Worship at S. Michael’s is offered in the Catholic tradition of the Church of England and is richly sacramental and devotional in character.
It is centred on Christ in the Mass (the Eucharist or Holy Communion) – the Sacrament of His Body and Blood.
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Services
Regular service times and descriptions are found further down this page.
Feast Days and special services are listed and described on the following page here.
Services and Music for Holy Week & Easter 2026:
Sunday 22 March: Lent V
11am Sung Mass, Passion Sunday
Celeb: Fr Scott Angell
Setting: Missa de Angelis (trad.)
Motet: Drop, Drop Slow Tears (Gibbons)
Hymns: 95, 90, 78
Wednesday 25th March
7.30pm Mass for The Annunciation
Celeb: Fr David Gunn-Johnson
Sunday 29 March: 11am
Sung Mass with Procession, Palm Sunday
Celeb: Fr David Gunn-Johnson
The Passion
Motet: Ave Verum (Byrd)
Processional Hymns: booklet
Hymns: 92, 86
HOLY WEEK:
Monday 30 March:
6pm Evening Prayer
Pres: Fr Richard Parker
Tuesday 31 March:
6pm Vespers
Pres: Fr Richard Parker
Wednesday 1 April: Spy Wednesday
6pm Stations of the Cross
Pres: Fr Richard Parker
Thursday 2 April: Maundy Thursday
7.30pm Mass of the Last Supper and Procession to the Altar of Repose
Celeb: Fr Hannah Alderson
Friday 3 April: Good Friday
10am Good Friday Liturgy: Adoration of the Cross; Mass of the Pre-Sanctified
Celeb: Fr Scott Angel
8pm TENEBRAE: The Lamentations of Jeremiah
Celeb: Fr Scott Angel
Saturday 4 April: Holy Saturday
8pm Blessing of the New Fire, Paschal Candle, First Mass of Easter
Celeb: Fr Scott Angel
Sunday 5 April: Easter Day
11am Sung Mass (Procession)
Celeb: RevdTanya Hockley-Still
Sunday 12 April: Easter II
11am Sung Mass
Celeb: Fr Brett Ward
Sunday 19 April: Easter III
11am Sung Mass
Celeb: Revd Hannah Alderson
Thursday 23 April: St George, Martyr, Patron
6pm Vespers
Pres: Richard Parker
Saturday 25 April: St Mark the Evangelist
6pm Vespers
Pres: Richard Parker
Sunday 26 April: Easter IV
11am Sung Mass
Celeb: Fr Keith Feltham
Friday 1 May: Ss Philip and James
6pm Vespers
Pres: Richard Parker
Sunday 3 May: Easter V
11am Sung Mass
Celeb: Revd Tanya Hockley-Still
6pm Evensong and Benediction
Celeb: Fr Scott Angel
Sunday 10 May: Rogation Sunday
11am Sung Mass and Procession
Celeb: Fr Brett Ward
Thursday 14 May: Ascension Day
6pm Vespers / 7.30pm Mass
Celeb: Fr Scott Angel
Friday 15 May: St Matthias the Apostle
7.30pm Mass
Sunday 17 May: Sunday after Ascension
11am Sung Mass
Celeb: Fr David Gunn-Johnson
Sunday 24 May: Pentecost (Whit Sunday)
11am Sung Mass
Celeb: Fr Keith Feltham
Sunday 31 May: Trinity Sunday
11am Sung Mass (Procession)
Celeb: Fr Sam Fletcher
Monday 1 June: The Visitation
6pm Vespers
Pres: Richard Parker
Thursday 4 June: Corpus Christi
7.30pm Mass (Procession)
Celeb: Fr David Gunn-Johnson
Sunday 7 June: Trinity I
11am Sung Mass
Celeb: Fr David Gunn-Johnson
6pm Evensong and Benediction
Celeb: Fr Scott Angel
Thursday 11 June: St Barnabas the Apostle
6pm Vespers
Pres: Richard Parker
Sunday 14 June: Trinity II
11am Sung Mass
Celeb: Revd. Helena Cernakova
Sunday 21 June: Trinity III
11am Sung Mass
Celeb: Fr David Gunn-Johnson
Wednesday 24 June: The Birth of John the Baptist
6pm Vespers / 7.30pm Mass
Sunday 28 June: Ss Peter and Paul (transferred from 29th)
11am Sung Mass
Celeb: Fr David Gunn-Johnson
Monday 29 June: Ss Peter and Paul
6pm Vespers
Pres: Richard Parker
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New! >> Service booklet
An Order of Service for Sung Mass at St. Michael’s Mount Dinham.
For all events and groups at the church, please visit our Events Pages here. ______________________________________
Choral Worship at St Michael’s Mount Dinham was formalised in the 1920′s and conforms to Common Worship, Order 1, Traditional language, using the Revised Common Lectionary.
The Usage of St Michael’s
The Usage was compiled in 2011 by the late Canon John Thurmer. Canon Thurmer was a much respected and beloved former Honorary Priest in Charge of St Michael’s. He was also Canon Emeritus of Exeter Cathedral and Chaplain of the University of Exeter. He was also an author, cook and organic gardener.
The Usage was commissioned as an online resource by the Heritage and Music Development Group at St. Michael’s Mount Dinham. This was part of the Organ Restoration Project in 2013-14 and was generously supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to enable us to share our heritage more widely.
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Quick links to more worship resources:
• The Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office
• A Guide to the Mass
• The Use of Vestments
• Glossary
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A personal view..
Prof. Oliver Nicholson, former Chapel Warden, and author of the Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity, described worship at S. Michael’s for the Heritage Open Days annual public exhibition:
“Worship at S. Michael’s follows formal patterns. This formality frees the private prayer of individuals so that it may be offered in a communal context. It helps to form intimate habits of devotion – and much of life is, after all, lived by habit … and it connects us to the worship of past generations of Christians, so freeing us from the illusion that Christianity was invented yesterday – by us. And we enjoy it.”
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A Consuetudinary (or summary Ordinal) for St. Michael’s
This is gradually being compiled by Dr. Richard Parker, Church Warden, to accompany the Usage for Feast Days at St Michael’s Mount Dinham.
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Ukrainian Orthodox Easter Services and Christmas Celebrations were held for the first time at St. Michael’s in 2025 with the Devon Ukrainian Association.
Read the press release from Easter here. Watch the ITV news story here.
Sung Mass, followed by the Angelus at 12 noon
Choral Evensong and Benediction, first Sunday of the month
Plainsong Vespers, with meditation
Plainsong Vespers, with meditation
Matins, Morning Prayer, or Lauds, is offered on various days throughout the year. It is traditionally offered early in the morning for Ascension Day (May 29th) at St. Michael’s, followed by a hearty breakfast. The character of Morning Prayer is that of praise. Read more…
Low Mass is a said service which takes place usually for a Feast or Saint’s day which does not fall on a Sunday. Occasionally this service is a Requiem Mass to commemorate the dead.
The Mass lies at the centre of worship at St Michael’s and a Sung Mass takes place at 11:00 on Sundays. Led by the choir, this service is enhanced through the music of plainsong, polyphony and harmonic choral music, the use of incense, the ringing of bells and the sprinkling of holy water, or asperges. Our Guide to Mass at St Michael’s is linked at the top of this page. For an Order of Service for Sung Mass, click here. The Angelus is sung at 12:00 noon on Sundays immediately following Mass. Read more…
This Angelus is sung or said at 12:00 noon on Sundays immediately following Mass. It is also sung at 18:00 before Evensong and Vespers. The Angelus (Latin for “angel”) is a Christian devotion in memory of the Incarnation. It is practised by reciting as versicle and response three Biblical verses describing the mystery; alternating with the salutation “Hail Mary”. Read more…
Choral Evensong & Benediction is held at 18:00 on the first Sunday of the month. It is led by the choir and includes sung Psalms of the day, readings from scripture, Canticles (the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis), one or more anthems and other prayers. Read more…
Vespers is sung to Plainchant by candlelight. It follows the Angelus which is sung at 18:00. Vespers is the Evening Office and its character is one of thanksgiving. Psalms, canticles, hymns and other prayers are sung. The service includes a 15 -minute period of silent meditation and prayer. Read more… Please feel free to download, print and share our Vespers poster.
Mission Statement
“ St Michael’s is a sacred and welcoming space where all can encounter peace, inspiration and beauty: rooted in ancient tradition, alive with music and cultural events, celebrating the mystery of the divine, and connections to one another, to the rhythms of nature and the human spirit."
St Michael's PCC, July 2025. ”