CHURCH bosses are set to introduce modern language into Cathedral services in a bid to attract more youngsters.

A Parish Communion will be held on December 1 and then each Sunday, replacing the Sung Matins with worship more in keeping with 21st Century society.

The 9am services will use modern speech to help reach -- and boost -- ever dwindling congregations.

Dean of Blackburn, the Very Rev Christopher Armstrong, said: "The new service will take place in the North Transept using contemporary language. It will also involve more people in its presentation, but it will still provide the ample musical resources of the Cathedral.

"The purpose of this new service is to provide greater choice for church-goers on a Sunday, who wish to take part in a Communion service."

He added: "What we are looking at is making the services easier to understand using modern-day language, but not necessarily slang or terms of phrase which drop in and out of popularity.

"It will also give more people the chance to get involved in various parts of the service."

Sung Matins have been a part of the early services for as long as anyone at the cathedral can remember.

But the Dean added: "We haven't got a problem attracting young people to our cathedral. We have at least 100 young people who play an active role in the life of the Cathedral but it we want to keep them involved, and by using language which is easier to understand, we can try to do that."

He said the new service would be in contrast to the 10.30am Cathedral Eucharist, which will continue, and would attract its own brand-new congregation.

He added: "We hope this more informal service will prove attractive to those people who wish to use the bulk of the day for leisure pursuits.

"It will enable baptisms to fit more naturally into our worship and hopefully encourage people who are casting around for a Parish Communion with excellent musical worship."