Spiritfest events 2025

Come to see the magnificent Cathedral in the heart of the city, and learn about its architecture, history and continuing legacy.

IsiQalo: The Beginning is a carefully curated programme that comprises songs that tell a very particular story. The show tells a story of conflict and loss, but also a story of the beauty of humanity. These songs will take you through an emotional journey and you don't want to miss it!

Join us for a meditative service in the monastic tradition, entirely sung in English and Latin by choristers from the Cathedral of St Michael & St George.

Join us on a collaborative journey through art song, featuring works by Schumann, Poulenc, and Hahn. This concert highlights some of the most iconic pieces for voice and piano, offering a beautifully crafted experience of poetry and music. Expect an emotive and nuanced performance that promises to move and inspire.

Learn how to meditate in the style of the desert fathers. Join us for a short, guided meditation focusing day by day on St Teresa of Avila's Four Degrees of Prayer.

Irish nun, Sister Aidan Quinlan, was killed in Duncan Village on 9 November 1952 but continues to live on in the hearts and lives of people who have come to know her story. In this talk, Mignonne Breier will recount some of the human stories associated with the tragic events of 1952 and the subsequent memorialisation of Sister Aidan.
Breier is author of "Bloody Sunday: The Nun, the Defiance Campaign and South Africa’s secret massacre" which won the 2022 Sunday Times Literary Award for Non-Fiction and the 2023 University of Cape Town Book Award.

The spirit of the tree from which the drum gets made, the spirit of the goat-skin that connects with the human spirit all makes African drumming one of the most profound spiritual experiences. The drumbeat and the heartbeat are one, and is a reflection of the heartbeat of God. Bring your drums and shakers and come and join Themba Lonzi and the Volmoed Youth drummers from Hermanus on Thursday 3 July 2025 at 1 pm as we raise our spirits and raise the Grahamstown Cathedral roof!

Let there be light!

A programme of mostly gentle organ music spanning three centuries.

Then a blaze of Fiat Lux by Theodore Dubois to rattle the rafters at end!

Join us for a meditative service in the monastic tradition, entirely sung in English and Latin by choristers from the Cathedral of St Michael & St George.