As a Cathedral community of faith, driven by our understanding of biblical teaching, we seek to support the oppressed and those on the margins. The Justice and Mercy work of the Cathedral serves the diverse City and Diocese of Liverpool and we pride ourselves in excellence, equity and inclusion.
The Canon Chancellor, Rev Canon Dr Ellen Loudon leads our Justice and Mercy work.
For more information contact: ellen.loudon@liverpool.anglican.org
Climate Justice
Our Commitment to Net Zero
Liverpool Cathedral is committed to meeting the challenge of protecting the environment and meeting the ambitious 2030 Net-Zero Carbon targets set by The General Synod of the Church of England.
We recognise that taking care of our environment is central to safeguarding the integrity of God’s creation. As resources are depleted, the atmosphere polluted and ecosystems and habitats destroyed through human activity, the earth’s ability to meet the needs of its inhabitants, including people, is compromised.
You can download our latest Eco-Leaflet here, which details our commitment to becoming an Eco-Church and achieving Net Zero Carbon.
We are facing the technical challenges of reducing our carbon footprint and pursuing Eco-church as a cathedral company. We are engaging staff, volunteers, visitors and our worshipping communities in a collective vision to work together towards a safer and more just world.
The Cathedral Chapter pledge to:
- Seek ways to reduce the carbon footprint of our buildings and work towards being a carbon neutral organisation by 2030
- Minimise our corporate impact on the environment, and work towards more sustainable practices
- Reduce our consumption of resources and improve the efficiency of those resources
- Manage waste generated from our operations according to the principles of reduction, re-use and recycling
- In any building or development projects make carbon neutrality a key priority
- Take care of the natural environment and biodiversity in the grounds of our Cathedral and portfolio properties
- Encourage our community to make lifestyle changes to be more sustainability focused
- Use our influence to encourage positive action by local government, business and other organisations.
- Invest responsibly and ensure our investments reflect the ethical values held by the Cathedral. We will not knowingly invest in fossil fuels.
In 2019, Liverpool Cathedral gained the bronze Eco Diocese award from A Rocha. We are now progressing work towards the Silver Eco Diocese award
Micah Liverpool
Set up by Liverpool Cathedral, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King and St Bride’s, Micah Liverpool helps people out of poverty. Currently, the charity is working with those who are unemployed or need food or related assistance to tackle hunger in an emergency situation.
Through a variety of volunteer roles at Liverpool Cathedral and building partnerships with employers, the Micah Liverpool Volunteer Programme works with people who are long-term unemployed.
Each volunteer in the Programme has the opportunity to receive our support over 10 weeks to improve their skills, confidence and readiness for work. Our ‘Recruitability’ training and by completing vocational qualifications in health and safety, emergency first aid and food hygiene, enables our volunteers to feel in a better position to look for and find work.
Micah Liverpool operates two pantries a week providing three days of emergency food for each guest who comes along to help alleviate the issues people in poverty and hunger face.
The Parish Church of St Vincent de Paul
Pantry Session Tuesdays 10:30 to 12:30
St Brides Church
Pantry Session Thursdays 10:30 to 12:30
If you need to find out about our foodbank
E: Catherine.Kearney@liverpoolcathedral.org.uk
0151 702 7206
07932 842 337
Racial Justice
Liverpool Cathedral recognises its historical connections to the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans and the wider slave economy. While this part of our past is not something we are proud of, we are committed to addressing it head-on.
To tackle these issues, we have established a Racial Justice Steering Group dedicated to identifying these connections, scrutinising them, and exploring ways to reconcile with our contested heritage and address the impact of racism within our culture.
For more information about our racial justice efforts, please contact us at: racial.justice@liverpool.anglican.org
Together, we can create a more just and inclusive future.
At Liverpool Cathedral, we are dedicated to promoting justice and mercy, which includes standing against racism and all forms of prejudice.
We’re excited to share our commitment to the Liverpool Diocese Racial Justice Strategy, “From Repentance to Repair.” Over the next five years, we aim to make meaningful changes that foster equality for all. Our leadership, staff, and volunteers are passionate about creating a culture that celebrates and respects everyone.
To bring this strategy to life, we’ve established a Cathedral Racial Justice Steering Group. This group, composed of Cathedral staff, volunteers, and supported by our local community and partner organisations, is dedicated to making our vision a reality. We invite everyone to join us on this important journey towards equality and inclusion.
This project aims to deepen our understanding of the Church of England’s role in the enslavement of Africans, reflect theologically on this painful history, and reinterpret our buildings and monuments to consider the ongoing impact of slavery in all its forms.
In October 2020, the Cathedral Chapter embraced the principles and practices of the Slavery Truth Project (STP) to foster dialogue, explore historical interpretations, promote reconciliation, and pursue racial justice for the future.
We’re excited to announce the recent opening of a photography exhibition as part of the Slavery Truth Project.You can read more about this here.
The Triangle of Hope is nationally and internationally recognised for its efforts to raise awareness about the history of slavery. It connects historical and modern forms of slavery and racism, combining robust theological reflection on the evils of slavery with a focus on empowering individuals. Believing that God calls and equips each person to make a difference, the Triangle of Hope has mobilised many Christians, including numerous young people, as Christian activists.
Our Cathedral proudly supports the Triangle of Hope through the missional community Tsedaqah. Here, young people from Ghana, Liverpool, and the USA come together and live in a house on the Cathedral grounds, fostering a community dedicated to justice and change.
The image above is Sankofa from the Twi (Akan) language found in Ghana and other parts of Africa. This is the image that the Cathedral is using as part of our racial justice work as we seek to interpret our contested heritage.
Sankofa literally means, ‘reach back to knowledge gained in the past and bring it forward to the present in order to make positive progress’ The King of Ghana, Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II, has given his blessing to the Diocese (through The Triangle of Hope) to use this and other Adkinra symbols in its reconciliation work.
That we can do more to advance racial justice and confront the realities of our contested heritage. Many within our Cathedral community and those who visit are unaware of the trade in enslaved Africans and the Church’s complicity here in Liverpool. Our churches and Cathedral, like many locations in our city, house remnants of this painful history.
As a Cathedral community, we are committed to educating ourselves and engaging with both the historical roots of racism and the challenges we face today. Together, we seek to turn this into an opportunity for mission, justice, spiritual growth, vocational discernment, and mobilisation, ensuring we don’t miss this crucial chance to make a difference.
Lectures
The Justice and Mercy work of the Cathedral involves holding social justice lectures to explore inclusivity, diversity and supporting those on the margins. Annual social justice lectures include: Micah Lecture, Prison Week Lecture and Racial Justice Lecture.
Upcoming Lectures
This year’s contribution to the annual Micah Lecture series will be on the subject of ‘Robot Souls’. This lecture will be presented by Dr Eve Poole OBE.
Tickets can be found here: Micah Lecture 2024 – Robot Souls: Designing in Humanity Tickets, Tue 2 Jul 2024 at 19:00 | Eventbrite