‘Give thanks for our Queen’ – Bishops’ Jubilee statement
The Queen has won the hearts of her people through a life of dignity, respect and commitment to them, say the bishops of the Church in Wales.
In a statement to commemorate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, the Bishops give thanks for the Queen’s long reign and dedicated service and remember, in particular, her visits to Wales.
The Bishops’ full statement follows.
Churches and cathedrals across Wales will be celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, mainly in services on Sunday, June 5. Other events include:
- a Jubilee Crown Festival at St Giles’ Church, Wrexham, with a suspended 8ft wide model of the St Edward’s Crown
- a display at St Davids Cathedral of a section of the ‘golden carpet’ used around the throne in Westminster Abbey for the coronation.
- a coronation re-enactment by the Bishop of St Asaph, Gregory Cameron, at Ysgol Maes Owen, Kinmel Bay, this Friday (May 27).
There are also cathedral concerts, lunches and tea parties. More details follow below, after the statement.
We have issued special prayers for the celebration of the Platinum Jubilee.
Bishops' Platinum Jubilee statement
As Her Majesty the Queen celebrates the remarkable achievement of reaching her Platinum Jubilee we send her our heartiest congratulations. We give thanks for her long reign and the dedicated service she has given to the UK and the Commonwealth over seven decades, fulfilling the promise she made on her succession to the throne. Throughout her reign, Her Majesty has been guided by her Christian faith and has won the hearts of her people through a life of dignity, respect and commitment to them.
We particularly appreciate the Queen’s fondness of Wales and remember with gratitude her many visits here, whether they were to celebrate with us or to share our times of grief and sadness. Her presence has so often been a source of comfort, reassurance and steadfastness to many as the years have gone by.
We continue to pray for Her Majesty, that she shall be guided and comforted by her faith and her love of God for the rest of her life.
The Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Bangor, Andrew John
The Bishop of St Asaph, Gregory Cameron
The Bishop of St Davids, Joanna Penberthy
The Bishop of Llandaff, June Osborne
The Bishop of Monmouth, Cherry Vann
The Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, John Lomas
The Assistant Bishop in Bangor, Mary Stallard
Jubilee celebrations
St Deiniol’s Cathedral, Bangor
- June 2, Choral Evensong in Thanksgiving for Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, led by the Archbishop of Wales, 5.30pm. All welcome.
- June 2, tea party, 2-4pm. Bring a picnic tea.
- June 11, concert by the Cathedral Choir on 11 June at 7.30pm.
Llandaff Cathedral
July 16, Jubilee Concert at 7.30pm, featuring a performance by Rebecca Evans and a new commission by Jeffrey Howard celebrating the folk music of the British Isles.
St Davids Cathedral
The St Davids Cathedral Festival (May 27-June 5) includes several events to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee including:
- June 2, 9.30pm. A feast of choral music, including a performance of A Song For The Commonwealth, as beacons are lit across the Commonwealth.
- June 3, 1pm: Picnic in the Palace with the NHS Wales Choir at the Bishop’s Palace
- June 4, 7pm. Platinum Jubilee Concert featuring St Davids Cathedral Choirs and the British Sinfonietta with coronation music.
- Festival exhibition: photos, records and memories of the four visits to St Davids Cathedral by the Queen during her reign, in 1955, 1983, 1995 and 2001.The exhibition will include the display at the high altar of a 12ft x 12ft section of the “golden carpet” from the Queen’s coronation. The carpet was laid around the throne and the high altar at Westminster Abbey.
Festival tickets and programme
St Asaph Cathedral
- June 2, 6pm Jubilee Thanksgiving Service organised with the City of St Asaph. The Bishop of St Asaph will give the address. A Jubilee beacon will be lit afterwards in the Cathedral grounds. All welcome.
- June 4, 7.30pm Jubilee Concert. Tickets and programme
Newport Cathedral
June 5, Platinum Jubilee Service, followed by a tea party, 3pm. All welcome.
Brecon Cathedral
June 5, Queen’s Jubilee Evensong, 3.30pm. The service will feature a 12-piece orchestra playing Handel’s coronation anthem, Zadok The Priest. All welcome.
St Giles’ Church, Wrexham
- June 2-August 31: Jubilee Crown Festival
A Jubilee Crown Festival will feature an 8ft wide model of St Edward’s Crown, suspended from the inside of the iconic tower, and more than 70 other crowns made by school children and the church community. All welcome.
- June 2, Big Jubilee Lunch at 12.30pm. Tickets and info
- Over the Big Jubilee Weekend, the church will be lit up by Wrexham County Council in red, white and blue.
St Mary’s Church, Swansea
June 12, 2.30pm, Choral Evensong for the Platinum Jubilee Celebration service with an address by the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon. The service will feature a specially composed introit by Dr William Reynolds. All welcome.
St Mary’s Priory Church, Abergavenny
June 5, 11am: People will be dressing up in their finest for a Jubilee themed Pentecost service. The choir will sing the Royal School of Church Music’s specially commissioned anthem by Thomas Hewitt Jones. The service will be followed by a reception in the vicarage garden. All welcome.