Across our diocese, many carol services brought together communities and congrgations. Here are just a couple. 

An Ecumenical Advent Carol service was celebrated at St Michael’s Anglican Church in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France on the evening of Wednesday 18 December. Nearly 75 members of the St Michael’s community attended from the Anglican, Roman Catholic and Danish Lutheran congregations on the Côte d’Azur. The service was led by St Michael’s locum Fr Stephen McCarty, Père Thierry Dasse from the Roman Catholic Church and danske pasteur Birgitte Grønn. The multilingual service was conducted in French and English, with a reading and prayer in Danish. “The ceiling almost lifted” as the gathered congregation sang the hymns and traditional carols. The service was followed by festive holiday refreshments including mulled wine, mince pies, cakes and cookies, as the wider St Michael’s community celebrated a meaningful Advent moment together.

Meanwhile, at 78 degrees north, our most northerly carol service was held in Svalbard. Chaplain Joanna Udal carried mince pies from London to share, watched over by the stuffed polar bear that lives there!