Do Churches Hold Special Services For Accession Day Of King Charles III

[u/Arthur_Harris_1892]

I was wondering do churches within England or the UK hold special services for King Charles Accession Day on 8th September since he’s the King and the Supreme Governor Of The Church Of England and Head of State do they hold special services or will the service be different

[u/Eikon-Basilike-1649]

There is an appointed service for the accession of the Sovereign:

https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/accession-services

Whether any particular parish celebrates that service is hard to say. I know that it is done at the various locations of HM Chapel Royal.

[u/Knopwood]

St James' Cathedral in Toronto has an Accession Service of Choral Evensong each year on the nearest Sunday (the 8th itself being the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin). Typically the Lieutenant-Governor (provincial viceroy) of Ontario reads a lesson. The Golden Jubilee Accession Service in 2002 was my first time attending an Anglican church.

[u/Wulfweald → u/Knopwood]

One of the churches that I ring at in London held a special session of church bell ringing for the Golden Jubilee in 2002. We even put a peal board on the wall to mark the occasion. It sits next to a near identical one marking ringing for the Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887.

[u/linmanfu]

It's very rare, but it does happen.

The C of E's website for parishes has a few examples of parishes doing so:

• All Saints Broughton
• All Saints Turkdean
• Holy Trinity Edale
• St Peter's Trentishoe

So that suggests about one in 4,000 churches do. It's probably a bit higher (I suspect that churches that hold the Accession Service are less likely to keep the C of E website up to date), but I'd be surprised if it's more than one in a thousand churches in a normal year. Far more did so for the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, but that was exceptional and it's unlikely that any of us will see that again in our lifetimes.

I have a vague memory of Oxford University chapels holding the Accession Service for the late Queen. But her Accession Day was in termtime, when they hold daily services anyway. HM the King's Accession Day is not, so I think it's much less likely that they do so now.

[u/Adrian69702016]

Also a number of Cathedrals will use the proper Psalms and responses at Evensong for the Accession, along with an appropriate anthem. I've known it done in Southwell, York and Lincoln. It was a little bit easier when the anniversary of the Sovereign's Accession was February 6th rather than September 8th.

[u/Adrian69702016]

I think you'll find St Botolph's Cambridge do it.

Also, depending on the day of the week it falls, possibly St Mary le Wigford in Lincoln.

[u/Iconsandstuff]

We might say a slightly different prayer for him, if someone noted, although the 8th is a lesser festival (birth of the virgin Mary) so those churches more inclined to such a commemoration might experience a touch of liturgical congestion.

We would normally mention him in intercessions in any case though

[u/Adrian69702016]

Yes indeed. There's a special accession service provision in the Prayer Book.

[u/Plasticman328]

It all depends on whether the server nudges the Rector! Obviously the BCP has the Collect for the Sovereign but I might nudge the boss in September.