More than a Building, Stephen – St Albans Cathedral

More than a Building. Stephen. Teacher. Welcomer. Cathedral Guide.

Stephen De Silva thought he’d try out the cathedral when he moved to St Albans in 1979. Almost forty years later, he’s got hundreds of memories but his highlights include meeting the Queen, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, Desmond Tutu and sharing the stage with Mary Berry when she came to the cathedral to research the Alban bun for a TV programme she was making.

A former teacher, Stephen has volunteered in many ways – altar server, chairing the youth and finance committees, Friends of St Albans, ten years on the Chapter – nine of them as cathedral warden. But his real love is welcoming visitors and guiding them around –  he is now a Cathedral guide and looks forward to opening visitors’ eyes to new ways of seeing the past and the present.

“Volunteering at the cathedral has been a joy of my life for 40 years, where else would I have all these diverse opportunities,’ he said.

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