Mourners will be able to come together to watch live coverage of the funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II in many of our cathedrals on Monday.
Cathedrals to screen live the Queen’s funeral from Westminster Abbey
Large screens are being installed inside, and, in some cases outside the cathedral buildings, while other cathedrals intend to show the funeral service on their existing television screens so they can be a focal point for their communities and a place where people can gather on Monday, the National Day of Mourning.
Details of the Services of Commemoration and Thanksgiving taking place at Cathedrals across the country can be found here.
Every cathedral will be open on Monday for people to come in for reflection, to offer prayers, light a candle and to join in observing the two minutes silence around 11.55am at the end the funeral in Westminster Abbey.
The Very Revd David Monteith, Dean of Leicester and chair of the College of Deans said:
“Elizabeth II offered stability, and generous service. Cathedrals across the nation also try to embody these values. We are once more privileged to walk alongside, pray with and shelter our grieving communities’
Photo of the Queen on Maundy at Leicester Cathedral in 2017 (Will Johnston)
The Very Revd Adrian Dorber, Dean of Lichfield where the funeral will be screened live from Westminster Abbey, said:
“This is an historic day as we watch the funeral of the longest reigning monarch in British history, but it is also a deeply poignant moment as we say goodbye to the Queen.
“We pray that Lichfield Cathedral might be of service to its community during this time of mourning and that we can offer stability and hope for the future.”
And the Dean of Bristol, the Very Revd Mandy Ford, said:
“We are honoured to make the Cathedral available for those who would like to come together for the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and provide space for thanksgiving and remembrance of our late monarch.”
Here is a list of cathedrals confirmed to screen the funeral from Westminster Abbey:
Bradford, Birmingham, Bristol, Chester, Ely, Guildford, Lichfield, Lincoln, Manchester, Norwich, Christ Church Cathedral Oxford, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Ripon, Salisbury, Sheffield, Southwell Minster, St Edmundsbury, St Albans, Truro, Winchester, and Wakefield
Many cathedrals – including Coventry, Gloucester, Lichfield, Portsmouth, Truro, Peterborough – will hold a vigil the night before the funeral marking the National Moment of Reflection at 8pm, lighting candles together, offering prayers and being a space for people to come together at this time.
A special prayer for Her Majesty the Queen can be found here.
The Interim Dean of Gloucester, Canon Dr Andrew Braddock, said:
“On Sunday, the county and nation will be preparing for The Queen’s state funeral. On the eve of the funeral, Gloucester Cathedral will be open to provide a safe place for quiet reflection as we observe a special time of vigil and waiting.
The ancient tradition of keeping vigil reflects the Cathedral’s unique history as the only place outside Westminster Abbey to have seen both the coronation and burial of kings. In stillness, prayer and silence we will seek comfort and hope as we mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II.”
In Coventry the new cathedral and ruins will be open on Sunday from 10am up to the National Moment of Reflection when there will be a short act of prayer.
The Dean, John Witcombe, said:
“We share in Coventry Cathedral with so many in our country in feeling a special closeness with our Queen. Her Majesty laid the foundation stone at the Cathedral in 1956 and returned for the consecration service six years later – an event wrought in the memories of so many of our visitors and community even today.
“She has been on the throne throughout the history of the new Coventry Cathedral, marking her Platinum Jubilee only a few days after we celebrated our Diamond anniversary. We, like her, have held our people’s lives and hopes in our prayers through these last decades of profound change in our common life.
“We invite those of all faiths and none to share with us in celebrating the life of our beloved monarch in this place where all are welcome to offer prayer, or simply spend time in reflection, according to their own tradition.”
Coventry City Council is mounting a public screening of the funeral in University Square, next to the Cathedral which will be open throughout the day for people to come in.
The Queen at the Consecration service at Coventry Cathedral in 1962.
Lichfield’s vigil on Sunday night will include the art installation Light of Hope by artist Peter Walker which will see three beams of light pierce the dark sky to mark the National Moment of Reflection and this will be followed by a bell that will toll 96 times to mark each year of the late monarch’s life.
Do check your individual cathedral’s website for up to date information. Some cathedrals are ticketing for the screening of the funeral service on Monday.
