Commonwealth Observance in St Andrew’s Cathedral

Her Majesty The Queen, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh and The Earl of Wessex, with representatives of Commonwealth nations, and Australian community leaders will be present, at the invitation of the Prime Minister and Mrs Howard, and the Dean and Chapter of St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney, at the Commonwealth Day Observance in St Andrew's Cathedral on Monday 13th March.

The Commonwealth Observance, usually held in London, will be held for the first time outside of Britain on this occasion. It will commence at 12.25pm in St Andrew's Cathedral, George Street, Sydney, and will be broadcast live by the ABC.  A large screen will be located in Sydney Square for onlookers to watch the service outside the Cathedral, so that they may observe the arrival of The Queen and The Duke.

The service will be led by the Dean of Sydney, the Very Rev. Phillip Jensen, who designed and wrote the service, including special prayers. The Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Rev. Dr Peter Jensen will preach the sermon. The Prime Minister and the Premier of NSW will read the Bible passages, and prayers will be led by two young people, Kiruba Ranjit from Strathfield Girls' High School and also Sam Mak.

Students of St Andrew's Cathedral School will parade the Flags of the Commonwealth nations. The music at the service is under the direction of Ross Cobb, the Cathedral's recently-arrived Director of Music, and will include music by the Cathedral Choir and an Orchestra from across Sydney. In accordance with the traditional Commonwealth Day Observance format, the service will include special performances that represent the broad cultural and racial diversity of the Commonwealth. There will also be a Statement from the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don MacKinnon, and a series of Commitments led by religious leaders.
On behalf of the Chapter and congregation of St Andrew's Cathedral, Dean Phillip Jensen, offering a welcome, said, "The commencement of the Commonwealth Games is a wonderful time to celebrate life, health and vitality in the 53 nations of the Commonwealth. We look forward to this Christian gathering giving praise to God for the wonderful provision of our Commonwealth family." 

CONTACT: Margaret Rodgers   (W) 02 9265 1507     (Mobile) 0411 692 499
      The Rev Chris Moroney (W) 02 9265 1665   (Mobile) 0419 221 553