London, 28 October 2016. A special service was held at Westminster Cathedral on the evening of 28 October 2016 to bless and dedicate the new mosaic and marble decorations that now adorn the Chapel of St George and The English Martyrs. The chapel contains the Cathedral’s war memorial and its dedication marks the centenary of the Battle of the Somme.
The completion of this projects comes after many years of fund-raising, planning and execution and it has been supported by the Constantinian Order’s Delegation of Great Britain and Ireland since its inception.
The dedication ceremony started with a sung Mass, presided over by the Archbishop of Westminster and Constantinian Order’s Chief Chaplain for Great Britain, His Eminence Vincent Cardinal Nichols, and attended by hundreds of worshippers. The British and Irish Delegation was represented by Council Members Prince Don Cristoforo Rocco di Torrepadula and Mr Andrew Rogers. Council member Mr Timothy George was also in attendance.
In the course of his homily, the Cardinal outlined how important it was to keep adding to the infrastructure of the Cathedral and thanked the Friends of the Cathedral and craftsmen who had stuck to the challenging task of finalising this project.
After Mass, Cardinal Nichols performed a Blessing and Dedication Service of the new mosaics and marbles in the Chapel. The ceremony was followed by a reception hosted by the Friends of Westminster Cathedral in the Cathedral Library, during which Cardinal Nichols and Canon Christopher Tuckwell thanked all those who helped undertaking and completing this significant project.
The Chapel bears the names of the forty Catholic martyrs emblazoned in mosaic across a dark sky in the vault and their suffering is recalled by a depiction of the Tyburn gallows in marble on the west wall. The new decorative scheme and the mosaics are splendid and well worth a visit.