Preparations for the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort are now well underway. As with the period of mourning following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, this is a wonderful opportunity for the Church to demonstrate the generous love of Christ and to unite our communities as we celebrate this major event in our national life. We are encouraging all our churches and communities to do this in the ways which work best for their individual contexts:
A timetable for the Coronation season is as follows:
Sun 30 April – this is the Sunday before the Coronation which will be followed by the National Week of Prayer for the Coronation (some churches might choose to hold a civic service on this day)
Fri 5 May – Services or prayer vigils on the eve of the Coronation.
Sat 6 May – The Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey. The time is not yet announced; however the 1953 Service started at 11.15am. Some churches may wish to screen the Coronation. The BBC has waived Licensing requirements.
Sun 7 May – Opportunity to hold services of thanksgiving. Morning services could then lead into The Coronation Big Lunch (a national event in which communities of all kinds are invited to share food and festivity). Starting mid-evening there will be The Coronation Concert, which could also be screened: BBC licensing requirements will also be waived for this.
Mon 8 May – A day for volunteering and service and to shine a light on the thousands of volunteers in our nation: ‘The Big Help Out’, in which churches may wish to play a role. See thebighelpout.org.uk
Service Planning
A full set of liturgical materials and publicity resources is available at https://www.churchofengland.org/coronation/ including:
- Special forms of service (Holy Communion and a Service of the Word) for a civic or community gathering in honour of the Coronation
- A Vigil Service for the day or evening before the Coronation
- An outline Order of Service for the weekend before the Coronation (churches may choose to have their main civic service the weekend before)
- Prayers and forms of intercession for use at Morning and Evening Prayer
- Proper texts for use in a celebration of Holy Communion
- Prayers for use before a community screening of the Coronation
- Collective worship resources for Primary and Secondary schools available in a Faith at Home template (a weekly resource for schools) and PowerPoint presentations.
- Other resources for children and families
There will also be a daily Book of Devotions designed to be used in the 28 days of preparation, from Easter Sunday to the day of the Coronation, as we pray with and for the King as he prepares for the Coronation. This will be available as a book available from Church House Publishing and the content will be available for free via emails and social media. Copies can be purchased here https://www.chpublishing.co.uk/coronation
In addition there is a Publicity Toolkit for the Coronation including links to digital resources and social media content, as well as materials which can be used to promote events, including the royal emblem and logo and an authorised photo of the King.
As above, the BBC has confirmed that it will be waiving the BBC licensing requirements for public screenings of both the Coronation Service and the Coronation Concert provided that tickets to public screenings are not sold and no profit is to be made, and as long as it is screened live without interruption or edits.
Funding of up to £10,000 is available for events and activities surrounding the Coronation through the National Lottery ‘Awards for All’ programme. Community groups are encouraged to apply and, although there is no deadline for applications, it should be noted it can take up to some weeks from the point of application submission to receiving funding. Visit https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/under10k for more information.
Bell Ringing guidance
It is suggested that Churches and Bell Ringers may wish to consider ringing, where possible, before and/or after the Coronation service to locally gather and mark the Anointing and Crowning of the King at a practicable time (with the agreement of the Parochial Church Council). It is suggested that if you have the facility, a quarter peal would be appropriate, or whatever can be managed with the resource available.
Bell Ringers may also wish to consider how they could offer ‘taster’ sessions and training as part of your local community gathering or Big Help Out, with the appropriate risk assessments undertaken.
The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers has produced some materials for Associations or individual towers to download and use as required. This includes information on their Coronation initiative ‘Ring for The King’, where they seek to increase the number of trained Bell Ringers in order to reach their target of one ringer for every bell in the country. More information is available on the CCBR website: cccbr.org.uk/bellringing/ring-for-the-king/
Flag flying guidance
It has been confirmed by the British Flag Institute and the Department for Digital, Media, Culture & Sport that to mark the Coronation the Union Standard should be flown at full mast all day on Saturday 6th May.
We will continue to share information as soon as it released via the weekly newsletter and website. We would also love to hear about what you are planning locally, so that we can publicise it and inspire and encourage each other. Please do send your ideas and events to our Diocesan Head of Communications, Jemima.Lewis@winchester.anglican.org.
If you have any questions about liturgies or other arrangements, please contact the Bishop’s Chaplain, Philip.Krinks@winchester.anglican.org.
