Statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury on the Death of Her Majesty The Queen 08/09/2022 It is with profound sadness that I join the nation, the Commonwealth and the world in mourning the death of Her Late Majesty The Queen. My prayers are with The King and the Royal Family. May God draw near them and comfort them in the days, weeks and months ahead. As we grieve together, we know that, in losing our beloved Queen, we have lost the person whose steadfast loyalty, service and humility has helped us make sense of who we are through decades of extraordinary change in our world, nation and society. As deep as our grief runs, even deeper is our gratitude for Her Late Majesty’s extraordinary dedication to the United Kingdom, her Realms and the Commonwealth. Through times of war and hardship, through seasons of upheaval and change, and through moments of joy and celebration, we have been sustained by Her Late Majesty’s faith in what and who we are called to be. In the darkest days of the Coronavirus pandemic, The Late Queen spoke powerfully of the light that no darkness can overcome. As she had done before, she reminded us of a deep truth about ourselves – we are a people of hope who care for one another. Even as The Late Queen mourned the loss of her beloved husband, Prince Philip, we saw once again evidence of her courage, resilience and instinct for putting the needs of others first – all signs of a deeply rooted Christian faith. As we sustain one another in the face of this challenge, our shared grieving will also be a work of shared reimagining. I pray that we commence this journey with a sense of Her Late Majesty’s faith and confidence in the future. As a faithful Christian disciple, and also Supreme Governor of the Church of England, she lived out her faith every day of her life. Her trust in God and profound love for God was foundational in how she led her life – hour by hour, day by day. In The Late Queen’s life, we saw what it means to receive the gift of life we have been given by God and – through patient, humble, selfless service – share it as a gift to others. Her Late Majesty found great joy and fulfilment in the service of her people and her God, “whose service is perfect freedom” (BCP). For giving her whole life to us, and allowing her life of service to be an instrument of God’s peace among us, we owe her a debt of gratitude beyond measure. The Late Queen leaves behind a truly extraordinary legacy: one that is found in almost every corner of our national life, as well as the lives of so many nations around the world, and especially in the Commonwealth. It was my great privilege to meet Her Late Majesty on many occasions. Her clarity of thinking, capacity for careful listening, inquiring mind, humour, remarkable memory and extraordinary kindness invariably left me conscious of the blessing that she has been to us all. In my prayers at this time I also give thanks for the marriage of The Late Queen and His Late Royal Highness Prince Philip. Theirs was an inspirational example of Christian marriage – rooted in friendship, nourished by shared faith, and turned outwards in service to others. May Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II rest in peace and rise in glory. The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury
Book of Remembrance, Prayers, and laying flowers at All Saints.Our beloved Queen Elizabeth II, lived out her deeply held Christian faith in every aspect of her daily life and committed service to the United Kingdom, the Common-wealth, and her cherished family.All Saints Church Alrewas gives thanks to God for her inspired witness and devotion, and the church is open daily for all to offer prayers, write messages for an informal Book of Remembrance, and express to God our grief and our gratitude at this time.You are welcome to write messages of condolence or thanksgiving on a page, which will be used to create our own informal 'Book of Remembrance' for our beloved Queen Elizabeth II.Prayers may be added to the Prayer Board (please use available notelets).You are welcome to lay memorial flowers which may be placed by the Lady Chapel.You can also sign the book of condolance and light a virtual candle on the Church of England website:<a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/?fbclid=IwAR2SsEDT_-MzTfg6elTGjzb04uMQq4-9BTAeadokCMaHMcPREwX1X9-Cc4A">https://www.churchofengland.org/</a>
Following the official announcement this evening (8th September) of the very sad news of the death this afternoon of our Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who has served our United Kingdom and Commonwealth with over 70 years of faithful, dedicated service as our Queen during her amazing 96 year long life, all of us will wish to honour her life and mourn her passing in ways which feel appropriate to each of us in our village community. The Union Jack flag is now at half-mast on the church tower, and the tower floodlights are on until midnight tonight, as an initial sign of our grief as a nation, and our gratitude for a life which has touched countless millions of people over the years of her faithful service to God, Country, and the international community as well.In addition to being open and available each day of the week (as it normally is), All Saints Parish Church will be available to all who may wish to call in to offer prayers for the life and service of our Queen (as well as our prayers for her successor, King Charles III and all the members of the Royal Family at this time of great personal loss), to write a message of consolation/thanksgiving to contribute to our own informal village ‘Book of Remembrance’, and – for any who wish - to lay flowers by the Lady Chapel altar (on the left side of the church). Further information regarding any special services to remember and celebrate our Queen and her extraordinary life, service and Christian witness will be communicated to the community via social media, notice boards, etc. as soon as it becomes available.With the assurance of my prayers for our Royal Family, and for all of our village community at this time –Vicar John Allan
All Saints Parish Church is delighted to support this treasured ‘whole village’ event (20th to 27th August)! As the Church will host daily Festival events, there will be NO Wednesday 10am service on 24th August, but please join in a special ‘Festival Praise’ Service at 10 am on Sunday 28 August!
