PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION

Press Release

November 21, 2005
Thanksgiving Service for the American Community in London at St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul’s Cathedral will host a Thanksgiving Day service this Thursday, November 24, to commemorate the American holiday that occurs every year on the fourth Thursday in November. The Thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s has become a tradition in London among American visitors and expatriates and their British friends. While Americans, in one form or another, had celebrated Thanksgiving since the colonial era, President Abraham Lincoln formally established Thanksgiving as an American civic holiday in 1863 as a way to remind the American people of their blessings during our nation’s darkest hour. The Service will include a Thanksgiving message, hymns, presentation of the colors and a reading of President Bush’s Thanksgiving proclamation by U.S. Ambassador Robert Tuttle. The service will last approximately one hour. Ambassador Tuttle said, “We are deeply indebted to the Dean of St. Paul’s, John Moses, for opening this magnificent British house of worship to the American community in London for this very special American holiday.” This year the service is without tickets, but each person will be required to pass through a metal detector and all bags will be searched as a security measure. Therefore, attendees should bring minimal baggage and remove any metal objects from pockets before being checked. The doors open at 9:45 am and guests should plan to arrive no later than 10:30 am.

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