The choirs of Saint Luke’s Parish in Darien will present Phrases of the Spring: A Maritime Evensong, the last Choral Evensong of the season, on Saturday, April 28, at 5 p.m. A wine and cheese reception will follow. There is no charge for admission, and all are welcome.
The service will feature special prayers, hymns, and blessings for boaters, sailors, and those looking forward to getting back to the water this spring.
Featured music will include the Evening Service (Collegium Regale), composed for King’s College, Cambridge, England, by Herbert Howells (1892–1983), as well as his Hymn for Saint Cecilia, the martyr and patron saint of hymns, great musicians, and poets.
Evensong, one of the great legacies of the English Reformation and most cherished of Anglican services, has its origins in the ancient monastic tradition of marking the day with specific times of prayer.
When Henry VIII severed ties with Rome, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer condensed the services into Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, or Matins and Evensong.
St. Luke’s Parish is at 1864 Post Road.