Season of Remembrance and All Souls' Day
Season of Remembrance
We are fast approaching the Season of Remembrance, and on All Saints’ Day, 1st November, we give thanks for the whole company of saints who have enlivened and inspired our faith. On All Souls’ Day, 2nd November, we pray for those whom we love and have touched our lives, but see no longer. On Remembrance Sunday, Sunday 10th November, we honour those who have lost their lives in the armed forces in conflicts past and present. We will have our usual services on Remembrance Sunday, and the 2-minute silence and Act of Remembrance on Armistice Day from the West steps at 10.55am on Monday 11th November.
At the Cathedral, through worship, prayer, music, and ritual, we create and hold a space in which we can acknowledge loss, grief, and receive hope. Some of us may also feel the need to talk to someone about how a death has affected us, and there is provision for this; support is available to you through the Chaplain, the Cathedral Ministers, your Line Managers, and our Employee Assistance Programme. For those who would like to remember a loved one at a service, the All Soul’s Requiem Eucharist provides an opportunity for this.
All Souls' Day
At 5pm, we will offer a Requiem Eucharist - that is, a service of Holy Communion, the Eucharist, the Mass, with particular prayers for our departed loved ones. This service offers an opportunity for us to commend to God those we continue to love in death as we loved them in life. It is traditional for the names of departed loved ones to be presented on the altar during this service, and you are invited now to offer the names of those dear to you if you wish to.
Submitting names
From Friday 25th October, there will be slips of paper and a collection basket at Reception in the Chapter House for you to submit names by hand until the morning of All Saints' Day, Friday 1st November. There will also be slips of paper and a basket in the Cathedral all day on All Souls’ Day. All names on slips from the Chapter House or Cathedral baskets will be presented on the altar during the 5pm service.
You can also submit names on our social media platforms – please look out for the All Souls’ Day post in the coming days. Find our social media accounts by clicking on the icons at the foot of this page. Any names commented on these posts will be printed out and presented with the others at the altar.
Please note that names of our departed loved ones will not be read out, or be printed in the order of service, but all names submitted via the baskets or on social media will be presented at the altar. Names of those who have been prayed for throughout the last year will also be presented at the altar, and if you have asked the Virgers or the Chaplain to add someone to the departed prayer list, you do not need to submit their name again.
Support and questions
If you would like pastoral support when submitting names, please speak to the Chaplain or to the Duty Priest on the Cathedral Floor. One of the Virgers can help you find the Chaplain or the Duty Priest in the Cathedral.
If you cannot submit a name in person and do not have social media, you are free to ask a colleague, a volunteer, or the Chaplain to submit the name on your behalf.
If you cannot attend the service, you may wish to light a candle in the Cathedral to remember your loved ones. You may submit names even if you are unable to attend the service.
