Over 400 guests warmly welcomed the Very Revd Abigail Thompson to Sheffield Cathedral this weekend where she was installed as the new Dean of Sheffield.
The installation service took place on Saturday 6 November, in front of a congregation made up of representatives from across the Diocese of Sheffield, Diocese of St Albans and many other friends and family. Following the service, guests crossed over to the Cutlers Hall for celebratory refreshments. Abi gave her first sermon in the Cathedral, speaking of the losses experienced during the pandemic, the need for space to mourn, the power of music to express our deepest emotions and change the course of history and the healing and hope found in the God who is beside us in all our suffering.
The occasion brought together singers from Sheffield Cathedral, Doncaster and Rotherham Minsters for the first time post-Covid. Also singing were Cantamus Girls Choir from Mansfield, which Abi was a member of between 1988 and 1993.
The music chosen spanned seven centuries and was particularly selected to combine an atmosphere of serious reflection on all that has happened during the pandemic and also a celebration of hope and joy for all that lies ahead for Sheffield Cathedral.
On the following day, Sunday 7 November, Abi led her first services for the Cathedral congregation and will begin her new priestly ministry in Sheffield in earnest this week. Abi particularly looks forward to the forthcoming Light show: The Beginning, the Christmas Tree Festival, which runs Tuesday 30 November to Sunday 5 December, and the daily prayers that will be said in the Cathedral for local people and their concerns.
Abi’s diary includes induction with her senior team and early meetings with the Archer Project, a charity supporting the homeless which operates from the Cathedral building. She is keen to get stuck in.
A personal priority for Abi is a focus on mission through music. Abi brings an array of musical talents and plenty of joy and laughter to her new role. Working closely with the Cathedral’s Interim Assistant Director of Music, the invited guests, civic leaders and dignitaries enjoyed a veritable musical feast at the weekend.
No stranger to South Yorkshire, Abi was previously parish priest at Clifton in Rotherham, and Dean of Women’s Ministry in the Diocese of Sheffield. She joins Sheffield Cathedral from St Alban’s Cathedral in Hertfordshire where she was the Sub Dean.
A keen football supporting family and Blades fan, Abi recognised the 3pm Installation clash with the Blackburn kick- off was not ideal for several family members. We assume she was forgiven...
A grade one listed building and heritage site, people have worked and been worshiping at Sheffield Cathedral for over 1000 years. The Cathedral vision is a Place for all People and is open to the public 7 days a week 9-5 welcoming all: visitors, volunteers, schools groups, worshippers, and all those seeking sanctuary and peace. Abi is keen to engage with the local community, develop opportunities for young people to learn and make music and to proclaim the God who loves each of us infinitely.
When Abi was announced as the new Dean in June 2021 she said ‘I am delighted to return to worship at Sheffield, the Cathedral church where I was both ordained and married’. She also looks forward to enjoying her next Yorkshire brew in the Cathedral’s very own heavenly 1554 Coffee Shop.