The Archbishop of York visited Carlisle Cathedral on Tuesday, September 12 for a special evensong service.

The service was for the University of Cumbria of which Archbishop Stephen Cottrell is the chancellor.

The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Stephen Cottrell is only the second person to hold the role of Chancellor of the University of Cumbria since it was formed in August 2007, taking over from the previous Archbishop, the Right Reverend John Sentamu.

The service was led by Carlisle Cathedral’s Canon Warden, Father Benjamin Carter and the cathedral choir sang music by Bernard Rose, Sir Charles Villiers Stanford and Phillip Moore.

The following day, the Archbishop visited St Luke's church in Morton before engaging with pupils and staff at Bishop Harvey Goodwin School.

He then visited one of the county's Restore shops, which is run by a Christian charity providing employment opportunities, community support, and high-quality second-hand goods.

Archbishop Stephen also participated in question-and-answer sessions at St Cuthbert's church, and met with RE and Year 11 students at Trinity School.

Archbishop Stephen said: “I’m really pleased to be returning to the wonderful Diocese of Carlisle for a flying visit. I’m especially looking forward to meeting with young people in a couple of schools and hearing what’s on their minds.

“As Bishop Rob and I meet with people who serve their local communities in different ways, I hope we can be an encouragement as we hear and see the good work being done to help people in need, offering hope and bringing God’s Kingdom here on earth.”

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Accompanying Archbishop Stephen on this journey was the Bishop of Penrith, the Rt Rev Rob Saner-Haigh, and the Rural Dean of Carlisle, the Rev Simon Bickersteth.

Archbishop Stephen became the Archbishop of York in 2020 and the Chancellor of the University of Cumbria since 2020.

This was his third visit to the county since his enthronement. In March 2022 he visited west Cumbria, paying tribute to the community spirit he witnessed as different groups pulled together to supply aid to those affected by the Ukrainian war and he visited Appleby Horse Fair with the former Bishop of Carlisle who recently retired.