DEATH OF HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE PHILIP, DUKE OF EDINBURGH

We are saddened to hear of the death of Prince Philip and our deepest sympathy and prayers are with and for the Queen and her family at this time.

A prayer that we can use on his death:

God of our lives,
we give thanks for the life of Prince Philip,
for his love of our country,
and for his devotion to duty.
We entrust him now to your love and mercy,
through our Redeemer Jesus Christ. Amen
.

You may find other prayers useful, which are here:

prayers_on_hearing_of_the_death_of_the_duke_of_edinburgh.pdf (mcusercontent.com)

As a church and as a community we are limited by the Coronavirus restrictions as to how we can respond to his death.  The Government has advised that there should be no books of condolence in our churches.  The Church of England has opened an online condolence book, which is open to any individual or church communities who wish to sign and record a message. St Mary’s and All Saints remain open for prayer at the usual times.

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s statement on His Royal Highness’s death can be found here:

Statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury on the Death of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh | The Archbishop of Canterbury

A special service of Evensong from Christ Church Oxford will be broadcast tonight at 6.00pm, link here:

Evensong In Remembrance of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh – YouTube

On Sunday 18th April the 6.00pm Evening Prayer service at St Mary’s will mark and give thanks to God for the life of Prince Philip with appropriate music and readings.