All Souls
Every year on the Sunday nearest 1 November, we mark All Souls’ Day. This is a special time in the church calendar when we remember the dead – “those whom we love but see no longer”.
In the evening, we hold an All Souls’ Requiem service, when we gather to give thanks to God for the lives of those who have passed from this life, to acknowledge our sorrow, and to express our hope in “the life of the world to come”. If you are mourning a loved one – whether someone who has died recently or many years ago – this service offers a time for quiet remembering and reflection in a beautiful sacred space. Everyone is welcome here – it doesn’t matter if you don’t usually come to church.
Names of the departed
It is our tradition to remember those who have died by reading out their names during the All Souls service. About 2 weeks before All Souls, we put a list inside St Peter’s Church.
If you plan to come to the service, you are welcome to add the name of a loved one to the list.
What happens at the service
We gather to give thanks and remember those who have died. You are welcome to join in singing hymns or just to sit in silent contemplation. This is a space for everyone to find time to remember, in whichever way is right for you.
During the service there’s an opportunity to light a candle in memory of someone you have lost, and we read out the list of names of the departed.
Music forms a central part of our worship at St Peter’s, and our church choir usually sings a setting of the traditional Requiem Mass by a composer such as Maurice Duruflé or Gabriel Fauré.
This music reflects a wide range of human emotion we may experience at a time of loss – sorrow, regret, yearning, mortal fear, hope, love. Hearing glorious music in a sacred space draws us closer into God’s presence.
Though we sorrow, we also remember God’s promises of eternal life. Our Christian hope is that death is not the end.
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.
I Thessalonians 4:14; I Corinthians 15:22
St Peter's is here for you
If you have been bereaved, and feel that you would appreciate a visit from a member of St Peter’s clergy, please get in touch.
Contacts
