St George’s Cathedral
Journey to Joy:
Holy Week at St George’s Cathedral
The Revd Dr Bill Leadbetter Assistant Priest and Cathedral Scholar, St George’s Cathedral
‘Weeping may linger for the night but joy comes with the morning’
Psalm 30.5b NRSVUE
2026 has been designated by the Cathedral as its ‘Year of Joy. While Holy Week is a solemn time in the Church’s year, it is also a time of joyful moments. Indeed, we move from the joyous celebration of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to the ultimate joy of human completion represented by the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Day.
In between, we celebrate the institution of the Eucharist and remember the pain of betrayal and agony in the garden on Maundy Thursday; and the abject despair of Good Friday. Holy Week takes us on a journey of celebration, grandeur, hope, failure, disappointment, grief, and finally the complete joy of new life in the risen Christ.
To help us and guide us on this journey, the Cathedral is pleased to welcome Bishop Hans Christensen as our Guest Preacher. Bishop Hans will preach on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and at the Vigil Service on Easter Day. He will also offer a series of addresses and reflections on different days during the week.
Bishop Hans has a profound commitment to teaching and schools, and brings deep pastoral experience, as well as a strong sense of the value of ecumenical and interfaith conversations. His presence among us will be exciting and challenging and we look forward to the insights that he will share with us.
The service times are set out in the image below. These will be times of liturgical focus, supported, where appropriate, by exquisite choral music. Together, we will experience the highs and the lows of Holy Week, and together we will come to a deeper knowledge and experience of the mystery that is our common faith.
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