Author: Education Department

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.

Please note that this service may be live streamed for our online congregation. By participating in this service, you acknowledge that you may be visible or audible. If you are uncomfortable about this possibility, please speak to a steward or verger, who will be able to advise further.

The ministry of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral is made possible entirely through the support of individuals like you. The donations which we receive from people all over the world support our worship and music tradition, education programmes, and community outreach work, as well as contributing towards the vast cost of maintaining this historic building. Should you wish to donate online, please tap the donate button. 

Choral Evensong at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral is a tiny fragment of something else: it is part of the worship which is offered to God by people every hour of the day and night, in every corner of the world. When you come to Evensong here, it is as if you are dropping in on a conversation already in progress – a conversation between God and his people. So do not be surprised or concerned if there are some parts that you do not understand straight away.

Evensong is drawn almost entirely from the Bible. Much of the language spoken and sung in this service is that spoken by worshippers more than four hundred years ago. It may sound old-fashioned, but its meaning is not out of date. We invite you to allow the music and words to speak to you in the beauty and peace of this place.

The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem (The Order of St John) is an international family of charities active in 44 territories, whose mission is to lead globally in first aid and medical responses to community healthcare needs. It is both an order of the Crown and a Christian order of chivalry and charity with membership not restricted by denomination or religion. The Order today shares its tradition with the ancient Order the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, which is more commonly known today as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM).
The modern Order of St John was revived in Ireland in 1881 as the St John Association offering training in first aid to workers in Dublin. Later in 1903 the Order established the St John Ambulance among workers in Guinness Brewery at St James’s Gate and from there it grew into a national organisation.
St John volunteers were on the front lines during the Easter Rising, the Great War, and the Emergency, bringing first aid care to all who needed it regardless of political views, gender or social class. In the recent pandemic the volunteers in St John Ambulance were among the first to step up to assist in the national response to Covid-19.
The members of the Order in Ireland continue to support and volunteer with St John Ambulance Ireland and St John Eye Hospital Group in the Holy Land.