Churches all set to offer a warm welcome to Archbishop Sarah this October

People across Herefordshire and South Shropshire will have the chance to meet and worship with the Archbishop of Canterbury next month, as The Most Revd Dame Sarah Mullally visits the Diocese of Hereford during its 1,350th anniversary year.

The archbishop will visit on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October 2026, joining public celebrations at Hereford Cathedral and the Much Marcle Big Apple Festival, alongside a programme of private engagements that reflects the breadth of ministry, mission and community life across the diocese.

On Saturday, Archbishop Sarah will attend two services in South Shropshire, in the Ludlow area, which is part of the diocese.  She will join in a celebration of lay ministers from churches across the diocese, followed by a confirmation service in the afternoon before ending the day meeting with young people.

Archbishop Sarah will visit the Much Marcle Big Apple Festival on Sunday, meeting local people and celebrating the rural life and harvest traditions which are part of our diocesan life. She will also come to Hereford Cathedral for a service of Evensong, where people from across the diocese are warmly invited to gather in prayer and worship.

Alongside these public moments, Archbishop Sarah will undertake some private engagements, including meeting members of the farming community and the hospital team in Hereford, ahead of Baby Loss Awareness Week. These conversations will offer opportunities to hear directly about local joys and challenges, and to reflect the breadth of ministry, care and service taking place in parishes, chaplaincies and community settings.

The Bishop of Hereford, The Rt Revd Richard Jackson, said:

“We are honoured that Archbishop Sarah has accepted our invitation to visit the diocese in this our 1350th anniversary year; one of the first diocesan visits since her appointment. We hope to give her a flavour of our deeply rural counties and our innovative mission and outreach, but also to foster understanding of our unique challenges.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Revd Dame Sarah Mullally, said:

“What a joy to be celebrating 1,350 years of faith and service with parishes, clergy and their congregations across the Diocese of Hereford next month. It is an extraordinary milestone, and a testament to the generations of faithful Christians sharing Jesus’ love across this region.

“I am grateful to Bishop Richard for the invitation, and I look forward to visiting farming communities, youth hubs and hospital chaplaincies, as well as joining a harvest festival and confirmation service at parish churches, and Evensong at Hereford Cathedral. I look forward to praying and worshipping with you all and seeing the ways that you make Jesus known in your communities across the diocese.”

For further details about joining the Evensong at Hereford Cathedral, please register your interest via our Eventbrite booking.