Inspire! Sunday Service

On Sunday 29th September we are inviting all our congregation members, friends and supporters past and present, and everyone else who loves St Bride’s, to join us in church for a wonderful celebratory occasion – the annual Inspire! Sunday service.

The event is an excellent opportunity to listen to the glories of St Bride’s Choir and Orchestra and also to raise a glass of bubbles after the service to toast all that is special about St Bride’s and its people, and to give thanks to God for his many blessings.

 

Music

We are delighted and grateful that the St Bride’s Orchestra will be accompanying the choir for this service in a liturgical performance of Dvořák’s Mass in D, Op 86.

The mass setting was commissioned by Dvořák’s friend, Josef Hlávka, who was a leading architect and patron of the arts, and later the founder and first president of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Hlávka had a new chapel built at his summer residence, a castle in Lužany in Western Bohemia, and he asked Dvořák to write a new mass for its consecration which took place on September 11th, 1887.

Lužany Castle

More used to large choral and orchestral forces, Dvořák seems to have genuinely enjoyed the process of writing for the smaller and more intimate venue. He wrote in a letter to Hlávka:

“I am pleased to announce that I have finished the work and that I am supremely pleased with the result. I think it will fully suit its purpose… I also thank you for giving me the impulse to write the work in this form, for I should hardly have thought of it; up to now I wrote works of this kind only on a large scale and for a large number of performers. This time, however, I have written for only a modest presentation, and still I dare to claim that my work has turned out well.”

Typically folk-like, more lyrical and prayerful than dramatic, its character has often been described as pastoral, reflecting Dvořák’s love of nature. It evokes the tranquil countryside surrounding Hlávka’s castle as well as suiting the more modest performing forces then available in the small chapel.

Dvořák was a devout man, inspired by his Christian faith and he suggested the mass be subtitled “Faith, Hope and Love.”

Originally conceived with a highly ingenious organ accompaniment, the slightly more elaborate version for orchestral accompaniment was created for his London publisher who was concerned that no choir would be interested in just organ accompaniment!

Nominate your favourite hymns

We are once again taking a risk on democracy and have decided to invite you to vote for your four favourite hymns. The winning four will be sung at the service.

Either fill out one of the forms available at the back of church in September or email your four hymn choices to tracy.mckeever@stbrides.com.

The service launches our busy Autumn period in celebratory mood as we prepare to move through the seasons of Thanksgiving and Remembrance in preparation for Advent & Christmas.

Admission

This service is open to all, ticketless and free to attend.

Support St Bride’s

There will be a retiring collection at the end of the service to support the work, ministry and music-making of St Bride’s and help maintain our magnificent Wren church.

St Bride’s is wholly reliant on and deeply grateful for the generous support of our visitors and congregation.

Donations can be made by cash or contactless at church or via JustGiving.

Do please Gift Aid your donation if you are eligible which generates an extra 25p in every £1 donated.

Additional Information

Directions to St Bride’s Church and information about accessibility are available on our Visit Us page.

Each Sunday morning at 11am we release a specially created short reflection in words and music for those who cannot make it to church. It will be released on this page and across our social media channels.