Prayers were read over the weekend to mark the 25th anniversary of the Dunblane massacre in which 16 children and a teacher were shot dead. 

The tragedy occurred on 13 March 1996 when Thomas Hamilton opened fire on a class of Primary One children in the school's gym before turning the gun on himself. It remains Britain's worst mass shooting.

The prayers were read by Rev Colin Renwick, minister of Dunblane Cathedral, during an online service to mark the anniversary. 

He said many people in Dunblane would be marking the anniversary "quietly, privately and with respect for those who lost their lives in the tragedy of 25 years ago".

"They will also be remembering those whose grief will always be deepest, and the people who still, in one way or another, bear scars," he said.

"Some will light a candle in their home, spending time in quiet reflection, prayer and remembering.

"For those who lost someone in the tragedy, every day will be one of remembering in some way, and the anniversaries that will be just as poignant for them will be the birthdays of those they have lost, as they ponder what might have been."

Dunblane Cathedral is home to a memorial stone in the south aisle commemorating the tragedy. The inscription quotes Matthew 18:3: "Hear the Truth. Unless your hearts are changed and you become like little children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven at all."

Rt Rev Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church or Scotland, said the massacre was "one of the darkest days in Scotland's modern history".

"Such atrocities happened elsewhere until that day and nothing was quite the same afterwards," he said. 

He said he would be praying "for those who were left bereaved and for whom the remembering will be sore".

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus Christ, yourself once a child, vulnerable and at risk,

In silence we pray when words are not enough to capture the depths within,

Or simply an intrusion into that place within us, where quietness should dwell...

Within these walls, that have rung with the laughter and the songs of children,

and witnessed the tears and heartbroken prayers of adults,

we remember, and we pray...

We remember all those who will, forever, remain as children in our hearts...

We remember a teacher whose greatest instinct was to protect those entrusted to her care...

We remember the parents, the siblings, the grandparents, the friends, who will always mourn...

We remember all who bear scars to this very day...

As the fragile snowdrop breaks through the cold winter earth,

And somehow endures the elements that buffet it,

We give thanks for the resilience of many, and for the determination, arising out of tragedy, this country should be safer place than it used to be.

We pray for children throughout the world who are denied adequate food or clean water, or the education or opportunity through which their gifts can develop.

We pray for all children whose innocence is abused, and whose spirits wither through lack of encouragement.

We pray for all parents, whose hearts are breaking.

Christ, the healer,

We pray for all whose spirits are broken,

Whose bodies are weak or threatened by disease,

Or whose minds are tormented.

Bring healing, bring peace.

We pray those who govern, that they may always strive for justice for all, and for a fairer, safer world.

We pray for your Church, that with courage, humility, imagination and faithfulness, it may follow, and demonstrate, the way of Christ.

And we remember all those whom we love and have lost, be they young or old.

Within the communion of saints, in all its variety, may they, even when out of our sight, continue to inspire us as they behold you face, God of heaven and earth.

All our prayers, and those too deep for any words, we offer through Christ our Lord.

Amen.