The parish of Our Lady of Mercy & St Joseph in Lymington held a Requiem Mass for Queen Elizabeth II on Monday 19^th September to a very full congregation.

The Deputy Lord Lieutenant for the New Forest, Lena Samuels, was present and was greeted by Fr David Adams and presented with a posy by Zoe Green, one of the three children representing Year 6 from our Parish school, Our Lady & St Joseph.

The Lord Lieutenant and his Deputies represent the Sovereign in the shires of the realm and are received as if they were a member of the Royal Family.

The Deputy Lord Lieutenant was escorted to her seat by Councillor Andrew Sutherland and Scott Green, a pupil from OLSJ school.  The Mass opened with Praise my soul, the king of heaven! which was one of Queen Elizabeth’s favourite hymns.

Ms Samuels then read the first reading – 2 Corinthians 4:6 – 5:1 followed by Psalm 23 read by Mason Marciniak, the third representative from year 6.

The school children brought up the bread and wine at the offertory along with a book of Condolences written by the children from the school.

During the final hymn of May the choirs of angels come to greet you the children brought three white roses up in procession and laid them before the picture of Her Majesty under the altar.

The service finished with the National anthem with members of the congregation signing the book of condolence as they left.