Welcome to Westminster Abbey. Daily prayer has been offered in this place for over a thousand years, and your participation in today's service is warmly welcomed. At Matins most of the service is sung by the choir on our behalf. We participate through our presence and our listening, that the words and the music might become a prayer within us and lift us to contemplate God's beauty and glory.

The service always includes one or more psalms. These ancient prayers, taken from the Old Testament, reflect the full range of human emotions and experiences; from the depths of anger, resentment, and abandonment to the heights of ecstatic joy and praise. They were used by Jesus, and have always been at the heart of the Church's daily prayer.

Please join in saying the words printed in bold type.

The church is served by a hearing loop. Users should turn their hearing aid to the setting marked T.

Photography, filming, and sound recording are not allowed in the Abbey during services. Please ensure that mobile telephones and other electronic devices are silent.

The service is sung by the Choir of Westminster Abbey.

Following the service, a collection will be taken; the money from today's services will be divided equally between the Commonwealth Foundation and the work of the Abbey. The Commonwealth Foundation is the Commonwealth's agency for civil society, supporting people's participation in democracy and development.

Order of Service

All stand as the choir and clergy enter

The officiant says a Sentence of Scripture

The officiant and choir sing the Responses

Music: William Byrd (c 1540–1623)

All sit. The choir sings Venite exultemus Domino

All remain seated. The choir sings Psalm 112

Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord : he hath great delight in his commandments.
His seed shall be mighty upon earth : the generation of the faithful shall be blessed.
Riches and plenteousness shall be in his house : and his righteousness endureth for ever.
Unto the godly there ariseth up light in the darkness : he is merciful, loving, and righteous.
A good man is merciful, and lendeth : and will guide his words with discretion.
For he shall never be moved : and the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance.
He will not be afraid of any evil tidings : for his heart standeth fast, and believeth in the Lord.
His heart is established, and will not shrink : until he see his desire upon his enemies.
He hath dispersed abroad, and given to the poor : and his righteousness remaineth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.
The ungodly shall see it, and it shall grieve him : he shall gnash with his teeth, and consume away; the desire of the ungodly shall perish.

All stand

Chant: John Goss (1800–80)

All sit for the first Lesson, Deuteronomy 6: 4–9

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Here ends the first lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Benedicite omnia opera

Praise ye the Lord, all ye works of the Lord;
   laud and exalt him for ever.
Ye angels of the Lord, praise ye the Lord;
ye heavens, praise ye the Lord;
the sun and the moon, praise ye the Lord;
ye stars of the firmament, praise ye the Lord;
fire and heat, winter and summer, praise ye the Lord;
   laud and exalt him for ever.
Ice and snow, nights and days, praise ye the Lord;
   laud and exalt him for ever.
Light and darkness, lightnings and cloud, praise ye the Lord;
mountains and hills, praise ye the Lord.
Let Israel praise the Lord;
   laud and exalt him for ever.
Ye priests of the Lord, praise ye the Lord;
   laud and exalt him for ever.
ye spirits and souls of righteous men, praise ye the Lord;
ye holy and meek in heart, praise ye the Lord.
Ananias, Azarius, and Misael, praise the Lord;
   laud and exalt him for ever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning and is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Short Service, Adrian Batten (c 1591–c 1637)

All sit for the second Lesson, John 17: 1a, 11b–19

Jesus looked up to heaven and said, 'Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.'

Here ends the second lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
   for he hath visited, and redeemed his people;
and hath raised up a mighty salvation for us
   in the house of his servant David;
as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which have been since the world began,
   that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hands of all that hate us;
to perform the mercy promised to our fathers,
   and to remember his holy covenant;
to perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham,
   that he would give us, that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness
   before him all the days of our life.
And thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest;
   for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation unto his people
   for the remission of their sins,
through the tender mercy of our God :
   whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us,
to give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death,
   and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Short Service, Orlando Gibbons (1583–1625) Organist of Westminster Abbey 1623–25

All face east to say together the Apostles' Creed

I believe in God the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth:
and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into hell;
the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic Church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

The officiant and choir sing the Lesser Litany; the Lord's Prayer and the Responses

Let us pray.

All kneel or sit

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

The officiant sings the Collects; of the day, of Lent, for Peace, for Grace:

We beseech thee, almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants, and stretch forth the right hand of thy majesty, to be our defence against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all them that are penitent; create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O God, who art the author of peace and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom; defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in thy defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day; defend us in the same with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger, but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance, to do always that is righteous in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Music: William Byrd

The officiant says the Prayers; for the Royal Family, and for the Members of the Order of the Bath

Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness, we humbly beseech thee to bless our most gracious Sovereign Lord King Charles, Queen Camilla, William Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and all the Royal Family: endue them with thy Holy Spirit; enrich them with thy heavenly grace; prosper them with all happiness; and bring them to thine everlasting kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

God save our Gracious Sovereign, and all the Members of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath living and departed. Amen.

All say

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore.
Amen.

All stand as the choir and clergy depart

Music after the service

Ut re mi fa so la, John Bull (c 1562–1628)

Those who wish to may sit for the remainder of the organ voluntary

Choristerships at Westminster Abbey

The Choir of Westminster Abbey

If you have a son who enjoys singing, you can find out more information about our world-renowned Abbey Choir and its unique Choir School. Alternatively, please contact Dr Emma Margrett, Headteacher, Westminster Abbey Choir School, and Mr Andrew Nethsingha, Organist and Master of the Choristers, by emailing [email protected].

St Margaret's Choristers

If you have a daughter aged 10 or 11 who would like to sing with the St Margaret's Choristers, please contact Mr Greg Morris, Director of Music, St Margaret's Church, [email protected]. Find out more about Music at St Margaret's Church.