Annual Service of Celebration: 60 years
19th July 2017St Lawrence Jewry next Guildhall
The Mistress and I were back at St Lawrence Jewry for the second time this afternoon to meet our Learned Clerk, Sandra. We left the annual churches walk to dash back to change out of our hiking gear and put on more formal wear. The occasion was the Annual Service of Celebration to commemorate the diamond jubilee of of the rebuilding of SLJ, following the destruction of the interior of the church on 29 December 1940. The event was overshadowed by David Parrott's illness earlier in the day, which resulted in his admission to hospital.
At precisely 5:30 pm, the packed congregation rose to their feet as the Lord Mayor and his Sheriff's processed into the church. We remembered David and Sue Parrott in our prayers which were led by the Venerable Rosemary Lain-Priestly, Archdeacon of the Two Cities. The choir and organist excelled as we were treated to performances of pieces composed by Bruckner, Fauré, Tallis and Widor. There was a "pre-announcement" of a fund-raising initiative to make the entrance to SLJ even more welcoming. Lessons were read by the Lord Mayor and the Master Girdler (who was also on our tour of the Wren churches earlier in the day).
After the blessing, the civic party processed out of the church, probably heading for a white tie dinner. The rest of us headed for a very pleasant reception at the Guildhall Art Gallery where I had the pleasure of meeting the new Master Actuary. I am no longer the new master on the block.