All Saints Day service at Ripon Cathedral to offer hope for everyone who has lost a loved one in 2020

Ripon Cathedral is to host a special service commemorating the people lost in 2020.
Tom Ramsden lights a candle at Ripon Cathedral in memory of his father, the Rt. Hon James Ramsden ahead of the service for the bereavedTom Ramsden lights a candle at Ripon Cathedral in memory of his father, the Rt. Hon James Ramsden ahead of the service for the bereaved
Tom Ramsden lights a candle at Ripon Cathedral in memory of his father, the Rt. Hon James Ramsden ahead of the service for the bereaved

The Fallen Leaves service this All Saints Day (Sunday, November 1) will honour not just those taken by Covid-19, but by all other causes.

The service will also be a peaceful opportunity to give thanks to key workers and offer some much-needed hope for the future.

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Tom Ramsden whose father, James Ramsden, a former MP for Harrogate and Secretary of State for War, died of natural causes at his home in Ripon aged 96 in late March, days after the start of the national lockdown.

Tom Ramsden lights a candle at Ripon Cathedral in memory of his father, the Rt. Hon James Ramsden ahead of the service for the bereavedTom Ramsden lights a candle at Ripon Cathedral in memory of his father, the Rt. Hon James Ramsden ahead of the service for the bereaved
Tom Ramsden lights a candle at Ripon Cathedral in memory of his father, the Rt. Hon James Ramsden ahead of the service for the bereaved

Mr Ramsden’s family said their goodbyes in a small service, each separated by two metres.

“My father would have had his 97th birthday on the day of the service so it will be a poignant time for our family,” said Mr Ramsden, ahead of Sunday’s service.

“He died not from the coronavirus but peacefully in his sleep. The lockdown, however, meant that we had to have a very small funeral and my sister in South Africa was unable to attend.

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“After a death there is normally a gathering of the clans as there was after my mother died in November, but the effect of the virus was to leave my brother, Ashley, and me very much in limbo, as it has done to so many bereaved people.”

Mr Ramsden added: “I have a good friend who lost his mother to the virus. She was in a care home and he, like many others, was unable to see her.

“That is why I think this service is so important. It will be a gathering of people who have lost loved ones, some of whom will not have been able to commemorate their lives properly.

“It will be a moment to reflect upon the new ways we are using to comfort one another and to deal with grief and bereavement. It is a time to pray not only for journeying souls but also for all those affected by family loss during the past 12 months.”

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Canon Ailsa Newby, who has organised the service, said: “There is a profound mystery in the cycle of life, death and new life.

“In the beauty of the cathedral, which over the centuries has seen so much grief, we’ll take a little time to ponder this mystery as we contemplate the dead leaves of autumn and leave with dormant spring bulbs, full of new life and hope.”

Sunday’s service will start at 3.30pm and will include music, readings and meditative prayer.

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