Worship & Liturgy

Choral worship at St. Michael & All Angels Mount Dinham is offered in the Catholic tradition of the Church of England. It was formalised in the 1920′s and conforms to Common Worship, Order 1, Traditional language, using the Revised Common Lectionary. Worship at St. Michael’s is richly sacramental and devotional in character and is centred on Christ in the Mass (the Eucharist or Holy Communion) – the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. 

Services – regular service times and descriptions are found further down this page.

Feast Days and special services observed at St. Michael’s Mount Dinham are found here.

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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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JUNE 2026 (cont..)

Sunday 28th : Ss Peter and Paul
11am Sung Mass | Celebrant: The Ven. David Gunn-Johnson

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JULY 2026

Friday 3rd : S. Thomas Apostle
7:30pm Mass | Celebrant: The Ven. David Gunn-Johnson

Sunday 5th : Trinity V
11:00am Sung Mass | Celebrant: t.b.c.
6:00pm Choral Evensong & Benediction Officiant: The Revd. Sue Astbury

Tuesday 14th : John Keble (Tractarian)
6:00pm Mass

Wednesday 15th : S. Swithun
7:30pm Mass

Sunday 12th : Trinity VI
11:00am Sung Mass | Celebrant: The Revd. Tanya Hockley-Still

Sunday 19th : Trinity VII
11:00am Sung Mass | Celebrant: The Revd. Brett Ward

Wednesday 22nd : Mary Magdalene
7:30pm Mass | Celebrant: The Ven. David Gunn-Johnson

Saturday 25th : S. James Apostle
7:30pm Mass | Celebrant: t.b.c.

Sunday 26th : Trinity VIII
11:00am Sung Mass | Celebrant: The Revd. Tanya Hockley-Still

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AUGUST 2026

Sunday 2nd : Trinity IX
11:00am Sung Mass | Celebrant: The Ven. David Gunn-Johnson
6:00pm Choral Evensong & Benediction

Thursday 6th : The Transfiguration
6:00pm Vespers
7:30pm Mass

Friday 7th : J. M. Neale (Tractarian)
10:00am Mass | Celebrant: The Ven. David Gunn-Johnson

Sunday 9th : Trinity X
11:00am Sung Mass | Celebrant: The Revd. Tanya Hockley-Still

Saturday 15th : The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
7:30pm Solemn Mass | Celebrant: The Revd. Dr Steven Martin

Sunday 16th : Trinity XI
11:00am Sung Mass | Celebrant: The Ven. David Gunn-Johnson

Sunday 23rd : Trinity XII
11:00am Sung Mass | Celebrant: The Revd. Tanya Hockley-Still

Monday 24th : St Bartholomew Apostle
6:00pm Mass | Celebrant: The Ven. David Gunn-Johnson

Saturday 29th : Beheading of John the Baptist
7:30pm Mass

Sunday 30th : Trinity XIII
11:00am Sung Mass | Celebrant: The Ven. David Gunn-Johnson

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New!  >> Service booklet
A special 2026 edition of the Order of Service for Sung Mass at St. Michael’s Mount Dinham can found here.

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.

For all events and groups at the church, please visit our Events Pages here.
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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 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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A Consuetudinary (or summary Ordinal) for St. Michael’s Mount Dinham.
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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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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Service Times

Sunday

  • 11:00 •

    Sung Mass, followed by the Angelus at 12 noon

  • 18:00 •

    Choral Evensong and Benediction, first Sunday of the month

Tuesday

  • 18:00 •

    Plainsong Vespers, with meditation

Thursday

  • 18:00 •

    Plainsong Vespers, with meditation

Click here for Feast Days and Special Services

Regular Services

Matins

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

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.

Sung Mass

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…

The Angelus

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

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

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. ”