Anglicans play central role at historic royal wedding

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Posted On : April 29, 2011 2:13 PM | Posted By : Admin ACO

ACNS: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2011/4/29/ACNS4854

> Related Categories: England

Anglicans play central role at historic royal wedding

> By Matthew Davies, Episcopal News Service

An estimated 2 billion people around the world
tuned in on April 29 to watch the historic royal
wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
at Westminster Abbey, a ceremony infused with
British pageantry and steeped in elements of
Anglicanism ? past, present and future.
The streets of London bulged with thousands of
well-wishers ? some who'd camped for days to
ensure the perfect spot for catching a glimpse of
the happy couple, named just before the wedding
as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Inside the abbey, the Very Rev. John Hall, dean
of Westminster, conducted the service according
to a 1966 version of the liturgy of matrimony
from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, while
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, as head
of the officially established Church of England,
presided over the royal wedding and solemnized the marriage.

The Anglican leaders of Scotland, Ireland and
Wales were among the 2,000 guests also to attend
the ceremony, alongside representatives from
other faith traditions, members of the British
and foreign royal families, international
dignitaries, members of the U.K. Parliament, and
a smattering of celebrities, including musician
Sir Elton John, and footballer David Beckham and
his wife, former Spice Girl singer Victoria.
The Most Rev. David Chillingworth, primus of the
Scottish Episcopal Church, said in a statement
that it was "a great privilege" to attend the
royal wedding. "Every wedding is a moment of hope
and trust as people commit themselves to one
another and to the unknown future."
Chillingworth said he hopes that all who gathered
"to watch the pageantry" of the event "will
remember to hold in their prayers William and
Kate ? two young people who face exceptional
challenges and calls to service in their lives."

Bishop Richard Chartres of the Diocese of London,
a personal friend and mentor to the royal family
and dean of Her Majesty's Chapels Royal, delivered the address.

"This is a joyful day. It is good that people in
every continent are able to share in these
celebrations, because this is as every wedding
day should be -- a day of hope," said Chartres
during the sermon. "Faith and committed
relationships offer a door into the mystery of
spiritual life. In marriage we are seeking to
bring one another into fuller life ? I pray that
all of us present and the many millions watching
this ceremony will do everything in our power to
support and uphold you in your new life and I pray that God will bless you."

Chartres, who confirmed Middleton into the Church
of England at a private ceremony in March, said:
"We stand looking forward to a century which is
full of promise and full of peril ... We shall
not be converted to the promise of the future by
more knowledge, but rather by an increase of
living wisdom and reverence for life, for the
earth and for one another. Marriage should
transform as husband and wife make one another
their work of art. It is possible to transform as
long as we don't harbor ambitions to reform our
partners ? Each must give the other space and freedom."

Also attending the ceremony were Archbishop of
York John Sentamu and his wife, Archbishop Barry
Morgan of the Church in Wales and Archbishop Alan
Harper of the Church of Ireland.

In a pre-recorded video message, Williams said he
has been "very struck" by the way the couple approached the event.

> "They've thought through what they want for
> themselves, but also what they want to say.
> They've had a very simple, very direct picture of
> what really matters about this event," he said.
> "I think that they have a clear sense of what
> they believe they're responsible to. They're
> responsible to the whole society; responsible to
> God for their relationship. And I think it's
> impressive that they've had that simplicity about
> it, they've known what matters, what's at the
> heart of all this? ? because I think they are deeply unpretentious peop le."

In a message printed at the start of the official
wedding program, the couple said: "We are both so
delighted that you are able to join us in
celebrating what we hope will be one of the
happiest days of our lives. The affection shown
to us by so many people during our engagement has
been incredibly moving, and has touched us both
deeply. We would like to take this opportunity to
thank everyone most sincerely for their kindness."

As heir to the British throne, Prince William is
destined one day to succeed his grandmother, Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth, as monarch and as
supreme governor to the Church of England.

The wedding ceremony also included a strong

ecumenical and interfaith presence, with faith
leaders from the Buddhist, Jain, Jewish, Muslim
and Sikh communities in the United Kingdom, as
well as representatives from the Roman Catholic,
Presbyterian, Greek Orthodox and Zoroastrian traditions.

Choral music at the service was performed by the
combined choirs of Westminster Abbey and Her
Majesty's Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace, under
the direction of James O'Donnell, the abbey's
organist and master of the choristers. Other
musicians included the State Trumpeters of the
Household Cavalry and the Fanfare Team from the
Central Band of the Royal Air Force.

Voices, trumpets and the London Chamber Orchestra
combined to usher in the radiant bride to the
majestic sounds of C. Hubert Parry's well-known
anthem, "I Was Glad," composed for the coronation
of Edward VII, Prince William's three-times great grandfather.

Hymns during the ceremony were "Guide Me O Thou
Great Redeemer"; "Love Divine, All Loves
Excelling"; and "And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time."

Another musical highlight was a new anthem by
British contemporary composer John Rutter, "This
is the day which the Lord hath made," specially
commissioned by the dean and chapter of Westminster Abbey for the occasion.

Westminster Abbey has been a historic centerpiece
for royal celebrations and ceremonies throughout
the centuries, dating back 1066, the year that
saw the coronations of Harold II and William the
Conqueror. The abbey is known as a "royal
peculiar," a place of worship that falls directly
under the jurisdiction of the British monarch, rather than a bishop.

Following the April 29 ceremony, a carriage

procession of the bride and bridegroom followed
by the Queen's procession left the abbey for
Buckingham Palace past thousands of well-wishers
who'd lined the streets of London to cheer on the
newly wedded couple. At 1:25 p.m. local time, the
Queen and the bride and bridegroom with their
families were to appear on the balcony of
Buckingham Palace while aircraft of the Royal Air
Force and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight performed a "fly past."

> As the streets of London came alive with
> celebrations, the royal wedding festivities
> stretched far beyond Westminster Abbey and its surrounding areas.

Anglican and Episcopal churches around the world
that trace their origins to the Church of England
bowed to the royal occasion with various events
and services held to honor the happy couple.

"It's a celebration of our roots and extends our
identity to a larger group in England and across
the world," said the Rev. David Klutterman,
rector of the Episcopal Church of St. John the
Baptist in Wausau, Wisconsin, according to Religion News Service.
The parish plans to serve tea to guests at a
wedding-viewing and fundraising party. "If
Anglicans can't have high tea to celebrate the
royal wedding, who can?" Klutterman said.

Parishioners at Grace Anglican Church in

Brantford, Ontario, will host their own royal
festivities, complete with a free continental
breakfast and traditional wedding bunting, RNS reported.

"Lent [is] over, so it will be time for a party,"
said the church's rector, the Rev. David M.
Ponting, adding that the church is inviting
people to dress up as their favorite royal or British celebrity.

"I haven't decided if I will be the Archbishop of
Canterbury or Elton John," he joked.

>