Outside the 12 noon Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral, the hustle and bustle of Edinburgh was much the same, save for the images of Queen Elizabeth across the city serving as a stark reminder of her death.
The service included the prayer issued by the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland to each parish to pray for her.
For some, such as Anne McClary it was just part of attending daily Mass regardless of the monarch’s passing.
Marie Smith, also a parishioner at the cathedral, has been praying for her, and said it was ‘very sad everyone, especially for her family.’
“These things come to an end. I’ve been praying for her inside.”
William Casey had come to the Cathedral in passing, but has been praying for her.
“We say the rosary every night, so we said it for the Queen last night,” he said.
Troy Bird, visiting with his wife from St Joseph’s in Clarksburg, Califronia, joked it has been a ‘bit of an inconvenience, because everything is closed.’
He said as an American it ‘wasn’t at all’ strange praying for the Queen.
“She’s well received in America, we’ve been praying for her.”
The bishops’ prayer for the Queen is being heard across Scotland today. It reads:
O God, in whose presence the dead are alive
and in whom your Saints rejoice full of happiness,
grant our supplication, that your servant Elizabeth,
for whom the fleeting light of this world shines no more,
may enjoy the comfort of your light for all eternity.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
Amen.
May our prayers rise up to you, O Lord,
and may the soul of Elizabeth your servant
be welcomed into eternal joy;
for as you were pleased
to create her in your own image
and adopt her as your own,
so command, we pray,
that she may have a share in your inheritance.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
Amen.
Incline your ear, O Lord, to our prayers,
by which we humbly entreat your mercy,
that, as you graciously numbered your servant Elizabeth
among your rulers in this world,
you may now set her in a place of peace and light
and grant her a share in the company of your Saints.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
Amen.