London’s Westminster Cathedral is to be featured on a Christmas stamp issued by the UK’s Royal Mail.
The mother church of Catholics in England and Wales, situated in the Diocese of Westminster, is the only Catholic representative in a series of five stamps featuring cathedrals in the United Kingdom. The other stamps will show the Anglican cathedrals in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Armagh and Bangor.
“We’re so proud because it means that the image will be seen by many, many people,” said Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster.
“I hope that seeing the image, they’ll understand that a church is a place where God dwells and where that sense of God’s presence is intense, comforting and consoling,” he said.
Westminster Cathedral is officially called the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and is the largest Catholic church in England and Wales.
“The presence of a church points directly to the birth of Jesus, because that is the way in which God comes into our world in flesh and blood,” Nichols said.
“In order to honour and praise him, we create buildings of beauty – places of prayer – and Westminster Cathedral is an outstanding example of that.”
The cathedral was designed in a neo-Byzantine style by John Francis Bentley, a Catholic convert. He began working on the church in 1895, and it was completed in 1903.
David Gold, the Royal Mail’s Director of External Affairs and Policy, explained why the organisation chose to dedicate the Christmas stamps to cathedrals.
“Cathedrals are a hugely significant part of our cultural heritage and play an important role in local communities,” he said.
“They also offer space for peaceful reflection and a bit of an escape from the challenges of daily life, which can be especially important at Christmas,” Gold added.
(Credit: Royal Mail.)
The archbishop of Westminster said the Westminster Cathedral is a wonderful site for Christmas.
“If you’re in London over the Christmas period, come down Victoria Street and visit the Cathedral,” Nichols said.
“It’s always open. There are thousands of visitors every day, and you’d be most welcome. Once inside, you’ll be touched by something of the beauty of God and of his delicate, humble, compassionate presence among us,” the cardinal added.
Photo: Fr Slawomir Witon, Cathedral Dean, holding one of the new Royal Mail stamps, Westminster, London, 22 October 2024.
