St Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow
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Weddings of same-sex couples

St Mary’s Cathedral is now taking bookings from same-sex couples following the recent vote in General Synod which allowed clergy in the Scottish Episcopal Church to be nominated to conduct such weddings.

As a same-sex couple, can we get married in St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow?
Yes – General Synod voted in June 2017 to allow clergy in the Scottish Episcopal clergy to be nominated to be able to conduct the marriages of same-sex couples. Not all Scottish Episcopal Church clergy will be nominated for this but there will be such clergy at St Mary’s. Members of St Mary’s campaigned for this to be able to happen.

Can we exchange rings in church?
Yes – of course. It’s a wedding.

Can we make vows to one another in church?
Yes – of course. It’s a wedding.


Bells? Choir? Organ? Photographs?
Yes – of course, on the same terms as for any other wedding.


What order of service can we use?
We use the Scottish Liturgy (2007) which has a lot of options that allow each couple getting married to personalise the service so that it matches who they are and says what they want to say.


Could we have our Civil Partnership or our Marriage blessed in St Mary’s?
Yes – clergy in the Scottish Episcopal Church can bless a same-sex couple at the time of them registering a Civil Partnership or after entering into a marriage that has been conducted elsewhere.


So could we register a Civil Partnership in St Mary’s?
The Scottish Episcopal Church has not chosen to allow Civil Partnerships to be registered in its churches. If you want a Civil Partnership then you need to have that conducted by a registrar and it can’t take place in a Scottish Episcopal Church. You could come to church after a Civil Partnership and have a blessing if you wanted to.

How long have you been doing this kind of thing?
The first public same-sex blessing that we know about in St Mary’s was conducted in 2008. However, the clergy here have been supportive of gay couples for decades and it would be surprising if a blessing of some kind or another had not been offered before then. The Scottish Episcopal Church decided in June 2017 to allow same-sex couples to get married in church.

What does the rest of the church think about same-sex couples being married?
The Christian Churches have divided views about same-sex couples getting married as they do about lots of things.

Doesn’t the Bible have bad things to say about gay couples?
The Bible has a lot to say about a lot of things and the clergy and others in the congregation will be happy to chat more about how we understand the Bible in relation to same-sex couples. There is an LGBT network within the congregation. We believe that gay people and straight people are equally blessed and loved by God and that the Bible teaches us that this is so.

It is a gay church then?
St Mary’s is a church working to be open, inclusive and welcoming. We don’t think that God’s love is limited – straight people are loved by God just as much as gay and lesbian people are loved by God.

Who do I talk to about this?
Speak to a member of the clergy whom you can contact via Jo Russell in the Cathedral Office.

Choral Evensong

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Evensong is sung weekly in St Mary’s on Sundays at 6.30 pm.

On Choir holidays – the week after Christmas, the week after Easter and for six weeks in the summer, the congregation sings the whole service.

Regular Sunday Worship Times

Sunday services are at 8.30 am, 10.30 am and 6.30 pm. The morning services are communion services, the evening one is usually Choral Evensong. Look out for the Open Silence once a month at 8 pm.

St Mary’s at the movies

ST MARY’S @ THE MOVIES… A new season of film discussions will be held in St Mary’s Cathedral office, each beginning at 19.30. Discussions will be led by writer and teacher Donny O’Rourke.

For more information or to sign up, contact the cathedral office.

School of Spirituality


St Mary’s School of Spirituality is a series of one-off sessions that are open to anyone interested in learning and developing their practice of personal spirituality. The most recent series included sessions on silence, “Lectio Divina”, art and prayer, keeping a spiritual journal, the spirituality of Taize and “Capacitar” – the empowering potential of simple body movement.

For further information see the notice on the spirituality section of the cathedral notice board. For more information, complete the form below.

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Young Church

St Mary’s has a lively programme of Sunday morning events which take place between the Psalm and the Peace during the 1030 am Sung Eucharist.  This includes  learning about the seasons of the Church Year, singing games with the choir and contact with the clergy.

Please contact the leaders via the Cathedral Office for more information.

BabySpace! Babies and infants are very welcome at St Mary’s. There is also a quiet space for parents to be with their children called BabySpace! This is in the small meeting room. It may be especially welcome during the sermon and intercessions. BabySpace! is equipped with live audio feed so the service can be heard. There are soft toys, a comfortable feeding chair and safe play space.   Picture Credit: Flavio Takemoto

What’s On – Spring and Summer 2011

Tuesday 26 April 2011 – The mid-morning programme on Radio Scotland will feature a live segment on recruiting organists, broadcast live from St Mary’s.
Saturday 30 April 2011 – The Bellringers will attempt to ring a Peal for the Royal Wedding.
Sunday 1 May 2011 – visit by the Ulster Association of Organists.
Saturday 7 May 2011 – Concert by Bearsden Choir Mozart Mass in C Minor K427 – see flyers at the back of church.
Tuesday 10 May 2011 – Compline (Night Prayer) will be sung at 7.15 pm
Saturday 14 May 2011 – Exploring Prayer – “Art and Prayer”. More details from the Rev Caroline McKillop
Sunday 15 May 2011 – The Open Silence – an hour of shared silence in church at 8 pm
Saturday 21 May 2011 – AGM of the Scottish Society of Change Ringers with service celebrating bell ringing at 4.30 pm
Sunday 22 May 2011 – Live Broadcast of Morning Worship from St Mary’s Cathedral on Radio 4 beginning at 8.10 am. Please be in seats by 7.40 am.
Wednesday 25 May 2011 – Cosmology Discussion Evening in the Synod Hall at 7.45 pm. “The Big Bang, Black Holes and Belief
Thursday 26 May 2011 – Visit from the Friends of St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh
Thursday 2 June 2011 – Ascension Day – services at 11 am and 7.30 pm. The evening service will be a Choral Eucharist
Saturday 4 June 2011 – Diocesan Ministry Celebration Service at 1.15 pm
Sunday 5 June 2011 – RSNO Chamber Series Afternoon Concert – Italian Baroque Gens including including: Corelli’s Christmas Concerto, Vivaldi’s La Stravaganza, Geminiani’s Concerto Grosso La Folia, and works by Locatelli, Uccellini and Marini.
Saturday 11 June 2011 – Chorister Day – come try being a chorister for the day. Services at 12.30 pm and 5 pm
Sunday 12 June 2011 – Pentecost. Please wear national dress if you have it and come prepared to say the Lord’s Prayer in your first language at the 1030 Eucharist.
Saturday 18 June 2011 – evening – concert by the Lanarkshire Guitar and Mandolin Association.
Sunday 19 June 2011 – 10.30 am Trinity Sunday Jazz Mass!
Sunday 19 June 2011 – The Open Silence – 8 pm
Wednesday 22 June 2011 – North East Regional Council – Launch of the Diocesan Growth Strategy with the Bishop at St James’s Church, Bishopbriggs.
Thursday 23 June 2011 – Celebratory Choral Mass for Corpus Christi
Friday 24 June 2011 – Organ Mass for the Feast of St Barnabas – in the Parisian Style.
Saturday 25 June 2011 – Come and Sing “Messiah”. Conductor Frikki Walker. Rehearsal 10 am – 3 pm. Performance at 3 pm.
Sunday 26 June 2011 – Royal School of Church Music Music Sunday. Orchestral Evensong at 6.30 pm.
Saturday 16 July 2011 – Glasgow Fair Weekend Trip to Millport. Day out to the Isle of Cumbrae. Meet at St Mary’s for Morning Prayer and a Blessing before travelling to Cumbrae. Tea and Buns in Millport. Walks on the island. Visit to the Cathedral of the Isles.