Posted on: 23rd October 2026

Sheffield Cathedral has launched a Christian mission community, believed to be the first of its kind in a Church of England cathedral.

The Community of St Paulinus (CsP) held a service at the cathedral on Sunday, which was attended by the Bishop of Sheffield, Dr Pete Wilcox; parish partners; members of the civic and cultural world in Sheffield; representation from the lieutenancy; and other members of the diocese.

The Canon Missioner and Prior of the CsP, the Revd Dr Justin Dodd, said that it was a “joyful and prayerful moment”.

Describing the CsP, he said: “It’s the first mission community, as far as we know, that is with a specific purpose of resourcing and supporting inclusive sacramental mission in a diocese that’s going to be based at a Church of England cathedral.

“What’s unique is that it’s a mission community with that particular role, but also that it’s got quite a specific focus on inclusive sacramental work. We’re working with parish partners, where parish churches are located in some of the more economically deprived parts of the city. We want to be the gift in many ways to support those churches, congregations, and local communities.”

Canon Dodd continued: “We are working with the kind of tools and practices of community organising, where parish churches can become a hotbed of local organising in their neighbourhoods, working for justice.

“We’re confident that we will be able to meaningfully partner and support parishes that are needing just a bit of extra help or don’t have the resources to reach places.”

Canon Dodd has recently completed a doctorate on resource churches in the sacramental tradition.

Three years ago, Sheffield Cathedral “began resourcing work of renewal and outreach into the diocese” through its school singing programme, Canon Dodd said. “The programme is where we send musicians into schools in some of the more deprived parts of the city who wouldn’t have music provision, and they teach singing. So, that programme has grown and embedded in the life of the cathedral and more broadly.”

The name of the first Bishop of York, St Paulinus, was chosen because of the “wonderful story of him working to establish the spread of faith by coming alongside the local monarch or the local tribal ruler, and putting huge amounts of time into it”, Canon Dodd explained. “There is that kind of picture of a missionary, contemplative evangelist who takes patience and gives energy and comes alongside people. That’s one of the kind of graces and charisms that we are praying for.”

Every Tuesday, the CsP has a community day when members eat and pray together. “We have a curriculum of sort of exploring what sacramental mission means in practical terms,” Canon Dodd said.

Different speakers will come in and speak on the various parishes within the diocese.

“We are rooted at the cathedral. We gather once a week for prayer, learning, study, but then the missioners disperse for the remainder of the week into their allocated tasks and work,” he continued.

“Because it is early stages, we’re still recruiting in a planting priest who will be working with us and a parish to revitalise their kind of outreach and mission and congregational life, to plant new worshipping communities in schools in that parish, and build the possibilities for community organising. This church serves two quite large estates in Sheffield, so the idea is that we support this local church to kind of regenerate a bit and rebuild some energy, and they in turn plant out where they discern need and opportunity.”

On Tuesday 13th, as part of the launch celebrations, an Evensong at Sheffield Cathedral marked the role of music in the work of the CsP. The cathedral choir was joined by children from the Schools Singing Programme to perform a specially commissioned anthem by the composer Martin Bussey, “Paulinus”.

The Dean of Sheffield Cathedral and Abbess of the CsP, Abi Thompson, said: “It’s a joy to see the Community of St Paulinus begin its life at Sheffield Cathedral. We are very conscious that this is about breaking new ground as a Church of England cathedral, whilst trying to be faithful to the prompting of the Spirit. We will certainly be learning and adapting as we go along. Please do pray for us and the witness of God’s church in South Yorkshire.”