Cathedral Church

We may think of the church as a building, but really it is made up of people. The place or the building where the People of God assemble is the church. If the church building is also the place where the Bishop has his cathedra or bishop's chair, then that church is the Cathedral Church.

In his Cathedral Church the bishop presides over the people in the name of Christ. From his chair he teaches them and serves them as pastor and priest. The Cathedral Church at Clifton is the mother church of the Diocese of Clifton which covers the neighbouring counties of North Somerset, Bath, North and South Gloucester, Wiltshire, South Somerset, and the City and County of Bristol. Over 130,000 Catholics look to the Cathedral not as an architectural monument, but as a symbol and focus for the unity of the church, especially when together with their bishop and the priests, they celebrate the Eucharist in the Cathedral. The picture (top left) shows the view of Clifton Cathedral from Clifton Park towards the St. Paul Entrance. Right is the cathedra or bishop's chair.

© Peter Harrison 2001