It was a pretty cold and wet afternoon but that did not discourage either the piper (Willie Park) at the door to Glasgow Cathedral, the church representatives, musicians and singers, or the congregation attending the Ecumenical Service organised by Glasgow Churches Together (GCT) at Glasgow Cathedral to mark the St Mungo Festival.

Frances McMenamin KC, Vice Dean of Merchants House began the service by proclaiming Let Glasgow Flourish! to which all responded with the words  by the preaching of Word – by the praising of His name. Then Kilmarnock Salvation Army Band and the St Mungo Singers led the singing of the opening hymn – a setting of the Canticle of Zechariah.

Rev. Mark Johnstone, Minister of Glasgow Cathedral, welcomed everyone to this celebration of Glasgow’s patron saint, before Jim Carruth, Glasgow’s Poet Laureate read two of his poems on the story of Mungo – The Exile of Teneu (St Enoch or The new, the mother of St Mungo) and  A Flourishing – Song of St Mungo.

The St Mungo Singers then sang Psalm 62 in the setting by John Bell before Bishop Nicholas Bundock of the Scottish Episcopal Church read from the Gospel of St John the verses (15:12-17) which set out the great commandment of love.

In the intercessions, we were invited to pray Glasgow as it moved forward from its 850th anniversary as a burgh to its hosting of the Commonwealth Games; for the refugees who have found a home in Glasgow; for peace in our war-torn world based on justice and forgiveness.

The singing of the Lord’s Prayer (in the ELCC translation) followed before an offering was taken up, and the service ended with the Glasgow Anthem Let Glasgow Flourish and a blessing from the clergy present, as well as a sung blessing God to Enfold you.

As the church and civic representatives then descended to the crypt to place a wreathe at the tomb of St Mungo, the Salvation Army Band led the final hymn God our Creator, bringing the service to a close on a rousing note.