‘Pause for hope’ service

The annual ‘Pause for Hope’ service will take place at St Philip’s Cathedral at 3.00pm on Sunday 17 October. The service will be both open to the public and live-streamed via the cathedral’s website (Link HERE) and YouTube channel (Link HERE), to enable those not able to attend in person to participate remotely.

Pause for Hope’s aim is to bring together in prayer those who have (or have had) cancer, their loved ones, those who care for them, doctors and nurses, those involved in the investigation and treatment of cancer, those in authority who have responsibility for providing resources and the scientists who are trying to find a cure for cancer.

Pause for Hope’s services are:

• Open. Everyone is welcome and the services are free-of-charge. There is no need for a ticket and attendees can be of any faith, or none at all.
• Ecumenical. Representatives of all denominations lead the congregation in hymns and prayers.
• Informative. A short address is given by an invited speaker and a poem is read.
• Musical. A selection of music is played and choirs take part. Hymns are sung.
• Reflective. Individual candles are lit by members of the congregation for someone with cancer or in memory of someone lost to cancer.
• Hopeful. We pray for the day to quickly come when all cancers can be prevented or cured.

The impetus for Pause for Hope came from retired thoracic surgeon Professor Ray Donnelly, MBE FRCS, Founder and President of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. He was supported by Bro Ken Vance SJ and other cancer charities including Marie Curie Cancer Care, The Lily Centre, Alder Hey, The Linda McCartney Centre, Macmillan Cancer Support, Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHS Trust, The North West Cancer Research Fund, Sunflowers and Woodlands Hospice. The first Pause for Hope was held in 1999. Since then, services have been held annually in Liverpool. Annual services are now also held in Lampeter, Chester, Glasgow, Clitheroe and Belfast, as well as in Birmingham.

Read more about Pause for Hope HERE.