PICTURES: Weekend of celebration for Moderator’s cathedral visit in Dornoch
A jam-packed programme of celebrations took place in Sutherland last weekend to mark the laying of the foundation stones at Dornoch Cathedral 800 years ago.
The congregation of the 13th century cathedral welcomed the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for her first visit since her May 2023 appointment.
Rt Rev Sally Foster-Fulton and her husband Rev Stuart Fulton joined in on wide variety of festivities that had been planned for the weekend, such as the Darkness to Light event which attracted a “full to capacity” crowd at West Church Hall on Saturday, and a candle-lit ‘labyrinth’ in the cathedral in the evening.
The highlight of the weekend was the Moderator preaching at the Easter Sunday morning service, delivering a sermon entitled 'Remember Who You Are’.
Gifts were also exchanged at the service.
The Moderator then joined the congregation for a “soup and sweet” lunch with proceeds going to support the work of Christian Aid.
On Sunday evening, local churches came together to enjoy an “Ecumenical Songs of Praise”.
Before leaving the village on Monday, the Moderator attended Dornoch Distillery to witness the setting aside of a cask of whisky, to be named Cathedral Spirit.
The malt will be maturing over the next 15 years and will be sold in 2039 to mark the 800th anniversary of the first services being held in the cathedral.
Celebrations continued with a children’s treasure hunt and an evening concert in the cathedral featuring local artists.
A Flower Festival continues in the Cathedral until Sunday when celebrations are expected to come to a close.
