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.
ORDER OF SERVICE
Hymn
1. My God, how wonderful thou art,
Thy majesty how bright,
How beautiful thy mercy-seat,
In depths of burning light!
2. How dread are thine eternal years,
O everlasting Lord,
By prostrate spirits day and night
Incessantly adored!
3. How wonderful, how beautiful,
The sight of thee must be,
Thine endless wisdom, boundless power,
And aweful purity!
4. O, how I fear thee, living God,
With deepest, tenderest fears,
And worship thee with trembling hope,
And penitential tears!
5. Yet I may love thee too, O Lord,
Almighty as thou art,
For thou hast stooped to ask of me
The love of my poor heart.
6. No earthly father loves like thee,
No mother, e’er so mild;
Bears and forbears as thou hast done
With me thy sinful child.
7. Father of Jesus, love’s reward
What rapture will it be
Prostrate before thy throne to lie,
And gaze and gaze on thee.
Frederick William Faber (1814–63) James Turle (1802–82)
The Greeting
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
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.
Kyrie Eleison
Kyrie eleison; Christe eleison; Kyrie eleison.
Lord, have mercy upon us; Christ, have mercy upon us; Lord, have mercy upon us.
The Confession
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
The Choir sings
Gloria in Excelsis
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you. We give thanks to you for your great glory. O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you who take away the sins of the world have mercy on us. You who take away the sins of the world receive our prayer. You are seated at the Father’s right hand, have mercy on us. For you alone are holy, you alone are the Lord,
You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God
The Celebrant prays the
COLLECT OF THE DAY
God of all life and power, who through the mighty resurrection of your Son overcame the old order of sin and death to make all things new in him: Grant that we, being dead to sin and alive to you in Jesus Christ, may reign with him in glory; to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be praise and honour, glory and might, now and in all eternity.
Amen.
PROCLAIMING AND RECEIVING THE WORD
Please be seated for the
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Choir sings
Psalm 31 vv 1–5, 15–16
In thee, O Lord, have I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion, deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me: make haste to deliver me. And be thou my strong rock, and house of defence: that thou mayest save me. For thou art my strong rock, and my castle: be thou also my guide, and lead me for thy Name’s sake. Draw me out of the net, that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength. For I have heard the blasphemy of the multitude, and fear is on every side: while they conspire together against me, and take their counsel to take away my life. But my hope hath been in thee, O Lord: I have said thou art my God.
Please stand for the
Gospel
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Hear the Gospel of our Saviour Christ according to…
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
John 14: 1–14
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Please be seated for the
Sermon
Preacher: The Reverend M. T. Kingston, B.Sc., M.Sc., B.Th., Prebendary of Yagoe
Please stand to say 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 Prayers of the People
The Leader says
Let us pray.
Please kneel or sit according to your custom
Each petition ends
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.
The prayers may conclude
Merciful Father, accept these our prayers for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Please stand for
The Peace
The Celebrant introduces the Peace and says
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Please remain standing to sing
The Offertory Hymn
During this hymn a collection of money is made for charity. If you would like to donate online, click here.
1. At the Lamb’s high feast we sing
Praise to our victorious King,
Who hath washed us in the tide
Flowing from his piercèd side.
Praise we him, whose love divine
Gives his guests his Blood for wine,
Gives his body for the feast;
Christ the Victim, Christ the Priest.
2. Where the Paschal Blood is poured,
Death’s dark angel sheathes his sword;
Israel’s hosts triumphant go
Through the wave that drowns the foe.
Praise we Christ, whose Blood was shed,
Paschal Victim, Paschal Bread;
With sincerity and love
Eat we manna from above.
3. Mighty Victim from the sky,
Hell’s fierce powers beneath thee lie;
Thou hast conquered in the fight;
Thou hast brought us life and light.
Now no more can death appal,
Now no more the grave enthral;
Thou hast opened Paradise,
And in thee thy saints shall rise.
4. Easter triumph, Easter joy,
Sin alone can this destroy;
From sin’s power do thou set free
Souls new-born, O Lord, in thee.
Hymns of glory and of praise,
Father, unto thee we raise;
Risen Lord, all praise to thee,
With the Spirit, ever be.
Latin, tr. Robert Campbell (1814–68) Jakob Hintze (1622–1702)
CELEBRATING AT THE LORD’S TABLE
Please remain standing
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 prays 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 saying:
The Choir sings
Sanctus & Benedictus
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts,
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.
Sanctus Dominus, Deus Sabaoth,
Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit
in nomine Domine.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Please remain standing as the
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
continues, concluding
… through the same 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:
The Choir sings
Blessing and honour and glory and power are yours for ever and ever. Amen.
The Celebrant invites the People 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. Members of all Christian Church denominations are welcome to receive Holy Communion here.
Holy Communion will be distributed at the crossing and in the nave.
You will be directed to your appropriate location: please follow the stewards’ directions.
While the People receive Communion the Choir sings
AGNUS DEI
Agnus Dei qui tollis
peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Lamb of God who takes away
the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Agnus Dei qui tollis
peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.
Lamb of God who takes away
the sins of the world, give us peace.
Motet
O salutaris hostia quae cœli pandis ostium. Bella premunt hostilia; Da robur, fer auxilium.
(O health-giving sacrifice, you open the gate of heaven. Wars oppress us; give us strength, lend your help.)
James Davy (b.1979)
GOING OUT AS GOD’S PEOPLE
When all have received Communion, the Celebrant says
Let us pray.
Please kneel
The seasonal POST-COMMUNION PRAYER is said, and 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
HYMN
1. O praise our great and glorious Lord,
And call upon his name,
To strains of joy tune every chord,
His mighty acts proclaim:
Tell how he freed his chosen race
From Pharaoh’s heavy hand,
And led them by his sovereign grace
To seek the promised land.
2. He gave the shadowing cloud by day,
The moving fire by night,
To guide his people on their way,
And make their darkness light.
To us, the light of Christ our Lord
Illumines all our ways;
He leads us by his gospel word,
And turns our sighs to praise.
3. We too have manna from on high,
The bread that came from heaven,
And he who brought salvation nigh
Has living water given:
A rock is ours, from whence the spring
In rich abundance flows,
And Christ that rock, our priest and king,
Both life and health bestows.
4. Come, let us prize this heavenly food,
And trust our heavenly guide,
So shall we find death’s fearful flood
Serene as Jordan’s tide.
So safely reach th’eternal shore
No more by ills opprest;
Where saints their Lord and God adore
And in his glory, rest.
Harriet Auber (1773–1862) William Croft (1678–1727)
The Celebrant says the
BLESSING
After which, all say Amen.
The Deacon and Choir sing the
Dismissal
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ. Amen.