Category: Eucharist

Categories
Eucharist

Christmas Day – 25th December 2025 – 11:15

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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You are invited to say the text in bold in English.

Please stand as the Minister, at the West End of the Cathedral, sings

Let us pray. 

Please remain standing to sing the

Hymn

1. 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.

2. God of God,
Light of Light,
Lo! he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Very God,
Begotten, not created:

O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

3. See how the Shepherds,
Summoned to his cradle,
Leaving their flocks draw nigh with lowly fear;
We too will thither
Bend our joyful footsteps:

O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

4. Sing, choirs of Angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;
Glory to God
In the highest:

O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

5. Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesu! to thee be glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing:

O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Latin, tr. Frederick Oakley (1802–80)

John Wade (1711–1786)

The Celebrant says the

Greeting

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Please remain standing for the

Lighting of the Christmas Candle

Almighty God, today the long-expected Saviour is born, and those who live in darkness are seeing a great light: help us to live in this light and to share the good news of your love.

Glory to God in the highest! Glory to God in the highest!

Please remain standing for the

Collect for Purity

Almighty God  to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name: through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

The Celebrant and People say

Kyrie Eleison

Lord, you send your eternal light into the world; but so often we choose to remain in darkness.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

You show your love for us by sending your Son into the world; but so often we do not love one another.

Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.

You offer us the privilege of becoming your children; but so often we do not recognise Jesus or receive him as Saviour and Lord.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

The Celebrant pronounces the

Absolution

To which all reply

Amen.

Please remain standing whilst the Choir sings

Gloria in excelsis

Please remain standing whilst the Celebrant intones the

Collect of the Day

Almighty God, you have given us your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin: grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Please be seated for the

Titus 2: 11–14
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

At the end of the Reading

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

The Choir sings the 

Gradual

I saw three ships come sailing in on Christmas day in the morning. And what was in those ships all three? Our Saviour Christ and his Lady. O they sailed in to Bethlehem. And all the bells on earth shall ring. And all the angels in heaven shall sing. And all the souls on earth shall sing. Then let us all rejoice a-main.

Traditional, arr. Stuart Nicholson (2018)

Please stand for the

Gospel

The Deacon and the Choir sing

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Hear the Gospel of our Saviour Christ according to Saint N, in the Y chapter, beginning at the Z verse.

Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

John 1: 1–14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

At the end, the Minister and the Choir sing

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Please remain standing whilst the Preacher moves to the Pulpit for the

Sermon

Preacher: The Very Reverend W. W. Morton, B.Th., M.A., Ph.D., M.Mus., D. Litt., Dean and Ordinary

Please be seated for the Sermon. At the end, the Preacher will conclude with a prayer, during which the congregation will stand for the

Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,  the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Minister says 

Let us pray.

Please kneel or be seated for the 

Prayers

Each petition ends

Lord, in your mercy

hear our prayer.

At the end

Merciful Father,

accept these our prayers for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Please stand as the Celebrant introduces the

Peace

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Please remain standing to sing the

Hymn

During the hymn, a collection of money is made. You can donate online by tapping the Support Us button at the bottom of the page.

1. God rest you merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day,
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray:
O tidings of comfort and joy.

2. 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:
O tidings of comfort and joy.

3. And when they came to Bethlehem,
Where our dear Saviour lay,
They found him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;
His mother, Mary, kneeling down,
Unto the Lord did pray:
O tidings of comfort and joy.

4. 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 efface:
O tidings of comfort and joy.

English traditional carol,

arr. David Willcocks (1919–2015)

Please remain standing as the Celebrant and the Choir sing

Sursum Corda

The Lord is here.

His Spirit is with us.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

The Celebrant intones the Preface, concluding

Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and singing:

Please remain standing as the Eucharistic Prayer continues, concluding

…through Jesus Christ our Lord, with whom and in whom, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship you, Father almighty, in songs of never-ending praise:

Blessing and honour and glory and power are yours for ever and ever. Amen.

Please kneel or sit, according to your custom, to pray 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.

The Celebrant breaks the bread, and says

The bread which we break is a sharing in the body of Christ.

We, being many, are one body, for we all share in the one bread.

The Celebrant invites the People to receive Communion.

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral is the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland, a member Church of the Anglican (Episcopalian) Communion.

We welcome members of all Christian Church denominations to receive Holy Communion here. Please follow the stewards’ directions.

Whilst the people receive Communion, the Choir sing

Agnus Dei

Motet

Shepherds’ Pipe Carol   John Rutter (b.1945)

Wexford Carol   arr. Mack Wilberg (b.1955)

When all have received Communion, the Celebrant says

Let us pray.

A seasonal Post-Communion Prayer may be said, and then this prayer

Almighty God,  we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Through him we offer you our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory. Amen.

Please stand to sing the

Hymn

1. 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.

2. 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:

Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King.

3. 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:

Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King.

Charles Wesley (1707–88)

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809–47)

The Celebrant says the

Blessing

After which, all say

Amen.

The Deacon and the Choir sing the

Dismissal

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

In the name of Christ. Amen.

Please remain standing as the Clergy and the Choir depart.

Please remain at your seat for the duration of the

Organ Voluntary

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Developed by Clark Brydon.

Material in this service is reproduced from The Book of Common Prayer, © RCB 2004.

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: engagement@stpatrickscathedral.ie