Portsmouth Cathedral welcome all to a Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
This Sunday (18 September), Portsmouth Cathedral will welcome people from across the city to attend A Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving for the Life of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The service will be an opportunity for the people of the City and Diocese of Portsmouth to come together and express their affection and gratitude for our late Sovereign. The service will be attended by the Deputy Lord-Lieutenant, the Lord Mayor, the Leader of the City Council, as well as several other civic and community leaders.
The Bishop of Portsmouth, The Right Reverend Dr Jonathan Frost, will be preaching at the service on Sunday with the Portsmouth Cathedral Choir singing music drawn from across the nations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Music will include Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s ‘Pie Jesu’, as well as ‘We wait for thy loving kindness, O Lord’ by William McKie, sung at the Queen’s wedding 75 years ago.
Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II last visited the Cathedral in 1998 for the Royal Maundy service, and since the announcement of her death people from all walks of life have been visiting the Cathedral to pay their respects and sign condolence books. The Cathedral continues to open for extended hours during the National Mourning period from 8:00am until 7:00pm daily, with all welcome to join services throughout the week.
The Dean of Portsmouth, The Very Reverend Dr Anthony Cane said “Since last week's sad announcement, the Cathedral has welcomed a continuous stream of people from all walks of life wanting to pay their respects to our late Sovereign. We are approaching a thousand entries in our books of condolence, and many people have also lit a candle, joined in with prayers on the hour, attended one of our services, and appreciated the chance to speak to one of our welcomers or ministry team.
"This Sunday’s service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving will give the people of Portsmouth and the wider diocese a final opportunity to pay their respects to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and all are very welcome to attend this poignant service, as well as the Choral Evensong and Vigil later that day, which will incorporate a national moment of reflection on the eve of her late Majesty’s funeral.”
The Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving will start at 3:00pm on Sunday 18 September at Portsmouth Cathedral and will also be available to stream from the Cathedral’s website. Portsmouth Cathedral will also be holding a vigil on Sunday evening after Choral Evensong, and will also be showing the BBC’s coverage of the funeral on Monday (19 September) for those who wish to watch with other members of the community.
Portsmouth Cathedral is open daily with extended hours from 8:00am until 7:00pm the day of Her Late majesty’s funeral on the 20th of September 2022 as well as for services, the Cathedral is located in the Old Portsmouth area and is a short walk from bus stops and parking locations.
Further information on all the services coming up at Portsmouth Cathedral can be found here.
