How will churches be marking St George’s Day?
From early times the Christian Church has set aside Holy Days throughout the year to remember individuals whose lives most clearly demonstrate God’s power to transform human lives.
St George’s Day is a Festival in the Church of England’s calendar – a day which all churches would normally observe, with a range of specific provision for prayers and readings particular to that date (see below for liturgical provision for St George).
At many churches and cathedrals, services will be held which include readings, prayers and music that will call to mind St George and his example of faith and steadfastness in the face of persecution and tyranny.
To help you find services celebrating St George’s Day in your area, our church finder website AChurchNearYou.com has a St George’s Day tag to make it easy for churches to advertise special services and events they are putting on to mark the day.
The Promoting Unity in our Nation Bishops’ Working Group issued this statement on the meaning of the cross of St George in February and there some points for consideration in this document.
Who was St George?
St George has been honoured by Christians down the centuries following his death in around AD 304, although he was only named as England’s patron saint over a thousand years later around 1347.
While there are few reliable historical details of George’s life, what is known is that he was a Christian who served in the Roman army in Lydda, Palestine – although he may well have been born in Cappadocia (in what is now Turkey). We also know that he was among many people martyred (killed for his Christian faith) during the brutal suppression of Christianity during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian.
There is more about the life of St George in the resource from the Mission Theology and Apologetics Group (MTAG). MTAG is an ecumenical partnership between the Church of England and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. Churches may find it helpful to reflect on these resources as they discern how to mark St George’s Day in their particular context.
George as Patron Saint
Over the centuries, as Christians remembered and retold his story, a number of powerful legends and images came to be associated with George.
He came to be portrayed as the ideal knight, resisting evil and defending the innocent.
The legend of him slaying a dragon (or sea-monster) – although it only appeared in the 1200s – has inspired many artists over the centuries.
More details on St George’s life and legend can be found in Saints on Earth: A biographical companion to Common Worship by John Darch and Stuart Burns (Church House Publishing, 2017).
This article from Embrace the Middle East explores St George’s origins and links to Palestine and the wider Middle East are explored.
A prayer for St George’s Day
Collect for George, Martyr, Patron of England
God of hosts,
who so kindled the flame of love
in the heart of your servant George
that he bore witness to the risen Lord
by his life and by his death:
give us the same faith and power of love
that we who rejoice in his triumphs
may come to share with him the fullness of the resurrection;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
St George’s Flag
The flag of St George – a red cross on a white background – is the symbol of England and is part of the United Kingdom’s Union Flag.
It was adopted by English Kings as their banner from at least as early as Edward I who reigned from 1272-1307. However it is also widely associated with Richard I (or Richard the Lionheart) who is said to have adopted it from the Italian city of Genoa in the late 12th Century.
The status of St George as England’s patron saint and his symbol became more firmly enshrined with the establishment of the Order of the Garter by Edward III in 1348.
While the widespread commemoration of saints ended at the Reformation, St George's day remained a celebration significant enough in the nation for it to be included in the Calendar of the Book of Common Prayer from 1552.
The cross of St George is instantly recognisable as part of the symbols of many other places including the flags of Georgia and Catalonia and the crests of several cities, especially in northern Italy.
Everyday Faith reflections during the week of St George’s Day
From Monday 20 April to Saturday 26 April, Bishop Hugh Nelson (Bishop of Worcester and Bishop to His Majesty’s Armed Forces) will be offered reflections on ‘The Whole Armour of God’, including a special reflection for St George’s Day exploring the image of ‘the shield of faith’.
Download the free Everyday Faith app to receive the reflections free in text or audio form.
Churches dedicated to St George
Did you know that there are over 250 churches across the Church of England – including the Diocese in Europe – dedicated to St George?
For those churches, St George’s Day will have an additional significance, with many of them choosing to give thanks for the Dedication (founding date) of their church building on this date.
When is St George’s Day marked in church?
While churches normally mark St George’s Day 23 April, it is what is called a ‘moveable feast’.
In a minority of years when Easter is celebrated in the second half of April, an alternative date is allocated to his feast (as well as the Feast of St Mark (the author of Mark’s Gospel) whose feast normally falls on 26 April). This is to avoid it clashing with Holy Week and Easter Week – the most important weeks in the Church’s calendar when the events of Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection are recalled.
In such years, celebrations of St George’s Day in church are generally postponed for a few days while Easter – the greatest festival of the Christian faith for which George gave his life – is celebrated.
Liturgical resources for churches celebrating St George
Daily Prayer
The easiest way to access the provisions for St George’s Day contained in Common Worship: Daily Prayer is via the Daily Prayer feed/app.
The following services for St George’s Day will appear on the Daily Prayer app and podcast on 23 April 2026 but can be accessed at any time:
A Service of Morning Prayer for St George’s Day (Contemporary Language)
A Service of Evening Prayer for St George’s Day (Contemporary Language)
The specific provisions for St George’s Day for Daily Prayer can also be found on this page (scroll down to 23 April).
A Service of Holy Communion (Festivals)
In addition, material for use at a Service of Holy Communion for St George’s Day are offered in Common Worship: Festivals:
- Collect and readings specifically for George: George, Martyr, Patron of England
- Further material used on all Festivals of saints remembered as Martyrs: Martyrs
Study and prayer resources
The Mission Theology and Apologetics Group (MTAG), an ecumenical partnership between the Church of England and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, has produced these detailed resources on St George.
They are the latest in the Myths, Miracles, Mysteries, Mission – following the Saints series, which includes resources on St David, St Andrew, among others.