A Statement from the Bishop on the Death of The Queen

 

A Message from the Bishop of Niagara
The Right Reverend Susan Bell

 

Dear friends:

“Grief is the price we have to pay for love.” These words were written by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as she comforted those who’d lost loved ones in the tragedy of 9/11. They are words that now have a different resonance as we acknowledge her death today.

For over seven decades The Queen led us—she has represented us, comforted us, shaped her nation, and upheld the values and beliefs of the Global Anglican Communion and of the Commonwealth she loved so much. She served her people faithfully with the whole of her life.

Her Majesty The Queen articulated a deep faith that informed her life of service—for which we give thanks. It is a matter of historical record that the Queen rooted the character and quality of her service in her coronation vows. She understood her reign to be a sacred trust given to her by God and her people. Her faith has been foundational to the exercise of leadership. Her relationship with the Anglican Church of Canada was deep and abiding as her many visits to our shores and our churches demonstrated.

Throughout her reign, the Queen encouraged us to seek after the common good in all things—and her unparalleled example of service will continue to inspire us to pursue this end with our whole being. In her letter to the Lambeth Conference this past summer, she said that the teachings of Christ had been her guide all her life and that in them she found hope. It was her “heartfelt prayer that {we} would continue to be sustained by {our} faith in times of trial and encouraged by hope at times of despair.”

It is then with sorrow, but with gratitude, to that same God that sustained her hope, that we acknowledge that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has run the race marked out for her with perseverance—and more, with love and great dedication. We give thanks to God for all that she has meant to us and we commend her soul to Almighty God.

Loving God, 
we give you thanks and praise for the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II:
for her constancy, humility, and service;  
for her compassion, wisdom, and steadfast faith.   
Her race now run, may she rest in the peace of Christ.   
Give comfort to her family and friends in this time of grief.   
Grant grace to this and every nation, 
that we may live together in the hope and peace 
to which, in her life and work she bore witness. 
In sorrow, in thankfulness, we pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Sincerely,

The Right Reverend Susan J.A. Bell
Bishop of Niagara 

 

Click here for a pdf version of this statement.