Altar Serving is an ancient ministry within Catholicism. Servers act as assistants to the priest celebrating Mass, helping to bring things like the gifts to the altar, and ringing the altar bell. Altar Servers are crucial to the flow of the Mass, making sure the priest has everything they need at the right time.

The Adult Confirmation team  provides a short information programme for those adults who are already Catholics but have, for some reason, not been confirmed in their childhood or teenage years.

We run the sessions twice a year usually spring and autumn 1 evening a week for 3 weeks. The first session is an overview of what sacraments are, as a review. 2nd & 3rd sessions go deeper into what the sacrament of Confirmation is and how we can connect it to our everyday lives, we also take people through the ceremony.

Salford Cathedral runs several different Adult Faith Formation courses and classes, designed to deepen the faith of Catholic adults within the Cathedral Parish as they continue on their journey through life.

Apparitors help to organise and distribute various elements of the Mass, including giving out hymn books, being responsible for the collection and the offertory procession. This is a vital role that helps the parish priest deliver a seamless and engaging service.

The Association for Propagation of the Faith (APF) is a wing of Missio, the Catholic Church’s official charity for overseas mission, and is the official fund-raising society for Church mission. Fundraising carried out by the APF goes to parishes and clergy who are in need, serving congregations in developing countries. The APF at Salford Cathedral carry out fundraising initiatives and draw our parish’s attention to the need of Catholics across the world.

The main objective of this ministry or course is to prepare families who intend to get their children ages 0-5 to to receive the great sacrament of baptism. The course explores the idea that baptism is the start of a lifelong journey of faith within the context of the family. As parents who have been through the process, we share our experiences of faith with these families and support one another to take up this great responsibility to nurture the children in the Catholic faith.

CAFOD is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales and is part of Caritas International. CAFOD Salford is engaged in work both within our parish and across the world, fundraising for a variety of important causes, including the climate emergency, debt cancellation, Fairtrade and Human Rights. Closer to home, CAFOD provides support for those struggling within our parish and diocese.

Our Cathedral Choir comprises a combination of auditioned local singers and Choral Scholars. They sing for the 11am Solemn Mass each Sunday as well as important feasts and solemnities throughout the year, notably at Christmas and during Holy Week and Easter. Rehearsals take place in Cathedral House on Wednesday from 7.30pm – 9pm and there is normally a rehearsal before each Mass at least an hour beforehand.

If you are interested, please contact our Director of Music Alex Patterson: [email protected]

Our Children’s Liturgy team are responsible for communicating and explaining the Sunday Gospel and readings in a way that children attending Mass can understand. The Children’s Liturgy happens during the 11am Mass on Sundays and is a fantastic way to inspire lifelong faith in young people and to engage whole families in the liturgy.

Our Confirmation Group are responsible for organising and educating those who will soon be confirmed into the Catholic Church. Confirmation is a sacrament in the Church, where a child renews and confirms the vows made for them when they were baptised, becoming a mature Catholic in the eyes of the Church. Confirmation takes place at a Mass given by our Bishop, in which he anoints the believer’s forehead with holy oil (Chrism). Our Confirmation Group exists to help children and parents through this process, explaining the steps and their religious significance. There is no set age for confirmation, but if you are an adult then it would be advised that you join our RCIA programme.

Extra-ordinary Ministers of the Eucharist help the priest to distribute Holy Communion, for example in home visits to parishioners who can’t make it to Mass physically.

The finance committee exists to create and review our parish financial policy, to monitor income and expenditure and to support parish ministries financially.

The flower team are tasked with arranging, displaying and maintaining the church flowers. We meet to change and refresh the floral arrangements approx. every fortnight however, when needed we will meet for an ad hoc event.

As well as maintaining the flowers in the Cathedral on an ongoing basis the group is also responsible for creating unique and more elaborate creations for special occasions held at the Cathedral for example specific feasts (Christmas/Easter etc) and special occasions such as ordinations or diocesan events.

The Cathedral Fundraising Team exists to support our parish through the organisation of activities and campaigns. The Fundraising Team raise thousands of pounds for our cathedral parish each year, allowing parish ministries to continue and bringing our community closer together.

Our hospitality team are on hand at every parish event, serving delicious food and drinks to parishioners, clergy and visitors. For many parishioners, the chance to get together for a coffee after Mass is incredibly important.

The Legion of Mary is a lay organization of Catholics dedicated to serving the Church on a voluntary basis, focusing on holiness through spiritual unity with Mary, mother of Christ. The Legion of Mary support and organize various activities throughout our parish with the objective of evangelisation of the wider community and the deepening of faith within our parish.

Every year, the Diocese of Salford embarks upon a pilgrimage to Lourdes. This is a huge event, with many taking part. Our parish Lourdes Group exists to support parishioners on their journey to Lourdes and to organize and liaise with the diocesan Lourdes team.

Money counters are a crucial group for our Cathedral Parish, as they make sure that donations are properly recorded.

Our Piety Stall sells a wide variety of Christian gifts, cards for special occasions like First Holy Communion and Confirmation, and our very own Salford Cathedral Heavenly Honey! Piety Stall volunteers make sure the stall is fully stocked and encourage visitors to buy a gift for their loved ones.

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults is a process through which adults who have never been baptised are received into the Church. It consists of several sessions of study, learning about the Gospel and eventually receiving the Sacraments. RCIA is based on the process of initiation used in the Early Church.

Our Readers play an important role in lay ministry, conveying the power of the Gospel during Mass through engaging readings. This is a great chance to improve your public speaking and to share the Joy of the Gospel with the congregation.

Our Registrars are responsible for officially registering marriages at the cathedral. They fulfil a necessary and important role in the ceremony, making sure everything is officially recognised.

Our sacristans are volunteers who are charged with the care of the cathedral and the contents within. This is an ancient ministry, including tasks such as supporting the altar servers with handling the liturgical objects used in Mass, setting up the cathedral before Mass to maximise its sacred ambience, and tidying up after Mass.

Our Safeguarding Team works closely with the Safeguarding Department of the Diocese of Salford, in order to foster a safer environment for all. We take seriously the safety of all children, adults, and vulnerable people within our parish, and conduct thorough DBS checks for all staff and volunteers. Safeguarding training is regularly provided and supervising is always carried out by a fully DBS certified adult.

You can read about the Diocese of Salford’s Safeguarding Policy here: https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/safeguarding/

The purpose of this group is to allow for young professionals to come together by creating a vibrant community and opportunity to meet like-minded people to discuss and explore faith related subjects. The goal of the community is to provide a space for young Catholics and people who are considering joining the Catholic church or becoming Christian to meet and partake in activities with fellow young adult Catholics and Christians which is otherwise lacking in their lives. There is also consideration for ecumenical work and/or works of charity and evangelization.

The purpose of this group is to allow for young professionals to come together by creating a vibrant community and opportunity to meet like-minded people to discuss and explore faith related subjects. The goal of the community is to provide a space for young Catholics and people who are considering joining the Catholic church or becoming Christian to meet and partake in activities with fellow young adult Catholics and Christians which is otherwise lacking in their lives. There is also consideration for ecumenical work and/or works of charity and evangelization.

The group is open to young people in the age group of 21-35 years old, Catholic or Christian. Members must be living in the general vicinity of Salford/Manchester.

If you’d like to find out more you can email us at [email protected] or contact the parish office at [email protected]

The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) is part of an international network of Christian voluntary charities, dedicated to reaching out to the vulnerable and helping those in need. The SVP has 10,000 members in England and Wales. Our Salford Cathedral SVP team works in the local area, making sure those in need around the cathedral are supported. This is achieved through visits, phone calls, fundraising efforts and a monthly food bank.

The youth group is made of young people who made their confirmation this year and those who will confirmed in the future. The group is meant to bridge the gap between the children and young adults and to train them to be responsible future leaders. Through this, they will be ushered into the life of the church by taking up roles during the liturgy in future. The group is facilitated by Sr Anna and assisted by three catechists. They are taken through leadership courses and training. The group meets once a month, on a Tuesday evening in the cloisters.