Order of Service
Welcome
God has been worshipped in this place through the prayers and praises of countless generations. Worship lies at the heart of our life as Christians and we express our theology and belief through our liturgy. It is through these liturgical patterns of words and actions that we are formed and transformed.
Should you wish to translate this order of service into another language, please choose your language in the bottom right. There is a guest wireless network available within the Cathedral for those without a mobile data connection.
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What is Carols for All?
Now whilst all are welcome to join us in our worship, we might not keep the attention of some of our youngest attendees, so if a little distraction is needed, there are crayons at the front desk for parents to borrow and colouring in on the outer pages of the order of service. Please return the crayons on your way out for others to use.
You are invited to say the text in bold in English.
Please stand to sing the
Hymn
O come, all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant;
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him born, the King of angels:
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
God of God, Light of Light,
Lo! He abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Very God, begotten, not created.
Sing choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above;
Glory to God in the highest.
Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born that happy morning,
Jesu, to thee be glory given;
Word of the Father, Now in flesh appearing:
Words, Adeste Fideles
Melody, John Francis Wade (1711-86)
Arrangement, David Willcocks (1919-2015)
The Ministers prays
The Bidding Prayer
We have come together as the family of God, in our Father’s presence, to celebrate the great festival of Christmas. In this service we hear and receive the good news of the birth of Christ and we offer to God our thanksgiving in the joyful singing of carols. As we gather together in the name of Christ, we pray for the world he came to save: for the Church, that she may be enabled in our generation to surrender anew to God’s holy Wisdom, and bear the good news of God’s love to a needy world; for the world, which is already Christ’s, that all its peoples may recognize their responsibility for its future, and may be inspired by the message of Christmas to work together for the establishment of justice, freedom and peace everywhere; for all in special need, the sick, the anxious, the lonely, the fearful and the bereaved, that the peace and light of the Christ-child may bring hope and healing to all who sit in darkness. We commend all whom we love, or who have asked for our prayers, to the unfailing mercy of our heavenly Father, and say together, as Christ himself taught us:
All say
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven: hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Please sit for
Anthem
How do you capture the wind on the water? How do you count all the stars in the sky? How can you measure the love of a mother, or how can you write down a baby′s first cry? Candlelight, angel light, firelight and starglow shine on his cradle till breaking of dawn. Gloria, Gloria in excelsis deo! Angels are singing; the Christ Child is born. Shepherds and wisemen will kneel and adore him, Seraphim round him their vigil will keep; Nations proclaim him their Lord and their Savior, but Mary will hold him and sing him to sleep. Find him at Bethlehem laid in a manger: Christ our Redeemer asleep in the hay. Godhead incarnate and hope of salvation: A child with his mother that first Christmas Day.
Words & Music, John Rutter (b. 1945)
Please remain seated for
The First Lesson
Isaiah 9: 2, 6 & 7
Read by a Cathedral chorister
The Choir sings
The Anthem
Little Lamb who made thee Little Lamb I’ll tell thee,
dost thou know who made thee little Lamb I’ll tell thee!
gave thee life & bid thee feed. He is called by thy name,
By the stream & o’er the mead; for he calls himself a Lamb:
Gave thee clothing of delight, He is meek & he is mild,
softest clothing woolly bright; He became a little child:
Gave thee such a tender voice, I a child & thou a lamb,
making all the vales rejoice! we are called by his name.
Little Lamb who made thee Little Lamb God bless thee.
dost thou know who made thee. Little Lamb God bless thee.
Words, William Blake (1757-1827)
Music, Bob Chilcott (b.1955)
Please remain seated for
The Second Lesson
Luke 1: 26-38
Read by a chorister parent.
Please stand to sing the
Hymn
The Choir sings alone:
Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.
He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable,
And his cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Saviour holy.
All sing:
And through all his wondrous childhood
He would honour and obey,
Love, and watch the lowly maiden,
In whose gentle arms he lay;
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as he.
For he is our childhood’s pattern,
Day by day like us he grew,
He was little, weak, and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us he knew;
And he feeleth for our sadness,
And he shareth in our gladness.
And our eyes at last shall see him,
Through his own redeeming love,
For that child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above;
And he leads his children on
To the place where he is gone.
Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see him; but in heaven,
Set at God’s right hand on high;
When like stars his children crowned
All in white shall wait around.
Words, Mrs Cecil Frances Alexander
Music, Henry John Gauntlett
Please be seated for
The Third Lesson
Luke 2: 1-7
Read by a member of the Cathedral Congregation.
Please stand and turn around to face the West End of the Cathedral; the choir sings
The Anthem
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head. The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. The cattle lowing, the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus no crying makes. I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky, and stay by my side until morning is nigh.
Text, Anonymous
Music, James Ramsey Murray (1841-1905) arranged John Rutter (b.1945)
Remain standing for
The Blessing of the Crib
Hear the words of the book of Wisdom: When peaceful silence lay over all and night was in the midst of her swift course, from your royal throne, O God, down from the heavens, leapt your almighty Word. Hear the words of Saint John: God’s love for us was revealed when God sent his only Son into the world so that we could have life through him.
Thanks be to God.
The Choir sings
The Anthem
Be near me Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay Close by me for ever, and love me, I pray. Bless all the dear children in thy tender care, and fit us for heaven to live with thee there.
Text, Anonymous
Music, James Ramsey Murray (1841-1905) arranged John Rutter (b.1945)
Please be seated for
Prayers
Let us pray that God our Father will bless this crib, and that all who worship his Son, born of the Virgin Mary, may come to share his life in glory:
God our Father, on this night your Son Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary for us and for our salvation; bless this crib, which we have prepared to celebrate that holy birth; may all who see it be strengthened in faith and receive the fullness of life he came to bring; who lives and reigns for ever. Amen.
Holy Jesus, to deliver us from the power of darkness you humbled yourself to be born among us and were laid in a manger. Let the light of your love always shine in our hearts, and bring us at last to the joyful vision of your beauty, for you are now alive and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.
Please stand to sing the
Hymn
All sing:
O little town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
the everlasting light;
the hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.
O morning stars, together
proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the King
and peace to men on earth;
for Christ is born of Mary;
and gathered all above,
while mortals sleep, the angels keep
their watch of wandering love.
The Choir sings alone:
How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heav’n.
No ear may hear his coming;
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in.
All sing:
O Holy Child of Bethlehem,
descend to us we pray;
cast out our sin, and enter in,
be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
the great glad tidings tell:
O come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Emmanuel.
Music, English Traditional
Arrangement, Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Please be seated for
The Fourth Lesson
Luke 2: 8-16
Read by the Cathedral’s Community Officer.
The Choir sings
The Anthem
Going through the hills on a night all starry on the way to Bethlehem, Far away I heard a shepherd-boy piping on the way to Bethlehem. Angels in the sky brought this message nigh: ‘Dance and sing for joy that Christ the new-born King is come to bring peace on earth, And he’s lying cradled there at Bethlehem’. ‘Tell me, shepherd-boy piping tunes so merrily on the way to Bethlehem, who will hear your tunes on these hills so lonely on the way to Bethlehem?’ ‘None may hear my pipes on these hills so lonely on the way to Bethlehem; but a King will hear me play sweet lullabies when I get to Bethlehem.’ ‘Where is this new King, shepherd-boy piping merrily, is he there at Bethlehem?’ ‘I will find him soon by the star shining brightly in the sky o’er Bethlehem.’ ‘May I come with you, shepherd-boy piping merrily, come with you to Bethlehem? Pay my homage too at the new King’s cradle, is it far to Bethlehem?’
Words & Music, John Rutter (b.1945)
Please remain seated for
The Fifth Lesson
Matthew 2: 1-11
Read by a member of the Cathedral Chapter.
Please stand to sing the
Hymn
All sing:
God rest you merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
For Jesus Christ our Saviour
Was born upon this day,
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray:
O tidings of comfort and joy.
From God our heavenly Father
A blessèd angel came,
And unto certain shepherds
Brought tidings of the same,
How that in Bethlehem was born:
The Son of God by name:
The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoicèd much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm, and wind,
And went to Bethlehem straightway
This blessèd Babe to find:
The Choir sings alone:
But when to Bethlehem they came,
Whereat this infant lay,
They found him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;
His mother Mary kneeling
Unto the Lord did pray:
All sing:
Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All others doth deface:
Words & Music, English traditional
Arrangement, David Willcocks (1919-2015)
Please remain standing
The Sixth Lesson
John 1: 1-14
Read by The Dean.
Please stand to sing
The Hymn
Hark! the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King,
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with the angelic host proclaim,
‘Christ is born in Bethlehem.’
Hark! the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King.
Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see!
Hail, the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hail, the heaven-born Prince of peace!
Hail, the sun of righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that man no more may die,
born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give them second birth.
Words, Charles Wesley (1707-88)
Music, Felix Mendelssohn (1809-47)
Arrangement, David Willcocks (1919-2015)
Please remain standing for
The Blessing
Christ, who by his incarnation gathered into one all things earthly and heavenly, fill you with his joy and peace: And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you always. Amen.
Please remain at your seat for the duration of
The Organ Voluntary
Acknowledgements
Developed by Clark Brydon (Education & Safeguarding Officer).
n.b.: Translations are provided automatically by Google Translate. Saint Patrick’s Cathedral is not responsible for automatically generated content or for content on external websites.
To report a problem or to send feedback and suggestions, please email: education@stpatrickscathedral.ie