Bringing Choral Evensong to Parish Life
The Choral Evensong Trust (CET) Patronal Festival Grants, like the one awarded to Ystrad Meurig Church, enable churches – particularly those without a tradition of choral evensong – to offer a sung evensong on their patronal feast day. Tim Popple explains the why – and the how.
The aim is to deepen community ties, enrich worship and draw in those who rarely, or ever, attend church.
Evensong combines psalm, canticles, anthem and prayers in choral form - and it has a magnetic draw. CET’s support encourages parishes to plan patronal festivals around their patron saint’s feast day (or nearest Sunday) with music at the centre.
Choral Evensong at Ystrad Meurig
CET offers two grant types:
- A £500 Patronal Festivals Grant, to bring in a visiting choir.
- A £250 Patronal Festivities Grant, to fund community hospitality where a local choir already exists.
Reports from this year’s festivals have been stirring. In villages where choral evensong had not been heard for decades, small congregations saw numbers swell dramatically: one church grew from 12 to 74 attendees; another hosted 100 in a building that usually held about 20. The music made all the difference.
Applications for next year’s grants open on 23 November – the feast of Christ the King (or the Last Sunday after Trinity). Grants are one-off and awarded to new applicants each year; churches that received support in 2025 are not eligible again for 2026.
Churches contemplating an application would do well to:
- Invite your patron (the person or body that ‘presents’ the benefice) to become a sponsor;
- Confirm your musical provision early;
- Plan liturgically rich material;
- Advertise widely;
- Offer generous hospitality;
- Consider collaboration across churches.
If your parish would like to apply when Advent comes, consider beginning the groundwork now:
- Discuss with your PCC whether Evensong would fit your Patronal Festival.
- Identify possible visiting singers.
- Work through patronal feast logistics.
- Draft an outline budget.
- Plan your community outreach.
- Think about hospitality.
The Patronal Festival Grants initiative may still be young, but its first year shows that well‑planned patronal festivals can truly ignite congregational enthusiasm, draw in broader communities, and leave a lasting sense of renewal.
If your church is considering exploring this for the Advent 2025 to Candlemas 2026 grants window, now is the time to pray and plan.
For more information – and to watch the application window when it opens – keep an eye on choralevensong.org or contact the Trust directly via hello@choralevensong.org.