With the funeral of the late Bishop Andrew taking place on Monday 23 March, we wanted to consolidate all the key information you may need in order to mark the funeral and to communicate within your parishes and beyond. Given seating limitations at the Cathedral, Bishop Paul said he hopes, “that the gift of technology will enable the next best thing as we gather for fellowship in deaneries - as satellites of the Cathedral service.”
The following resources will hopefully be helpful as a point of reference and information, but also to enable you to mark the funeral:
- Original website article announcing details of the funeral.
- Funeral FAQ document.
- Twelve churches (one in each deanery) have agreed to livestream the service and offer hospitality for anyone who wishes to gather together. The churches are listed in the above web article and FAQ document. The Order of Service will be added to the livestream link from Sunday evening.
- We still have some prayer cards, including a photo of Bishop Andrew on one side, available at Church House Guildford. The cards are available to collect within office hours (8.30 am - 5.00 pm) and no appointment is required.
- The physical Book of Condolence is still available at Guildford Cathedral, but people can also sign the online Book of Condolence.
- Bishop Andrew requested any donations in his memory be given to support the mission and ministry of Guildford Cathedral.
- Link to official photographs of Bishop Andrew. This folder now also contains two church notice slides with QR codes for donations in memory of Bishop Andrew, and the online Book of Condolence.
- Suggestions of ways to mark the funeral. In addition to following the service on the live stream, parishes could consider other ways to pay respects, including lowering your church flag to half-mast on the day of the funeral; or, if you have church bells, you could consider arranging for them to be rung half-muffled on Sunday 22 March, the day before the funeral.
Bishop Andrew’s funeral - Deanery Allocation of Tickets
As previously communicated, the funeral is by invitation only and the Cathedral has been in touch directly with those who have been allocated seats. This week, tickets will be allocated to deaneries, with a couple of tickets available for each parish (in addition to licensed clergy who have already been given the opportunity to register to attend). This would allow each parish to be represented by their churchwardens (who are legally officers of the bishop). There is, however, no requirement that the representatives are churchwardens. If you have any questions about this, please ask your Incumbent or Area Dean.