351st Festival of the Sons of the Clergy
Tuesday 17th May 2005 at 5.30 pm
in St Paul’s Cathedral
The 351st Festival of the Sons of the Clergy will be held in St Paul’s Cathedral in the presence of the Lord Mayor and the Bishop of London together with the Sheriffs and Aldermen, some 15 other bishops and over 70 of the Livery Company masters. The preacher will be the Reverend Angela Tilby, Vice- Principal of Westcott House Theological College in Cambridge, and the choirs of York Minster and New College, Oxford will be joining the choir of St. Paul’s. Philip Buckler will be the Canon in Residence for the Service.
The Festival dates back to the time of Cromwell, when large numbers of clergy who had remained loyal to the Crown were being dispossessed of their livings and left penniless. A group of clergymen’s sons, realising that help was needed, organised a Service in the old St. Paul’s Cathedral to raise funds, and so was founded the charity now known as the Sons of the Clergy. There has been a Festival every year since the first one in 1655 and today it is one of the major annual services at St. Paul’s.
The Sons of the Clergy is one of the charities supported by Hampstead Parish Church. It is the largest of the Church of England clergy charities, providing financial help to Anglican clergy and their families in times of need. Each year it gives away substantial amounts in grants and, in doing so, helps to maintain the framework of parish ministry that is so valued in communities across the country. The Festival Service is one of thanksgiving and rededication for this important work.
The Cathedral is usually packed for the Service and members of the Parish who have attended in previous years will be able to vouch for the wonderful and moving occasion that it is. Applications for tickets for the Service, which are free, should be sent to the Registrar (Robert Welsford) at the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy, 1 Dean Trench Street, London SW1P 3HB as soon as possible with a stamped addressed envelope for reply.