope this affiliation will boost the church's
profile further, and in doing do attract more visitors into Bedford."
St Paul's is already a member of
Cathedrals Plus, a body that promotes
cathedrals, abbeys, shrines and major churches which already receive
large numbers of visitors. The church is well-known locally for hosting
the annual Christmas Tree Festival in conjunction with Bedford Hospitals
Charity, attracting around 5000 visitors over the five day event.
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