2026 is the centenary of The Church of England in Lancashire (Blackburn Diocese) CLICK HERE FOR CENTENARY UPDATES AND RESOURCES
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9th January 2026

Exciting Centenary year for Diocese launches across Lancashire

The centenary year of The Church of England in Lancashire (Blackburn Diocese) is now officially underway, following an exciting few days of activity marking this important moment for the County. 

As the Diocese begins its 100th year, alongside our Cathedral in Blackburn which was also founded in 1926, thousands of people have already engaged with the centenary launch both online and in person, in parishes and in schools across Lancashire; the latter involving more than 20,000 children watching a special Zoom broadcast. 

And this is only the beginning of a year that will see communities coming together to celebrate, with lots of opportunities for mission work; together under the centenary theme 'All for Jesus'.

The centenary celebrations began on New Year’s Day with the release of the Bishop of Blackburn’s New Year Message video.

The message, delivered by the Rt Rev. Philip North, was seen by tens of thousands of people across diocesan social media channels and shared widely by churches, schools and individuals. It was also covered by a range of local and regional media outlets and was broadcast on BBC Radio Lancashire.

On Sunday, January 4, Bishop Philip appeared on BBC Radio Lancashire for an extended interview following the broadcast of his message; reflecting on the year ahead and outlining the exciting programme of centenary events planned throughout 2026. Listen here at 21m 45s; 02h 07m 55s and 02h 26m 40s.

These events include a ‘Big Day Out’ for families in Blackpool on 16 May, a centenary conference in early July, a county‑wide mission weekend involving every parish from 11–13 September, and the special centenary service on 12 November, alongside many other local and diocesan celebrations. This page gathers all the latest information together.

On the same day as the radio interview, parishes across Lancashire held special centenary launch services, marking the beginning of the year in their own communities. Many churches shared photos, reflections and prayers from their services on social media, with this activity amplified across the Diocese of Blackburn’s social media channels, where it can still be viewed including here on Facebook.

The posts include coverage of:

  • A Deanery service for the centenary launch at Christ Church Lancaster
  • Celebrations at St George’s in Preston, which is also celebrating 300 years of serving its local community there in 2026
  • A launch service at St Laurence in Chorley, complete with special cake!
  • Another service also launching a Children’s Church (with more cake!) at St Michael’s and All Angels in Hoole

On January 6, Blackburn Cathedral held its own official centenary launch event attended by civic and community representatives. The Cathedral has a full programme of events across the year ahead, commemorating a century of worship, service, and common life at the heart of the diocese and county. You can find out more on their centenary page here.

Bishop Philip also led two special live Zoom broadcasts this week organised by the Diocesan Board of Education for diocesan church schools, speaking to more than 20,000 children. 

The lively broadcasts on January 7 and 9 launched the centenary year for pupils across the county, celebrating the Diocese’s history while encouraging young people to look ahead with hope and faith. Video of the broadcast also features on social media here.

Thinking about our theme 'All for Jesus', Bishop Philip told the children they would be exploring who Jesus is and what it might mean for us to follow him; to be a part of his family and how we can be more like him; loving the people around us, serving those who are in need, serving our communities and being the best people we can be. 

The Bishop also explained how children can be involved with the celebrations and pointed them to the resources available on the Board of Education's website which include 'Kindness Kites', creative prayer activities, Bible challenges and 30 Collective Worship sessions on the theme of kindness.

After the Zoom calls, schools posted to their Facebook pages about the event, including St Peter's Primary School in Burnley, saying: "We hope that the Centenary Year will give our children at St Peter's the chance to give thanks for all that God has done through his people.”

In his new year message, Bishop Philip says: “Quite simply, we exist in the name of Jesus. We are for him. So the best way – in fact the only way – to celebrate a centenary is to dedicate our lives to him anew.

“Our centenary year has such a bold and simple title: All for Jesus. That’s what motivates our words and deeds, that’s who we are. So I hope that 2026 is a good year. And I pray that you will live it all for Jesus.”

Coverage of the centenary launch, including videos and images from parishes and schools, is available via the Diocese’s social media channels …

Captions for the above pictures, top to bottom:

Bishop Philip, left, alongside Bishop’s Chaplain, Rev Andy Meeson, broadcasts to thousands of schoolchildren on Zoom for our centenary launch

One of the Zoom calls under way to the many schools taking part

Diocese of Blackburn centenary logo