OUR annual Service of Celebration and Remembrance returns to Sheffield Cathedral after a two-year break on December 11.
The popular annual hospice Christmas event will begin at 2pm, with music from Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, Stannington Brass Band and the Hallmark of Harmony.
And our senior chaplain, the Rev Captain Canon Mike Reeder, will be reflecting on two years of change - with a mention for a very special bear.
“If there is once character who has captured the spirit of the year, I would say it has to be Paddington Bear,” he said.
“His appearance during the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations really touched a chord with the public and that much-loved piece of film then became a symbol that united us all when the Queen died.
“It seems entirely appropriate, therefore, that Paddington should have a part in our Service of Remembrance as we look back on a year of enormous change and also celebrate the fact that, after two years of pandemic restrictions, we are once again able to meet and share.
“For many people each year, Christmas is a time of immense happiness but also tinged with sadness as they remember relatives and friends who have been part of past celebrations.
“St Luke’s Service of Celebration and Remembrance gives many an opportunity to give thanks for those people and to remember them in an act of remembrance all set within a service of well know carols and readings.
“Many people tell me that this service is the beginning of Christmas for them and that it helps them in the midst of all the hype of the season to take time to remember and give thanks.”