Places of Worship

Places of Worship

There are obviously plenty of churches in Cambridge. If you are staying at Jesus College, you will be welcomed into their chapel for Sunday morning services whatever your faith. Other College chapels of note are King's College (which is more of a Cathedral) and Emmanuel (the one designed by Kit Wren). There are also many beautiful churches in the centre of town, namely Greater St Mary's, which is the official University church (in fact, if affects all of us...undergraduates are required by statute to live within three miles of her tower. As a graduate, I'm kindly allowed to live a bit further out). Those of you keen for a good climb and a great view can also ascend the bell tower, which offers a fantastic view of Cambridge, but be warned...the steps are made of ancient stone and are uneven, and the spiral stairway is a bit narrow. College chapels are generally either interfaith or non-denominational, or else high Anglican, which I understand equates with the Presbyterian denomination in the US. Some colleges, and many local churches, also offer a Methodist service, and I am happy to help if that is what you want. You might also want to visit St Andrew's, in the centre of town but tucked away, where the English Reformation was born.

Cambridge has one large Catholic Church, known as Our Lady of the English Martyrs. It's a striking gothic building, still covered in coal dust. I guarantee you'll notice it coming from the station. They offer High Mass, as well as masses in English, Spanish and Polish (Cambridge has a huge Polish population). I am happy to look into times if anyone is interested.

There is a synagogue just outside the city centre, which I am also happy to help someone find. There is no Mosque close to Cambridge, but if you or your guest have need, there is an interfaith house of worship which is particularly welcoming to Muslims. Please let me know if I can help.

I should mention here that we are having a civil ceremony, which means that religious material of any kind is specifically banned by law from the service. So if you do want to worship on Sunday, we can help you find a beautiful and peaceful place to do it before the wedding.

If you have other requests regarding a place of worship for Friday, Saturday or Sunday, just let me know (again, it's ebw23 (at) cam.ac.uk.)