St Laurence

Introduction

St Laurence's in Cambridge was consecrated on 27th February 2006. The church was completed in 1958, with a priest arriving in 1951 to raise money for its construction.

History

In the early twentieth century, Mass was celebrated by a priest from Our Lady and the English Martyrs in an upstairs room of the Dog and Pheasant Pub in Chesterton. By the time Chesterton became a separate parish in 1947, Mass had moved to a corrugated iron hut in the High Street. St Laurence's became part of the Diocese of East Anglia when the diocese was formed in 1976 out of the Diocese of Northampton. The communion rails were removed in 1987, and new parish rooms, kitchen and office were built in 1994. In 2006, further work was undertaken to add a new balcony and porch.

Architecture and furnishings

In 2014, the parish commissioned a new tapestry to hang on the sanctuary wall. Fiona Rutherford, a tapestry artist working from her home-based studio in Edinburgh, designed the tapestries using the Gobelins weaving technique on an upright frame loom.

Music and liturgy

An African Choir is evolving at the parish, actively recruiting new members to portray the diversity of the worldwide Catholic faith. The hymn sheet for some Masses and other services is available online for worshippers joining through live streaming. Not all sung Masses use hymn sheets. Most music is ‘live’, but pre-recorded music is used at some Masses.

Parish life

The Cambridge Justice and Peace Group was formed in 1981. The Music Group aims to provide rich, varied and liturgically appropriate music for all the parish.

Confirmation classes run yearly, with confirmation dates typically in May or June. The parish provides a class on Saturday mornings during term time for children not attending a Catholic school. The parish runs a repository in the Narthex with bibles, missals, prayer cards, children's books, rosaries, icons, etc., open after all Sunday Masses and on request.

The parish runs a ministries coordination group supporting the organisation of ministries including Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Readers, Welcomers, and Altar Servers. The parish runs Open Meetings where all parishioners are invited to contribute to discussion on Parish life, held at least once per year. The parish runs a Parish Pastoral Council. Confirmation classes are held for about six months of the year.