Remembering the Dedication of our Cathedral
on 8th June 2004.

The rite for the dedication of any church is rightly regarded as one for the most solemn liturgical events. A church is a place where the people of God gather to hear the word of God, to offer prayer and praise to God and to celebrate Eucharist. This is the house of the Lord! A cathedral has the additional importance of being the seat of the bishop and the centre of the diocese.

Thus, our gathering for the solemn Dedication of St Columba’s Cathedral in Oban on the 8th June 2004 was a wonderful and satisfying event.  The building stands as a special image of the church: God`s temple, built of living stones!

The altar within our cathedral stands as the sign of Christ himself - the priest, victim and altar of his own sacrifice. This is the focus round which we - the church - gather to respond to the Lord`s command: do this in memory of me.

In celebration of the Solemn Dedication of St. Columba`s Cathedral, we bishop, priests and people entered into a liturgy that was rich in meaning. Wrapped-up in the celebration of the Eucharist, we experienced rites of anointing, incensing and the preparation and lighting of the altar.

After the homily, we knelt to invoke the prayers of the great men and women gone before us as we sang the litany of the saints.  Then Bishop Murray led us in the great Prayer of Dedication. He covered the altar with sacred chrism, the same holy oil used to anoint the newly baptised, confirmandi, and for ordinations. This made the altar a symbol of Christ - the messiah, the “annointed one”.

Then, the bishop and some assisting priests went through the Cathedral anointing the walls with sacred chrism, signifying that the building is given over to the celebration of the liturgy.

We sang the ancient song of entry into God`s temple,
sung throughout three millennia,
in Jerusalem and the whole world over:

Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced when I heard them say:
Let us go to the House of the Lord.
And now our feet are standing within your gates,
O Jerusalem.

Incense was burnt on the altar to signify the sacrifice of Christ. The sweet-smelling smoke silently aroused within us our gratitude  for Christ`s sacrifice, the honour we place in the presence of his body in the Eucharist and in the church, as well as the prayers we raise to the Father. The bishop then sent his priests throughout the whole cathedral to incense the building and also the people who are the living stones in whom God`s spirit dwells.

Finally, the festive lighting of the altar and the whole cathedral takes place and we are reminded that Christ is a “king of glory bright”. Lamps are lit at the places where the cthedral walls were anointed. We pray that Christ will continue to be a source of eternal light for all peoples and we recognise that what we do within these walls is connected to our mission in the wider world.

The altar was then prepared for the celebration of the Eucharist, which is the appropriate overall context for the dedication of our cathedral. It is for the celebration of the Eucharist that this building exists!

Check out the history of our Cathedral in the “Diocese”  section of the site!