Prayer and Worship Resources

This page collects links to resources that you might find helpful whilst our regular services in church are put on hold. Many of the pages are updated frequently, so please check for the latest information.

Service booklets

The Order of Mass (Thursdays at 12.30 pm from 4 April 2024).

(Eastertide) Short text suitable for printing or downloading to a mobile device.
(Ascension Day) Short text suitable for printing or downloading to a mobile device. N.B. The only Mass at St Michael's on Ascension Day is the 12.30 pm Said Mass. There will be a Corporate Communion for the parish at St Nicolas' Church at 7 pm.

For other service booklets, please see below.

Resources accessible by telephone

For those unable to access a church service online, please use the Church of England's Daily Hope freephone number, dial 0800 804 8044, for daily hymns, reflections and prayers

On-line resources

Live-stream services The A Church Near You web site can be used to find churches across the country that are advertising live-streamed services.
Oxford Cathedral Livestream events will appear on the cathedral's YouTube channel. ?
A Candle in the Window, news and views from the parish of Abingdon-on-Thames.
The monthly (except December) Silent Reflections will be in church on the last Tuesday of the month starting at 7.30 pm. Silent Relections materials are available to download:
- 30 April (2024) - The Sounds of Silence
- 19 March (2024) - What is man that you are mindful of him? (Note the earlier date than usual to avoid Holy Week)
- 27 February (2024) - Praise, Prayer, Love Reflecting on three of George Herbert’s Poems
Faith Forum The Spring series of Faith Forum began on Sunday 4 February in the Parish Centre. The final Faith Forum in the current series on the sacraments will be on Sunday 5 May in the parish centre. A buffet lunch will be served from 12.30pm, with the talk beginning at 12.45pm. The Revd Ruth Fitter, NHS chaplain. will be speaking about the sacraments and healing. The talks will also be accessible via Zoom. Recordings, both video and audio, of the talks in this series and talks from earlier series can be found on the parish web site.
Church of England Daily Prayer
Daily prayer for the current day that page also has links to the CoE Daily Prayer app.
A simple form of Daily Prayer St Peter's Church, Earley, Reading
Walsingham
- Mass will be live-streamed from the Holy House at 7.30 am every Sunday, through Facebook, Vimeo and YouTube.
- There is a daily live stream of Shrine Prayers at 6.00 pm. A guide to Shrine Prayers is available there together with recordings of previous instances.
- See here for details of current services and times.
The Community of the Resurrection in Mirfield, live-stream their daily services. See the Worship and Live-streaming page on their website for further details, times of services, and service booklets. There is a pattern and rhythm to their worship that some readers might find helpful.

Learning resources

From 2 to 11 May 2024
- Church of England liturgical texts for Eastertide.
- Thursday 2 May Athanasius, bishop, teacher of the faith, 373
- Saturday 4 May English saints and martyrs of the Reformation Era. The poet-priest Malcolm Guite has published two sonnets on his web site to mark this commemoration.
- Monday 6 May to Wednesday 8 May are Rogation Days. Liturgical texts are available in the Agricultural Year section of Common Worship Times and Seasons.
- Thursday 9 May is Ascension Day, Liturgical texts are available in the Ascension Day section of Common Worship Times and Seasons. Seasonal material from Ascension Day to Pentecost is also available further down the page.
The prestigious Bampton Lectures, founded by the will of the Revd John Bampton (1690-1751), first took place at the University Church in Oxford in 1780. This year's lectures on the topic Recognizing Strangers: Solidarity and Christian Ethics were given by the Rt Revd Dr Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop of Wales. The lectures took place in the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford, Follow this link for more details. Recordings of the lectures are available on the University Church's YouTube site (currently on the Live tab).
General Synod met in London from Friday 23 February to Tuesday 27 February. The agenda, meeting papers and reports of business are available online.
Douai Abbey Spring/Summer Programme. Come to Douai Abbey for a day or weekend of peaceful quiet and join the Benedictine community at their prayer and in their lovely surroundings. A series of workshops, reflections and retreats have been prepared for spring and summer.
The Spiritual Adventure of Henri Matisse: Vence's Chapel of the Rosary, by our Team Rector, The Revd Dr Charles Miller was published on 27 February 2024, in part an output from his recent sabbatical. The title can be pre-ordered from the publisher, Unicorn Publishing Group and well-known on-line booksellers. From a book-sellers web site: “Henri Matisse described the Chapel of the Rosary, the chief labour of his final years, as the 'gathering together' of his lifetime's work. Although widely known as 'Matisse's Chapel', the building's remarkable 'modern' design and decoration emerged from a surprising friendship and artistic engagement with a group of Dominican sisters and brothers keen to see the Church embrace 'Modern Art' and modern artists. With the advantage of hitherto unexplored archive and printed materials this study highlights that mutual encounter and explores how their shared artistic adventure became for Matisse himself an opportunity to express his ‘religious’ vision of art and to rediscover his natal Catholic Faith in its post-war avant-garde form.”
The Oxford Journal for Intercultural Mission The third edition (Spring 2024) is now available. The journal offers a range of reflections on issues impacting the growth of intercultural mission and ministry in the Church of England. These include UKME (United Kingdom Minority Ethnic) and GMH (Global Majority Heritage) participation, governance structures, ministry discernment and training, racial justice, cultural awareness, intercultural preaching, worship and evangelism. This is intended to be a popular and easy-to-read journal published quarterly by St Paul’s, Slough – the designated intercultural mission-resourcing hub in the Diocese of Oxford. More details are available at the journal's web site. Issues can be downloaded free-of-charge from the journal's web site.
A statement from the House of Bishops on the war in Gaza
Dorchester Abbey A sculpture made up of 50,000 keyboard keys, depicting one of Da Vinci’s most recognisable paintings, is on display at Dorchester Abbey until the end of April. More details and this link.
COP 28 - UN Climate Change Conference was held from 30 November to 12 December 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. For details see the conference web site and the outcomes page.
The Bishop of Norwich visited the Anglican al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital just a few days before the hospital was struck by a missile. He was interviewed on Radio 5 following the death of hundreds of people being treated and sheltering there.
- Urgent appeals: Al Ahli Hospital Appeal – The Jerusalem and the Middle East Church Association
- Middle East Crisis Appeal – Christian Aid
CSMV Our Life Sr Lizzie Ruth CSMV has posted three videos on the Community’s YouTube channel, about the life and work of the community, entitled A Week in Our Life, Our Spirituality and Prayer Life, and Our Ministry. The third video “follows on from the previous one about the Sisters’ spirituality and prayer life, and seeks to give an overview of the CSMV Sisters’ ministry past and present. It includes a tour of St Mary’s Convent and interviews with the Sisters.”
Oxford Diocese
- Diocesan Synod met on Saturday 9 March 2024. The agenda and meeting papers are available to download. A report of the synod meeting is now available.
- An extraordinary challenge: Restoring 30 per cent of our land and sea by 2030 The Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee, of which Bishop Steven is a member, has published a new report calling on the Government to make a major step change in its approach to protected areas.
- All Stand: The Gift of disabled people to the Church A resource commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury and compiled by the Revd John Naude. John writes: “These are the stories of people with a wide range of disabilities, each sharing their experience of God and the Church... Hearing how individuals have experienced the Church and how they have experienced God as they have lived with disability has not just been powerful, but a strong reminder of what we may perceive as one way God seems to transform our perceptions into something totally different. This is demonstrated in that God loves, uses and blesses disabled people.
- Oxford Diocesan Synod's motion Responding to the Climate Emergency "was overwhelmingly supported at General Synod, with 256 votes in favour to 36 against, and 16 abstentions. It means all parts of the Church of England will now be committed to action across a whole range of vital areas, including lobbying government on planning regulations, upscaling renewable energy investment, reviewing and updating all relevant policies and procedures, and supporting practical preparations for delivering our net zero target." [From Diocesan eNews, 13 July 2023]
- Diocesan Synod met on Saturday 10 June. The agenda and papers for the meeting are available on-line.
- Post-Covid-19 Trends, Patterns and Possibilities Towards the end of 2022, over one thousand churches sent in their October 2022 Statistics for Mission returns. In this landmark report, Bev Botting, Ken Eames, and Bob Jackson identify signs of hope and life for the Church following the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Research and insight Statistical resources and commentary on what is happening in society and the life of the Church. This includes a link to a recent report on Clergy Experiences of Ministry During the Pandemic by Prof Gillian Symon, School of Business and Management, Royal Holloway University of London; Dr Rebecca Whiting, Department of Organizational Psychology, Birkbeck University of London; and Dr Rebecca Taylor, Department of Sociology, University of Southampton.
- Diocesan Finance resources. The Parish Finance area of the diocesan web site contains some very useful resources including:
  - Parish Share: allocations to churches and monthly statements of receipts (excluding 1% rebate for payments by direct debit)
  - The Diocesan finance - On the Money web page contains a lot of useful information about diocesan finances, where the money comes from and where it goes to.
- Ukraine
  - Diocese of Oxford Make a difference in Ukraine
  - Ukrainian Institute London
Recent videos from the Community of the Resurrection
- In late June Fr Nicolas and Fr Charlie held an online zoom seminar, which covered monastic life, and the rule of St Benedict. They were joined online by a group of students in Australia. The video is now available on the Community's You Tube channel.
- National Libraries Week 2 - 8 October 2023 For the Community of the Resurrection (Mirfield) this is an opportunity to focus on the Community’s own unique library (60,000 volumes). They have made a new series of videos that feature ‘Brethren’s Books’ that will be posted every Wednesday over the next few weeks on their YouTube channel.
  - Fr Nicolas and Fr Charlie, in conversation Fr Nicolas is currently Library Brother and Fr Charlie assists in the library.
  - Fr George on Dante's Divine Commedy Fr George is precentor and sacristan and a former Library Brother.
  - Br Marc takes us back to Ancient Greece.
  - Fr George with another favourite read.
  - Fr Oswin chooses Robert Louis Stevenson. Fr Oswin is the Superior of the Community.
  - Br Marc reading from the epic ballad, ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner ’.
  - Br Jude chooses a passage from the timeless ‘Chronicles of Narnia’.
Visual Commentary on Scripture (VCS) is a resource provided by Kings College London “that provides theological commentary on the Bible in dialogue with works of art. It helps its users to (re)discover the Bible in new ways through the illuminating interaction of artworks, scriptural texts, and commissioned commentaries.”
The Church of England published Statistics for Mission 2021 on 7 December 2022.
COP 27 - UN Climate Change Conference COP 27 took place from 6 to 20 November 2022 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
- Diocese of Oxford Care for Creation November newsletter
- United Nations Climate Change web site
- COP27 web site
- Call to Prayer for COP27 Climate Talks, Diocese of Leeds. This includes a prayer resource for daily services or private prayer, starting on Sunday 6 November.
- Diocese of Oxford COP27
- British Computer Society (BCS), article on regulations around data centres and energy use
- Professor Myles Allen (University of Oxford) and Frank Jackson Foundation Professor of the Environment (2022-) at Gresham College is giving a series of public lectures on a range of aspects of Net Zero, which will be available for on-line as well as in-person participation. The first, The Atmospheric Physics Behind Net Zero, is on 22 November at 6pm.
Environment and Climate Change The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee, of which Bishop Steven is a member, published a report last week (In our hands: behaviour change for climate and environmental goals) which warns that the Government's current approach to enabling behaviour change is seriously inadequate and will result in the UK failing to meet its net zero and environment targets. The report is available to download.
The Lambeth Conference ran from 26 July to 8 August 2022.
- Reflections on Lambeth Bishops Steven, Gavin and Olivia share their experiences of the 2022 Lambeth Conference. Bishop Steven summarises the science and faith thread, Bishop Olivia focuses on the environmental conversations, and Bishop Gavin considers the joys and challenges of the diverse global Anglican family.
- The conference web site
- The official Prayer Guide
- Live Stream Programme
- Today at the Lambeth Conference, highlights of each day of the conference, see the pull-down menu at the conference web site
- (Revised) Lambeth Calls Study Document (note the statement about the draft Call on Human Dignity and the voting procedure released )
- Talking about Faith and Science and The Anglican Communion Science Commission
Mirfield Talks - Festival Day 2022 Festival day this year was on Saturday 9 July. An introductory talk by Frs Charlie nCR and Nicolas CR, is available on the Community's YouTube channel.
- A series of talks given by brethren of the Community of the Resurrection for the last year's Festival Day, 11 July 2021, which focus on the environment and our response to it, is also available on YouTube.
COP 26
- Reflections on COP 26 by Claire Spooner UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) lead for Stakeholder Engagement at COP26
- A Candle in the Window (Parish Magazine) The December issue contains a series of articles reflecting on the outcome of COP 26.
- United Nations Climate Change the UN web site containing links to the conference documents
- Resources from some scientific societies:
  - COP26, climate change and the Royal Society
  - Royal Meterological Society Resources include daily video briefings, briefing papers and podcasts
  - The Royal Society of Chemistry Chemistry and COP26
- Bishop Olivia at COP26 Bishop Olivia, Bishop of Reading, is attending the conference and joining a range of events. Recordings of interviews she has given to local radio stations can be found on the Diocese of Oxford Soundcloud site.
- From the Anglican Communion - Anglican Consultative Council:
  - Voluntary submission to the COP26
  - Climate Resilience and Just Financing - Anglican Leadership for Climate Action and Climate Justice COP26 Policy Position
- Facing up to the spiritual challenge of the environmental crisis, 23 November. The Kellogg College annual Vincent Strudwick lecture on Religion in Public Life will be given by the Rt Revd Olivia Graham, Bishop of Reading, at 5.30pm. This lecture will be online. To receive the link to the event, please book thorough Eventbrite.
- Diocese of Oxford COP26 Engagement Opportunities these include writing to or emailing your MP (for Abingdon this is layla.moran.mp@parliament.uk), or the COP co-president alok.sharma.mp@parliament.uk or the Prime Minister boris.johnson.mp@parliament.uk. The COP26 Engagement Opportunities web site has a link to a document produced by the Quakers which is a general guide for contacting MPs. It is important to include your name and address in your email or letter so that your MP knows you live in their constituency.
- A moment of opportunity and truth The powerful and historic joint statement on the environment issued by Archbishop Justin, Pope Francis and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as part of the preparations for COP 26 was followed on 4 October by a gathering of faith leaders from across the world in the Vatican and the release of a new joint statement by all the world's religions: Faith and Science: an appeal for COP 26. The appeal was presented to COP26 President-Designate, the Rt Hon Alok Sharma, and the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Luigi Di Maio.
- Before and during COP26 there was a series of events, both face-to-face and virtual, open to the public.
- The Office for National Statistics Carbon dioxide emissions and woodland coverage where you live (21 October). The levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and woodland coverage vary across the UK.The ONS interactive maps let you see how your area looks, and how it compares with other areas.
- The text of a letter from the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury, A Joint Message for the Protection of Creation that was published on 7 September 2021
- Responding to the Climate Crisis includes links to recent publications by members of the Anglican Society of St Francis
- Churches Together in Britain and Ireland offer a range of resources to support Climate Sunday.
- Olivia, Bishop of Reading, gave a talk on Climate Sunday in St Mary's Church Greenham. A video of her talk is available on YouTube. Links are provided below to some of the resources Bishop Olivia mentions in her talk.
  - A Christian Guide to Environmental Issues by Martin Hodson and Margot Hodson, published by BRF
  - The Eco Church scheme
  - The Diocese of Oxford's EcoHub which is organised as a collection of zones: the Knowledge Zone for facts on climate change, the Action Zone for advice on making practical change and the Reflection Zone offering theological resources. The specialist Net Zero Zone offers information on the path to net zero.
- Readers might like to read the transcript of Canon Ward's sermon, Service and Sacrifice, preached in Christ Church Cathedral on Sunday 25 July 2021.
Mirfield Talks. The Community's YouTube channel includes talks by Fr Nicolas CR and other members of the community.
- Recent talks include:
  1. St Luke's Gospel
  2. Bike ride for Tariro (a fund-raising ride by Fr George CR and companions)
- Older talks include:
  1. The first video in the series is on John Bradburne, who is currently on his way to being beatified and onwards to saint hood with the Catholic Church. Please click here to watch the video. From 1969 to being shot in 1979 John was warden at Mutemwa Leprosy Settlement, in Zimbabwe. See also The John Bradburne Memorial Society
  2. Praying in a technological world
  3. Pope Francis And The Poor
  4. CR Growing in Christ
  5. The Promise of Eternal Life
  6. Fr Nicolas in conversation with Claire Gilbert, talking about her recent experience of cancer and her work as Director of the Westminster Abbey Institute Her recent publications include Letters from Lockdown: Sustaining public service values during the Covid-19 pandemic
  7. Sayings of the Desert Fathers Fr Charlie, novice CR
An on-line labyrinth.
Cathedrals have responded to the pandemic in a variety of ways and offer a range of live-streamed worship.
- Norwich Our former Team Vicar, Peter Doll, is Canon Librarian of the Cathedral.
- Oxford
- Portsmouth Fr Paul was a priest in Portsmouth Diocese before moving to Abingdon
- Winchester
- From the Province of York, readers might like to look at the web site of Wakefield Cathedral in the Diocese of Leeds or Sheffield Cathedral.
The History of Stations of the Cross A very interesting talk by an American Roman Catholic Franciscan brother. For information about Franciscan brothers and sisters in the Anglican Communion see the web site.
Alone Together Reflections from monks and nuns on isolation and distancing, led by Fr Christopher Jamison, OSB.
Thriving in Lockdown Br Marc CR speaks about his time in lockdown in this interview with Caleb Ellwood of York Gateway church.
Some readers may remember The Revd Dr Joe Kennedy, a former curate at St Michael's. He is now vicar of the Parish of Oxton St Saviour, Wirral. The church's web site includes an on-line worship section.

Service Booklets

Lightly modified versions of the service booklet for the liturgies that would traditionally be used at St Michael's are available to download.