Today – 18th September 2022 – I was privileged to be invited by the Bishop of Leicester, to a Thanksgiving ceremony in remembrance of Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II, at the Church of St James the Greater, of which I gladly attended.
I was asked to represent all the Pagan faiths in Leicester and Leicestershire, and was included in the procession of all other faiths who were invited.
It was in total 1 hour and 40 mins long and a very full service, with members of parliament attending, the Lord Lieutenant, all his deputies and a number of his cadets.
The choir was superb and the service was well attended, with us completing the service singing God Save the King, which for me felt a little strange because I, like so many, have never known another monarch. I arrived early as I wanted to make sure I found a parking place, and I was very kindly supported by one of the marshals, who was very interested in Paganism and shared his thoughts of his own beliefs and his future. This for me needed mentioning because he made me feel welcomed as I stood alone waiting for other members of the other faiths to arrive.
I dressed in my navy cloak and walked with my staff which actually gave me an air of authority. I was disappointed that the Bishop hadn’t asked for a few words from the Pagans point of view on death, especially as many of the other faiths had been asked and the readings were carried out by a number of the Lord Lieutenants Cadets which was actually quite nicely done.
After the service we filed outside and were thanked by the Bishop and then we chatted for a while with different people and then drifted off in our own directions homeward. A sort of anti-climax at the ending of the life and service of such a hardworking dedicated lady.
Thank you Ma’am from Angela Langrick CSO Secretary.