Exciting things have been planned throughout this year as St Peter’s Church in St. George celebrates not only its own 400th anniversary, but also 400 years of the Anglican church, and Christianity for that matter, on Bermuda’s shores.Certainly a highlight was when, earlier this year, the Queen bestowed upon the church the title of Their Majesties Chappell as a part of her Diamond Jubilee and in recognition of a very rare use of the term in reference to St Peter’s, during the reign of William and Mary in 1697.“This year is our 400th anniversary and because of this, the Queen gave us this Jubilee gift,” explained St Peter’s rector, Rev W David RathsAccording to Rev Raths, it was not uncommon for chapels in the colonies, which fell under the Bishop of London as opposed to any specific diocese, to be generally referred to as His (or Her) Majesty’s Chapel. However, what stood Bermuda out as unique is that St. Peter's is seemingly the only chapel ever referred to as “Their Majesties Chappell”, as was discovered in a very unique document discovered in 2007, from a very short time period in which the British Empire was jointly ruled by two sovereigns, King William and Queen Mary.In this, essentially, inter-departmental note, the Bishop of London sent the order that communion silverware be sent to Samuell Day, then Governor of Bermuda, for use at St. Peter's in 1697.“This is the only known instance of the use of this title,” shared Rev. Raths.The title, and whether St. Peter’s could use the title, was brought to the attention of the Archbishop of Canterbury who then said it was, in fact, a civil matter as opposed to a church matter.The Governor took the matter to the Queen in April last year, who agreed that the title be officially bestowed on St Peter’s and finally, on March 18 of this year, 315 years to the day after the original use from Whitehall, a intituling service was held with Mr. David Baldwin, RVM The Serjent of the Vestry of Her Majesty's Chapel Royal presenting the church with a special document, banner and flags on behalf of Her Majesty.The next event in the church’s 400th anniversary calendar will be a special Jubilee service of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee tomorrow.“June 3 is Jubilee Sunday all over the world,” Rev. Raths shared, with special church services planned across the globe.“The whole parish, all our choirs together, will be doing a lovely service that comes from England, and the Sunday School children will be singing a song, “Diamond Day”, written for the day by Tessa Cox in the UK.”The service at St. Peter's, which begins at 11am, will very closely resemble the official service planned at St. Paul's in London, with some small adjustments to suit Bermuda and St. Peter's Church.The Premier and many of Bermuda’s leading politicians and dignitaries are expected to be in attendance, as will the new Governor George Fergusson, who will be helping to plant a rare Bermuda Yellow Wood tree as a memorial of the day. The Sea Cadets and the Regiment Band will also be in attendance, with the band performing a special fanfare written especially for the Jubilee.The service will be followed by a Jubilee Garden Party in the churchyard at noon, held under tents and catered by Sweet Pea catering. The party is expected to be a very elegant affair, with tickets costing $15 per person. They can be purchased through the church office or at the event with proceeds being given to the diocesan food voucher programme.For more information, contact the St. Peter’s Church office at 297-2459 or office@stpeters.bm.