Statement by Archbishop Anne Germond on the Death of The Queen

It is with great sorrow that we greet the news that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has died. May she rest in peace and rise with Christ in glory.  

As we mourn The Queen’s death, we also give thanks for her remarkable life, one which bore faithful witness to the Christian life and was dedicated to the service of the Crown and Commonwealth. In recognition of this, bells will toll in our churches and around the world.

In the words of the Archbishop of Canterbury, “in losing our beloved Queen, we have lost the person whose steadfast loyalty, service and humility has helped us make sense of who we are through decades of extraordinary change in our world, nation and society.”

For most of us, Her Majesty The Queen has been part of the landscape of our lives for so long that we also feel this loss deeply, profoundly, and in ways unexpected. We can take some solace and be comforted knowing that The Queen now rests in God’s loving care and in the company of the whole communion of saints in light. As the scriptures remind us, whoever has faith in God shall have life, even though they die, and everyone who has life and is committed to the Lord in faith, shall not die forever (John 11:25-26).

During this time of mourning, I invite your prayers; for the repose of the soul of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and especially for our new King, Charles III, as well as The Royal Family and all who mourn.

O God, from whom comes everything that is upright and true:

Accept our thanks for the gifts of heart and mind thou didst bestow

 on thy servant Elizabeth,

And which she showed forth among us in her words and deeds;

Deal graciously we pray thee, with those who mourn,

especially the members of the Royal Family,

      that casting every care on thee, they may know the consolation of thy love,

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.    Amen.

Download the full statement here.