On Sunday 20th September we are inviting all our congregation members, friends and supporters past and present, and everyone else who loves St Bride’s, to join us in church for a wonderful celebratory occasion – the annual Inspire! Sunday service.

The event is an excellent opportunity to listen to the glories of St Bride’s Choir and Orchestra and also to raise a glass of bubbles after the service to toast all that is special about St Bride’s and its people, and to give thanks to God for his many blessings.

We are delighted and grateful that the St Bride’s Orchestra will be accompanying the choir for this service in a liturgical performance of Dvořák’s Mass in D, Op 86.

The service launches our busy Autumn period in celebratory mood as we prepare to move through the seasons of Thanksgiving and Remembrance in preparation for Advent & Christmas.

MUSIC
The mass was commissioned by Dvořák’s friend, Josef Hlávka, who was a leading architect and patron of the arts, and later the founder and first president of the Czech Academy of Sciences. He commissioned the setting for the consecration of a new chapel at his castle in Lužany.

Typically folk-like, more lyrical and prayerful than dramatic, its character has often been described as pastoral, reflecting Dvořák’s love of nature. It evokes the tranquil countryside surrounding Hlávka’s castle as well as suiting the more modest performing forces then available in the small chapel.

Dvořák was a devout man, inspired by his Christian faith and he suggested the mass be subtitled “Faith, Hope and Love.”

Further details on our website → https://www.stbrides.com/events/inspire_sunday/