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Ringing took place before and after Mass, celebrated by Bishop Paul Swarbrick, Bishop of Lancaster.

The Guild of St. Stephen holds a national Mass each year, alternately in Westminster Cathedral and in another diocesan Cathedral across the country. Lancaster Cathedral hosted this Mass this year, in the centenary year of the diocese and the 120th year of the Guild.

The Guild of St. Stephen was founded in 1904 by Father Hamilton McDonald when he formed a society of altar servers at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in London. In 1905, Pope Pius X, gave his approbation to the canonical establishment of the Guild at Westminster Cathedral.

In 1906, the Sacred Congregation of Rites made the guild an Archconfraternity, enabling all the parish branches to be linked with it. In 1934, the Guild spread, leading to Pope Pius XI's enabling of all Guilds throughout the British Commonwealth to be affiliated with the Archconfraternity at Westminster. The Guild is primarily under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as that of St. Stephen (the Protomartyr, after whom the Guild was named), St. Thomas More, and St. Pius X.

O God,

You accept our ministry and allow us to serve at your altar; grant that while serving you we follow the example of our Patron, St Stephen, the first martyr, and that we may, like him, come to see Jesus standing at your right hand in the Kingdom of Heaven.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, your Son.

Amen.

St Stephen: Pray for us.

St. Thomas More: Pray for us.

St. Pius X: Pray for us.

Sancti Stephani Archi Sodalitas

Cvi Servire Regnare Est

Archconfraternity of Saint Stephen

To Serve is to Reign