Many of these women have been and will remain unknown to us, but today we give thanks for their leadership and creativity, their persistence and resilience, their adaptability and strength. Our service includes a range of outstanding women: composers, from the Middle Ages to contemporary and from a variety of nations; biblical women and saints; a contemporary poet, and our own Cathedral choir. Through these representative women, we give thanks particularly today for the creative and spiritual gifts of all women, across the globe and throughout the ages.