All Souls’ Service

This year we shall again be holding a special service of choral music and readings for All Souls’ Day.

This is one of our most popular and most poignant services, at which we commemorate family, friends and loved ones who have passed away.

At the heart of the service, St Bride’s Choir will sing James MacMillan’s Who shall separate us?, first heard at the State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II, then the names of the dearly departed are read aloud and candles lit on the altar in their memories. If you would like someone to be remembered by name during this service, please contact our administrator claire.seaton@stbrides.com

Dozens of living flames flicker in the church, symbolising our loved ones who are now held safe in the arms of God, even though they are beyond our reach. The choir sings Allegri’s Miserere mei, his famous setting of Psalm 51 – Have mercy upon me, O God, after thy great goodness.

Download Order of Service (pdf)

This service will also be made available online here at the service time, and on our pages at Facebook, YouTube and SoundCloud. This will not include the reading of names but at the point this will be happening in church, we encourage listeners to light their own candles at home as an act of remembrance.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Alleluia! Amen.

Words: Romans 8: 35a, 38b–end, set by James MacMillan