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.
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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, says
Let us pray.
Please remain standing to sing the
Hymn
1. Son of God, eternal Saviour,
Source of life and truth and grace,
Son of Man, whose birth incarnate
Hallows all our human race:
Thou, our Head, who, throned in glory,
For thine own dost ever plead,
Fill us with thy love and pity;
Heal our wrongs, and help our need.
2. Come, O Christ, and reign among us,
King of love, and Prince of peace,
Hush the storm of strife and passion,
Bid its cruel discords cease;
By thy patient years of toiling,
By thy silent hours of pain,
Quench our fevered thirst of pleasure
Shame our selfish greed of gain.
3. As thou, Lord, hast lived for others,
So may we for others live;
Freely have thy gifts been granted,
Freely may thy servants give.
Thine the gold and thine the silver,
Thine the wealth of land and sea,
We but stewards of thy bounty,
Held in solemn trust for thee.
Somerset Lowry (1855–1932);
Henry Smart (1813–79)
The Celebrant says the
Greeting
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
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 introduces the
Confession
After a short period for reflection, all say
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we have sinned in thought and word and deed, and in what we have left undone. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may walk in newness of life to the glory of your name. Amen.
The Celebrant pronounces the
Absolution
To which all reply
Amen.
Please remain standing to say
Gloria in excelsis
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father, receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Please remain standing whilst the Celebrant prays the
Collect of the Day
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: graft in our hearts the love of your name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of your great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Please be seated for the
Reading
Romans 8: 12–25
So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
At the end of the Reading
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Organist plays the
Gradual
Please stand for the
Gospel
The Deacon and the People say
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Hear the Gospel of our Saviour Christ according to Saint Matthew, in the thirteenth chapter, beginning at the twenty-fourth verse.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel Reading
Matthew 13: 24–30, 36–43
He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?” He answered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’ He answered, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
At the end, the Minister and the People say
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
The Reverend P. I. Arbuthnot, M.A., M.Litt., B.Th.
Prebendary of Castleknock
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 everlasting, wonderful and holy,
Father most gracious, we who stand before thee
Here at thine altar, as the Son has taught us,
Come to adore thee.
2. Now in remembrance of our great Redeemer,
Dying on Calvary, rising and ascending,
Through him we offer what he ever offers,
Sinners befriending.
3. Strength to the living, rest to the departed,
Grant, holy Father, through this pure oblation;
May the life-giving Bread for ever bring us
Health and salvation.
Harold Riley (1903–99);
Arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958)
Please remain standing as the Celebrant and the People say
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 says 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:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!
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.
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. Thou didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown
When thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room
For thy holy nativity:
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus;
There is room in my heart for thee.
2. Thou camest, O Lord, with the living word
That should set thy people free;
But with mocking scorn and with crown of thorn
They bore thee to Calvary:
3. When all heaven shall ring, and her choirs shall sing,
At thy coming to victory,
Let thy voice call me home, saying, Yet there is room,
There is room at my side for thee:
Emily Elliott (1836–97);
Thomas Matthews (1826–1910)
The Celebrant says the
Blessing
After which, all say
Amen.
The Deacon and the People say 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
Acknowledgements
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.
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