About Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the Diocese of Oxford, which, broadly speaking, covers the counties of Oxford, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also the chapel of Christ Church at the University of Oxford.
The regular pattern of worship at Christ Church Cathedral
Sundays
8.00am Holy Communion (1662)
9.45am Matins and Sermon (1662)
11.00am Choral Eucharist (CW)
6.00pm Choral Evensong (1662)
Weekdays
7.15am Morning Prayer (CW)
7.35am Holy Communion (CW)
1.00pm Holy Communion (Wednesdays only) (1662)
6.00pm Evening Prayer – Choral Evensong (1662)
On Mondays, Evening Prayer is either a said service or, during university term time, sung by the College Choir. On Thursdays, the evening service is usually a Choral Eucharist.
Please note that services begin five minutes later than ‘normal’ time, because the Cathedral keeps the old ‘Oxford Time’ (i.e. five minutes west of Greenwich). This means 6pm Oxford Time is 6.05pm GMT or BST.
Music at the Catheral
The Cathedral has a rich musical heritage. The Choir of Christ Church, Oxford, was founded nearly 500 years ago, and is justly famous for the youthfulness of its sound and its daring and adventurous musical programming.
Since 1546, the Choir has been set apart from all other collegiate and cathedral choirs since it serves both an Oxford college and a diocese at the same time, in a unique and celebrated dual foundation. It has a special and distinctive place within the great English choral tradition.
The main choir consists of 12 men (six professional “lay-clerks” and six student “academical clerks”) and 16 choristers (boys aged 7 to 13).
The Cathedral Singers was formed in 1978 to sing the daily services in the Cathedral when the Cathedral Choir is not in residence. This is usually about 100 services a year. The choir is drawn from a rota of adult members (aged 17 and above) who live in and around Oxford.
