With prayers and a rendition of God Save the King during a service on Sunday 11 September, All Saints Anglican Church in Selby honoured and remembered Vale Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Archbishop of Melbourne, Peter Andrew Comensoli, gave the church prayer suggestions in order to thank God for the late Queen’s rule after her death on Thursday 8 September.
All Saints Anglican Church secretary Felicity Podger said Queen Elizabeth held a “ceremonial” leadership role in the Anglican Church, previously known as the Church of England.
“The head of the Church of England in England is the Archbishop of Canterbury, but it goes back to when Henry the Eighth split from the Roman Catholic Church,” Felicity said.
“He had the title of ‘defender of the faith,’ and that has come down to all the Kings or Queens of Great Britain.
“The defender of the faith is also head of the Church of England, and that stems from Henry the Eighth, so it’s a historical thing.”
While Felicity said there are just as many ‘republicans’ as there are ‘monarchists’ in the town of Selby, it was still important to pray for the acceeding King Charles III and the royal family in their bereavement so the King would be “upheld in his time of bereavement and in the job that he’s got ahead of him”.
This comes after visitors gathered at Melbourne’s St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral to join a Choral Evensong on the evening of Sunday 11 September, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Premier Daniel Andrews and wife Catherine were in attendance, as well as Victorian Governor Linda Dessau.
On Sunday 11 September, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also announced a one-off public holiday for Australians on Thursday September 22 for a national day of mourning for the Queen.
Queen Elizabeth II was the monarch for 70 years and was coronated at just 25 years old in 1953, after the death of her father King George VI.
The Queen’s funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday 19 September at 9pm AEST.
