Devotionals

One of the most ancient acts of Christian devotion: praying for the dead. At this richly ceremonial choral Vigil Requiem, Mass is sung for the departed, as friends and family are remembered by name.

The Church’s new year begins in expectation. Candlelight and stirring choral music accompany readings from Scripture that follow the promise of Christ’s coming soon.

Nine lessons tell one enormous story, from the creation of the world to the birth of Christ. Between them, choir and congregation sing some of the best-loved carols of Christmas.

The waiting is over: Christ is born. The first Mass of Christmas celebrates the Nativity in the darkness of the night, when shepherds keep watch, angels sing, and a child is laid in a manger.

Christmas morning has a way of creating a sense of wonder, whatever your age. Joyful music fills the church as the Gospel proclaims the mystery of the manger: God with us, and hope born into the world.

Begin the forty days of Lent with the Imposition of Ashes, offered to all who wish to receive it. A solemn Mass with music reflecting the stark and searching character of Ash Wednesday.

Song and ritual trace the events on the night before Jesus’ death, from the intimacy of the Last Supper to the abandonment in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Mass ends in stillness, with a vigil kept at the Altar of Repose.

A Three-Hour Vigil marks the hours Jesus spent on the cross. Readings, preaching, haunting music, and periods of silence accompany the Passion across the afternoon, from crucifixion to death.

One of the most dramatic services of the year, the Easter Vigil begins in darkness, as a new fire is kindled and the light of the Paschal candle fills the church. Evocative chants and the rites of Baptism carry the Vigil towards the first Mass of Easter.

Forty days after Easter, the story changes direction. Ascension Day celebrates Christ lifted, body and soul, into heaven, with uplifting choral music for one of the great feasts of the Christian year.

On Corpus Christi, the Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession. With festal choral music, incense, and flower petals, the celebration of Christ’s presence moves out into the streets of Edinburgh.

Angels have been imagined in music for centuries. Celestial voices and heavenly harmonies accompany Evensong and Benediction in honour of St Michael, patron of this church.