Peace Doves is a mass-participation artwork created by sculptor, Peter Walker
The beautiful installation is made up of 12,000 paper doves which will be suspended above the Cathedral’s Nave and is accompanied by music composed by David Harper.
The artwork will be on display from 5 September to 14 November 2024. But first we need your help to write messages of peace, love and hope on the doves.
The doves will be available to make in the Cathedral throughout August, and visitors and local communities groups are being invited to add messages of peace, hope and love to the paper birds.
Peace is something we all long for – peace within ourselves, our relationships and our world – and yet we know that peace is not always easy to find and that to live lives of peace takes hope, courage and a commitment to working together across our differences. As Christians we talk about the ‘deep peace that passes all understanding’, which we find when our lives are centred in God’s love for our world. This is the peace we hope and pray for.
It is therefore a delight to be hosting Peter Walker’s Peace Doves installation here at Lincoln Cathedral – a vision of peace created by all of us, across our city and county, gathering our hopes and prayers for peace and creating out of them a beautiful piece of art to remind us of what we can achieve when we work together to create peace in our communities and our world.
Services, events and activities
while the doves soar above the nave, there will be a wide range of services and events taking place beneath them. Take a look below to discover some of the activities taking place in this unique and atmospheric setting beneath the Peace Doves
Grand Organ Festival 2024 – Peter King recital
Monday 2 September, 7pm
Table for the Nation – Community table runner
Thursday 5 September
The Mindful Mile
Tuesday 10 September, 12.30pm
Installation of the Revd Canon Dr Simon Jones as Dean of Lincoln
Saturday 14 September
Battle of Britain Memorial Service
Sunday 15 September, 3pm
Grand Organ Festival – Ben Bloor recital
Monday 16 September, 7pm
Peace Doves Late Night Opening
Wednesday 18 September, 6.30pm
Grand Organ Festival 2024 – Organ Extravaganza
Monday 30 September, 7pm
West End Musicals By Candlelight
Friday 4 October, 7.30pm
The Mindful Mile
Tuesday 8 October, 12.30pm
The Best of Hans Zimmer & Film Favourites Illuminated
Thursday 10 October, 7.30pm and 9.45pm
The Hallé in Concert
Friday 11 October, 7pm
Grand Organ Festival 2024 – Robert Sharpe
Monday 14 October, 7pm
Lincs Kids BIG Family Event
Saturday 19 October, 10.30am to 3pm
Peace Doves Late Night Opening
Wednesday 23 October, 6.30pmto 8.30pm
Half Term Family Activities
Saturday 19 October to Friday 25 October
Grand Organ Festival 2024 – Jeffrey Makinson
Monday 28 October, 7pm
Lunchtime Recital – Alana Books
Tuesday 29 October, 1.10pm
All Souls Day
Saturday 2 November
County Harvest Festival
Sunday 3 November, 3.45pm
Peace Doves Late Night Opening
Wednesday 6 November, 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Remembrance Day Service
Sunday 10 November, 10.30am
Grand Organ Festival 2024 – Dr Colin Walsh
Monday 11 November, 7pm
In Christian tradition, the dove is one of the symbols for the Holy Spirit; the aspect of God which moves in and through creation – inspiring, supporting and sustaining life. At the very beginning of the Bible, in Genesis, we hear of God’s Spirit hovering over the waters of creation, and in the Gospels we hear of God’s Spirit ‘descending like a dove’ at Jesus’ baptism.
In the letter to the Galatians, we hear Paul describe the fruits of God’s Spirit (that is, the way we can tell if something reflects God’s hope for the world) as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Peace isn’t simply the absence of conflict, but rather it is something that grows through a hands-on commitment to finding ways to live together across our differences and disagreements. Each of us has a part to play in building communities of peace – what practical things you can do to build peace in your communities?
As you write on your message of peace on your dove, you may like to pray one of the following prayers:
May each one of us know
peace of mind and heart,
peace of body and spirit,
peace of community and world.
Holy Spirit of Peace, grant our prayer. Amen.
God of peace,
whose son Jesus Christ taught us
to love you and to love our neighbour as ourselves,
give your love to all of us who pray for peace –
peace that will transform,
peace that will heal,
peace that will last,
for the sake of the same Jesus Christ,
the Prince of Peace.
Amen.
