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Dean to lead Coronation prayers in Guernsey

Dean to lead Coronation prayers in Guernsey

Friday 05 May 2023

Dean to lead Coronation prayers in Guernsey

Friday 05 May 2023


A vigil before the Coronation and a service of thanksgiving afterwards, will frame this weekend's celebration of the formal installation of our new Monarch.

Bells will ring out across the Bailiwick with Guernsey's Vale, Forest, St Peter's and Town churches sharing a chorus as part of the national 'Ring for a King'.

New bell ringers have been trained in Guernsey to join in on Saturday morning as the King's Coronation takes place in London.

The night before, on Friday 5 May, a vigil at the Forest Church will see members of the congregation gather to dedicate prayers to the King and Queen. The Dean of Guernsey, the Very Reverend Tim Barker will lead the service.

Powers_That_Be-7.jpg Dean

Pictured: The Dean of Guernsey, the Very Reverend Tim Barker.

"That will be a vigil service, a service of prayer for Their Majesties, The King and Queen as they prepare for the Coronation. That will be open to anyone who wants to come but a particular focus for the church communities in Guernsey who want to come and pray for Their Majesties," said Reverend Barker.

He intends to watch the Coronation on Saturday before leading a service of thanksgiving at the Town Church on Sunday.

"There is a long tradition of a service of thanksgiving after a Coronation," he said, "so at 18:00 on the Sunday at the Town Church there'll be a service of thanksgiving for the Coronation. That's a chance also to celebrate through music what the Coronation means and its significance for the Bailiwick of Guernsey."

That service is open to everyone, said the Dean.

"It will be much broader as Guernsey's civic and formal celebration of the Coronation. The Lieutenant Governor, the Bailiff, and Royal Court officials will be here and it will be open to everyone to gather and give thanks for the Coronation and Their Majesties."

Chris George Queen Elizabeth II

Pictured: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Reverend Barker said the long relationship between the Church and the Monarchy looks set to continue with King Charles III the new leader of the Church of England. 

"That goes way back into history and if we go way back into the early stages of the Old Testament, Kings were anointed by the prophets and one of the anthems is still sung at Coronations.

"The English crown has been intimately associated with the church since the days of William the Conqueror which takes us back to the Duchy of Normandy of which the Channel Islands are and were part."

The Dean said the late Queen's faith was well documented and he thinks King Charles has a similarly strong faith.

"I think that's true also of His Majesty. He's made it very clear that he is a defender of the faith. He also has a wide interest in the whole breadth of religious tradition in the UK and across the Commonwealth and further afield.

"It is a tradition that the Coronation is part of a christian service. The hints we've had are that it will be rather broader in its focus than in the past and rather more succinct, but at the heart of it what will happen is a christian service in which this man will be anointed as the King."

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