Today is also the former feast of the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IV Sunday of October in England), In other places the Feast of the Holy Relics (IV Sunday of October), now celebrated on the 5th November in some places.

From the Catholic Directory 1913

The Third Sunday of October was in England the Feast of the Purity of Our Lady. In Southwark it is the Feast of the Dedication of the Cathedral. The Fourth Sunday of October was the Feast of the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In Southwark the Octave day being a greater double takes precedence over the Sunday after Pentecost which was a semi double.

In the The Great Link: A History of St George’s Cathedral Southwark (1786-1958) Bogan, Bernard (Canon) 1958 London: Burns & Oates, we have the following,

“The Solemn consecration was eventually arranged to take place on Wednesday, 7 November, 1894 (The new church had been opened on the morning of Tuesday, 4th July, 1848, in 1852 St George’s became the first Roman Catholic Cathedral in London since the Reformation.) The ceremony began at 8 o’clock in the morning and lasted for four and a quarter hours. Bishop Butt consecrated the church and the high altar. The altar of St. Joseph’s chapel was consecrated by the Right Rev. Mgr. Virtue, Bishop of Portsmouth, and the Right Rev. Mgr. Patterson, Bishop of Emmanus, consecrated the altar of the Lady chapel.”

“Bishop Butt issued a decree, dated 7 November, 1894, in which he staled that he had consecrated on that day the church and altar in honour of St. George, enclosing in the altar the relics of SS. Constance and Domnilla, Virgins and Martyrs, and that he had transferred the anniversary of the consecration to the Third Sunday of October for ever. But shortly afterwards, some doubt appears to have been raised as to his power to transfer the feast in this way, and he therefore sent a petition to Rome. He explained that, after consulting the Priest who drew up the calendar for the Province of Westminster, he had changed the day for the celebration of the anniversary of the Dedication from 7 November to the Third Sunday of October, but that he had now become aware of certain decrees of the Sacred Congregation of Rites which seemed to deny this faculty to an Ordinary without special concession of the Holy See.”

” He therefor humbly asked that this change of day might be confirmed, giving as his reason the fact that the faithful of the parish were nearly all of the working class, and would be unable to assist at High Mass on a week-day, and that it would be difficult to find singer and boys to serve at the altar. His Holiness granted this privilege at an audience held on 1 October, 1895: the Rescript is preserved at Bishop’s House, and the fact was also recorded on a mural tablet in the Cathedral.”

” (Some year later, a decision was issued from Rome that the feast of the dedication in all churches must be kept on the actual anniversary day, and it was thought that this revoked the privilege given to St. George’s; the solemnity’s therefore observed once more on the 7 November. Later still, it was discovered that the privilege granted to St. George’s was of such a nature that it could be enjoyed despite the new decision, and in 1935 Bishop amigo restored the feast of the dedication of the Cathedral to the Third Sunday of October)”