Halifax Minster will be presenting their third Festival of Faith this year, which will run from Ash Wednesday through to Easter Day.
The aim of the festival is an outward facing series of events that look to draw people from outside the Minster to come and experience common ground in a sacred meeting place with God.
The festival includes themed days, live music, public theology, visiting preachers, poetry and scripture.
The festival will feature the return of ‘In Conversation’ sessions, which are public conversations reflecting on faith in the public square with the Rt Revd Smitha Prasadam, the Bishop of Huddersfield.
Guests will include Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council; Hannah Cockroft MBE DL Paralympian gold medallist; and Qari Asim MBE, Chair of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, and is the senior Imam at Makkah Mosque in Leeds.
As part of the festival the minster are also hosting a Festival of Women, where people are invited to a day to celebrate female lives and stories.
The programme includes speakers Fatima Khan-Shah, West Yorkshire’s Inclusivity Champion; and Jane Scullion, Leader of Calderdale Council.
The minster is also hosting Dr Sophie Newton, GP Health Educator, who will be discussing questions of women’s health.
The day will see local writers Victoria Gatehouse, Sally Baker & Angela Clare, who will lead poetry and writing workshops.
There will also be embroidery and singing sessions, market stalls, and art exhibitions.
The day will finish with a theatre performance from members of the minster community, celebrating the life of Caroline Herschel, astronomer and scientist.
As part of the festival the minster is hosting the Dignity of Women exhibition created by Religions for Peace, incorporating nine panels of scriptural reflections from different faith communities.
Each panel reflects on the role of women in each faith community, and alongside the exhibition there will be a discussion opportunity exploring the issues raised, and an opportunity for women of faith to come together in partnership with Calderdale Interfaith and the Council of Mosques.
During the festival period the Minster’s sermon series will be exploring the theme of hope in today’s world, and there will also be silent spaces on Wednesdays for those looking for stillness and a place in which to rest and to listen to what God might be trying to say.
To see a full programme for the festival, please click here.