What about that Book of Common Prayer?

Over the past few months, some people have asked why we don’t just use the 1979 Book of Common Prayer (BCP). There is a fairly short answer to that question: St. Catherine’s does use the 1979 BCP and St. Catherine’s has also liturgically explored and used all the available worship resources of the Episcopal Church. But that answer likely needs some explanation. So, here is the best way I can explain it.

First, note that the latest edition of the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) that we have was approved at two consecutive General Conventions, first in 1976 and the second in 1979. It takes two consecutive readings and two separate votes at conventions to add to the Book of Common Prayer or to change any canonical rules of the Church. The approvals in 1976 and 1979 were preceded by several years of trial liturgies, inviting every congregation to try out the new prayers, daily offices, and Eucharistic Prayers. Based on that, edits and revisions could be made. This entire process to develop and approve the 1979 BCP took over a decade.

Almost all the existing BCPs in our pews and in our homes are that original edition approved in 1979. Over the course of the last 40+ years since the “new” 1979 BCP was published, the Church has continued the efforts undertaken prior to the 1979 revision of the BCP. Thus, in the late 1990s, the Church made two additions to its liturgy. The Episcopal Church adopted the Revised Common Lectionary, the same Sunday readings that all the liturgical churches agreed to use. This was part of ecumenical projects to find common ground among the various Christian faith traditions. So, the same Sunday readings happen in every Episcopal Church, every Evangelical Lutheran Church, Methodist Church, Roman Catholic Church, etc. And, the Episcopal Church continued to work with parishes and congregations to update and add options for worship. This endeavor resulted in three additional Eucharistic Prayers and additions to Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, along with new post-communion prayers. The same process was observed that the Church followed when the BCP was revised and adopted in the 1970s.

Are you thinking, that if these additional prayers are approved and can be used, then why aren’t they in the current BCP? Well, we live in a much more digital world than we did in 1976, and the Church decided not to reprint the existing 1979 Book of Common Prayer. The Church realized that most parishes and faith communities could not afford to replace the existing BCPs found in the pews. Instead, the Church published the additional worship materials digitally and eventually in paperback format There are nine Eucharistic Prayers that General Conventions have authorized: two in Elizabethan English (Rite 1), four in the 1979 BCP in more contemporary English (Rite 2), and three not printed in the 1979 BCP but approved and available digitally and in paperback version. The great debate in liturgical circles is whether the Church Publishing Company will ever print a combined version since it would be costly to churches, and many parishes are using the digital versions of the 1979 BCP and the 2001 version of the additional authorized liturgies, often referred to as Enriching Our Worship, which is the title for the paperback version.

In order to be welcoming to newcomers and visitors, most parishes try to help guests to find the right page by printing worship materials in an easy-to-follow booklet, which St. Catherine’s does. If the print BCP is used, you can’t start on page 1 and continue through the liturgy. The Rite 2 liturgy begins on page 355 with options for opening sentences. A newcomer is likely bewildered from the beginning. And then on page 359, we veer off to pages 383 and beyond for the Prayers of the People and then zoom back to page 360. And if we have not lost the new person by this time, we will when we jump to the Eucharistic Prayer on page 367, then to that mysterious “proper preface” found on another page, and then back to the former page to continue the prayer; and then again when we hop to the Lord’s Prayer back on page 364, and so on. You get the idea. As long-time Episcopalians, many of us have become so accustomed to romping through the BCP or using the same prayers over and over that we may have missed the opportunity to welcome a new person into our worship.

What all this means is that the Book of Common Prayer now happens to be in two volumes, the 1979 BCP in the pews and the Enriching our Worship materials, which are primarily digital. Likewise, the 1982 Hymnal has companion volumes developed since 1982. Wonder Love and Praise (WLP) was the first addition to the 1982 Hymnal, and the Church even used in that volume, hymn numbers that begin where the 1982 Hymnal numbers end. Why didn’t the Church just reprint the 1982 Hymnal? For the same reason as with the BCP: the expense to parishes, so paperback versions have been printed. Later, the Church also produced some hardbound hymnals for the approved additions because the paperback editions did not last with frequent use. In addition a third volume of authorized music was produced to expand our worship, this volume is called Lift Every Voice and Sing (LEVAS). In your worship booklets, if you see WLP or LEVAS with a page #, you will also see the music reprinted there since St. Catherine’s does not have enough of the companion volumes of the Hymnal 1982 to put in the book racks. Nor is there space for any more books in the pew book racks. To be welcoming to visitors, we print the “service” music in the worship booklet because the “S” numbered pages in the 1982 Hymnal are not easy to find and by the time you find them in the Hymnal, we have finished singing the Sanctus or the Great Amen. I hope that this overview of the approved liturgies of the Church will inform you and perhaps challenge you to hear the Eucharistic prayers and the songs with a fresh ear toward how God is working in your life. Remember, the St. Catherine’s worship and liturgy committee is open to any interested person, so come and join us as we explore all the wonderful and rich variety of our authorized Common Prayers as well as our diverse heritage of songs and hymns.

Blessings, Mother Pat+

PS, still have questions you have two great ways to get answers. First you are always welcome at worship committee meetings where we share tips and education on our

worship. Second, we are offering Episcopal 101 which is the place to get all your questions answered about the church, about worship and about our common spiritual journeys.