St John’s will remember the departed in a solemn mass for All Souls
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Black vestments and incense will accord with a solemn act of remembrance
Members of St John’s will remember loved ones who have died, whether recently or in the past, with a Solemn Requiem Eucharist on Sunday 1st November. All Souls’ Day itself is on Monday 2nd November.
Mother Jackie said death and loss were a reality in our lives, and the mass would not shy away from that. “It will be a moment of mourning but also of hope,” she said. “The service is an opportunity for us to pray for those we’ve loved, and whom we have entrusted to God’s care.”
Anglican Singers at St James’, New London, where they have been choir-in-residence for 29 years
Our celebration of the Feast of All Souls, starting at 5pm on Sunday, will be augmented by a visiting choir. The Anglican Singers, directed by Simon Holt with organist L. Graham Schultz will perform the choral parts of the mass. Our Organist and Choirmaster Kathy Cooper said “we will also have three very accomplished guest singers joining us, soprano Abigail Paschke and tenors Brian Cheney and Timothy Lind."
St John’s Organist and Choirmaster Kathy Cooper is president of The Anglican Singers
The music at the mass will include Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo (“Little Organ Mass”) by Joseph Haydn, and John Rutter’s “The Lord is My Shepherd”. The choir will also sing “Greater Love Hath No Man” by John Ireland, and there will be congregational hymns and organ voluntaries. There will be an organ prelude starting at 4.45pm.
Incense is part of the ritual of the solemn mass, symbolizing purification and the mystery of God
The mass will follow an order of service for All Souls’ Day, added to the Book of Common Prayer in 1979. Christians have celebrated masses for saints – those regarded as being already in heaven – since the 4th Century, with the 1st November eventually designated All Saints’ Day. By the 13th Century, November 2nd, All Souls’ Day, was almost universally recognized as a day of intercession for all others who had died.
Mother Jackie said anyone in the wider community was welcome to attend the mass, and to add the names of loved ones, including with photos or mementos of them, to the necrology. This record of those who have died will be read at the service.
Mother Jackie said All Souls’ Day had become an important part of our fall season of remembrance. It will continue on Sunday 8th November with a Veterans’ and Remembrance Day service at 9am.