Worship & Liturgy

Welcome to Worship at St Michael and All Angels, Mount Dinham. This page contains our Service Times, below, and descriptions of the Regular Services held here.
View, download or print the current Music List.

The style of worship at St Michael’s is firmly Anglo-Catholic, as formalised in the 1920s. It now conforms to Common Worship, Order I, Traditional Language, and uses the Revised Common Lectionary. Read more about our style of worship at St Michael’s in A Guide to the Mass and The Use of Vestments, or explore our Glossary page.

Background information on the some of the history of Catholic and Anglican worship which informs St Michael’s services can be found by reading about The Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office.

“Worship at St 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.”

Quotations like the one above were written by Oliver Nicholson for our annual Exhibition for the national Heritage Open Days. We hope it gives you a sense of the quality, mystery and good humour we strive for at St Michael’s, and encourages you to explore life at the church further.

Service Times

Sunday

  • 11.00 am - 12.05 pm •

    Solemn Sung Mass, with Plainsong Propers, Sermon, Mass Setting & Motet

  • 6.00 - 6.50 pm •

    Evensong & Benediction, sung (First Sunday in each month)

Tuesday

  • 10.00 am - 12.00 noon •

    Church may be open - Cleaning

  • 6.00 - 6.40 pm •

    Plainsong Vespers & Meditation (not August)

  • 7.00 - 8.30 pm •

    Choir Practice (Church open)

Wednesday

  • 9.30 - 10.00 am •

    Morning Prayer, BCP

  • 10.00 - 10.30 am •

    Low Mass, said

Thursday

  • 6.00 -6.40 pm •

    Plainsong Vespers & Meditation (not August)

Click here for Feast Days and Special Services

Regular Services

Solemn Mass

The Mass lies at the centre of worship at St Michael’s. Led by the choir, this service is enhanced through the music of plainsong, polyphony and harmony singing, 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.

Read more…

Plainsong Vespers

The ancient service of Vespers is held by candlelight. This service is the Evening Office and its character is one of thanksgiving. Psalms, canticles, hymns and other prayers are sung to plainsong by members of the choir. The service includes a twenty-minute period of silent meditation and prayer.

Read more…

Please feel free to download, print and share our Vespers poster.

Morning Prayer

Morning Prayer, or Lauds, is offered at 9.30 am on Wednesdays. Also for Ascension Day at 7.30 am. The character of Morning Prayer is that of praise.

Read more…

Choral Evensong & Benediction

The service of Choral Evensong with Benediction takes place at 6pm 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…

Low Mass

Low Mass is celebrated without the choir. Usually it is for a Feast or Saint’s day, but occasionally this service is a Requiem Mass to commemorate the dead.

The Angelus

This service takes place at the hour of noon on Sundays immediately following Mass. It is also said at 6.00 pm before Evensong and Vespers. The Angelus (Latin for “angel”) is a said or sung 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…

Mission Statement

“ We seek to know God’s presence in the world through worship, prayer and meditation.
We rejoice in the richness of the Christian heritage in word, music and ritual.
We are called to be an outgoing, welcoming and friendly community of faith and service.”