The Eucharist Altar Book
About The Eucharistic Liturgy
Originally inspired by the Antiochian Western Rite Orthodox Missal and The Anglican Service Book, this work is an edited altar book & Holy Communion liturgy that incorporates portions of the Sarum Rite into the 1662 Eucharistic form, yet with the prayers from 1928. It is first and foremost a project undertaken for my own personal learning and prayer; I am releasing what I've assembled to share with the few that might be similarly edified.
Expected Use
The result is that The Eucharist liturgy can be used with parishes that have either the new 1662:International Edition BCP, or the 1928 BCP, but with some supplementary Sarum devotional elements, mostly by the priest at the altar. The former is one of the most accessible prayer books on market, lightly updating the language of the authoritative prayer book for millions of global Anglicans, including the continuing church.1 The latter is the received, authoritative Prayer Book for Continuing Anglicans in America.This liturgy is prepared for a single celebrant's book that fits three paradigms: church plant use, small parish, and cathedral, according to Luther's formulation in the Order for Divine Mass. A more aesthetically formal setting would use all the Anglo-Catholic/Sarum options (aloud, or in secret, as in the Ghanaian Eucharist), yet in a smaller parish one might use only the 1662/1928 Prayer Book portions. It is for use in jurisdictions that have authorized the 1928 and 1662 Books of Common Prayer; one may skip the Sarum options provided if such use is prohibited by one’s ordinary.
Editorial Intentions
The prayer book is the authoritative text, and covers far more than just a Sunday Holy Communion service. Indeed, every parish should have a prayer book in use by the people. While printed booklets may suffice for visitors, any Eucharistic liturgy must connect with a prayer book that is taken home and used for prayer and devotion throughout the week.
The liturgies here are intended to pair with IVP's 1662 BCP: IE, ACNA's 2019 - TLE, The Anglican Office Book, the 1928 BCP, or the The Anglican Service Book.I took care to avoid adding elements that the Prayer Book already adequately states, albeit more succinctly. Concision was preferred over redundancy when combining two historically standalone liturgies; consequently, there are relatively few Sarum additions to the Prayer Book liturgy. The 1662 or 1928 Prayer Books are not deficient. At worst the 1662 BCP is distilled to the core essentials thereby retaining a providential minimum for worship and sacrament.
For the Sarum portion, I edited from four different public domain English translations2 taking care to select prayers/phrasings that seemed to align well with Prayer Book sensibility, and changing the translator's wording as little as possible. I do not claim to be an expert, so I relied on the translations of these better Anglicans. The epiclesis is from Percy Dearmer's editorial insight in his The Sanctuary, a lesser-known lay manual for the 1662 Holy Communion, where it is employed as a private prayer as part of the Prayer of Consecration, before the words of institution, and placed in the text just after the Prayer of Humble Access. It is the only non-English/non-Sarum piece in it. The aim is that, like the ethos found in The Anglican Service Book, the prayer book proper remains authoritative, and these elements are added as one might add a hymn, missal devotion, or extemporaneous prayer (as noted in Readiness and Decency, pp 27-30). Artwork is from my personal copy of Percy Dearmer's The English Liturgy.
BYOKalendar
Collects according to the Book of Common Prayer are included.
No Kalendar, secret, post-communion, etc. are provided.
The Anglican Missal or The Western Rite Book of Common Prayer provide secret, communion, and post-communion sentences.
The Anglican Office Book's Kalendar or the Ordinariate Commonwealth Edition would suit well for supplementary feast days.
The use of this book expects a separate gospel book, and so inline readings are excluded.
Answers to Criticism
Some tension is expected, since most self-described Anglo-Catholics seem to have an allergy to 1662 BCP, even though it is permissible to use in the Anglican Communion, Continuum, and ACNA. Further, many 1662 BCP-adherents are more rigid about liturgical additions than Anglo-Catholics, even as no prayers newer than the prayer book itself are here included. In the last hundred years many liturgical options have become available (Various missals, Anglican Service Book, BAS, ACNA-TLE, Common Worship), so those wanting flexibility already have it. However, to my knowledge none integrate Sarum prayers into the historic, authoritative 1662 liturgy as this edition does. This stresses the continuity of the church preceding 1549 with that which proceeded from it. As the Oxford Movement made prominent, the Catholic Church in Britain has been in existence from the early centuries of the church, through the medieval and reformation periods, and continues today.
I have taken care to present devotional additions that depend upon the Prayer Book's validity and authority, incorporating valuable prayers of the church we have always had, but have let gather dust. It is also expected, like any via media integration, that it will make a few from every party unhappy.
As always, these have not been formally approved by your ordinary, so if you use these texts, consider the Catholic additions secret/silent devotional and informational rather than ceremonial. With this in mind, and following the Prayer Book-only options, these altar books are usable in jurisdictions that permit 1928, 1662, or ACNA liturgies.Anglican Church in North America
Included is a service order for Anglican Church in North America's 2019 Book of Common Prayer, Traditional Language Edition, which also uses 1928 prayer forms as its foundation, with differences primarily found in the collects. ACNA collects as well as historic collects are included. This edition is the first available Anglican Missal (being a Prayer Book service with minimal Missal Additions) using traditional prayers formatted for ACNA use, and the only one to follow the 1662 Order of Service.Update: 2023
A 2023 revised edition now organizes and integrates the prayers to enable an officiant to lead services from 1662:International Edition, 2019: Traditional Language Edition, or 1928 American Prayer Books from one book.
Released on the Commemoration of E. B. Pusey, 2023.
The Rev. J. M. Kelman, MA, MLitt, editor.* * *
The Eucharist: An Anglican Liturgy (2023)
Altar Edition, containing 2019, 1662, 1928 Orders
© Commemoration of E. B. Pusey, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-7948-4606-7
* * *
The Eucharist: An Anglican Altar Book (2021)
- 1662 Edition: © Feast of St. Frederick, Bishop of Utrecht, 2021
revised to include 1928 BCP, © Feast of St. Theodore, 2021
- Contemporary Language Edition: © Feast of the Cross, 2021
- ACNA BCP2019 Edition: © Feast of Saint Inan of Ayrshire, 2021
Footnotes
The full 1662 BCP communion liturgy is in the 1963 Indian Book of Common Prayer, an Anglican Catholic Church (Original Province) authorized Prayer Book.
Further, the 1662 is authorized under the 1990/2003 Concordat of the Traditional Anglican Communion as "The standard of Faith and Worship of this Communion is that expressed in the first Book of Common Prayer, and Ordinal, of Edward VI and in the following revisions: (A) The Church of England, use of 1662, and its authorized translations; [...] (D) The Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon, use of 1963 with its authorized supplement".Some of Bishop Frank Weston's (Zanzibar, Anglo-Catholic Congress, etc) renditions of the Sarum are included, not otherwise available online.
ACNA
An Anglican Altar Book
Containing the 2019-TLE, 1662, and 1928 Orders for Holy Communion
This 2023 revised edition organizes and integrates the content of the Prayer Book to enable an officiant to lead services from 1662:International Edition, 2019: Traditional Language Edition, or 1928 American Prayer Books.PDF is sized for 7" x 10" large-ish print, but is readable in half-sheet 5.5" x 8.5" binders, as well as large print full sheet notebooks.
1662 Book of Common Prayer
International Edition
This edition notes page references for 1662IE alongside the historic 1-year lectionary, alongside comparative notes where 1662 differs from 1928 and 2019.Note that while designed to serve as an Altar Book for a parish using the 1662 Book of Common Prayer: International Edition, no material contained in this uses the 1662:IE. As such there will be minor differences in punctuation, capitalization, but not significant in terms of leading a congregation with the prayers.Prayer Book prayers come from the 1928 or prior Authorized editions (1892, 1662, 1637) or when noted 2019-tle, but have been ordered and annotated with 1662:IE page numbers as well as aligning 1928/1662 rubrics with the 1662:IE's presentation according to Appendix III.
1928 Book of Common Prayer
The complete 1928 canon is also included, which makes this a suitable affordable alternative to the Prayer Book Society's 1928 Altar Edition. By following only prayer book options, this book can be near-seamlessly used in contexts where the 1928 has been authorized for use.
2019 ACNA
Traditional Language
This liturgy has options to follow the 2019 BCP rubrics to conform it to historic prayer books: "The Anglican Standard Text may be conformed to its original content and ordering, as in the 1662 or subsequent books."This edition is unique and distinct from the ACNA TLE Altar Book and Book of Common Prayer, neither of which include the re-arranged text according to the 1662 order.The collects for the three year lectionary is included, as well as the historic 1-year collects and lectionary.
This edition has the following order:
The Lord’s Prayer
The Collect for Purity
The Decalogue
The Collect of the Day
The Lessons
The Nicene Creed (conformed to 1662, TLE BCP p. 144)
The Sermon
The Offertory
The Prayers of the People
The Exhortation
The Confession and Absolution of Sin
The Comfortable Words
The Sursum Corda
The Sanctus
The Prayer of Humble Access
The Prayer of Consecration and the Ministration of Communion
The Lord’s Prayer
The Post Communion Prayer
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Blessing
This altar book would be ideal for a parish transitioning from 1928 to 2019 use, as well as encouraging 1662 use in dioceses that only allow 2019 liturgies.
However, please note that the additions have not been officially approved, and should be considered devotional. Following only prayer book options, noted throughout, is consistent with the officially approved text and rubrics of the ACNA 2019:TLE service.The 2019 Book of Common Prayer, Traditional Language Edition text, where it differs from 1928 BCP, is used with permission.
2019 ACNA
Traditional Language
This liturgy has options to follow the 2019 BCP rubrics to conform it to historic prayer books: "The Anglican Standard Text may be conformed to its original content and ordering, as in the 1662 or subsequent books."This edition is unique and distinct from the ACNA TLE Altar Book and Book of Common Prayer, neither of which include the re-arranged text according to the 1662 order.The collects for the three year lectionary is included, as well as the historic 1-year collects and lectioanry.
This edition has the following order:
The Lord’s Prayer
The Collect for Purity
The Decalogue
The Collect of the Day
The Lessons
The Nicene Creed (conformed to 1662, TLE BCP p. 144)
The Sermon
The Offertory
The Prayers of the People
The Exhortation
The Confession and Absolution of Sin
The Comfortable Words
The Sursum Corda
The Sanctus
The Prayer of Humble Access
The Prayer of Consecration and the Ministration of Communion
The Lord’s Prayer
The Post Communion Prayer
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Blessing
This altar book would be ideal for a parish transitioning from 1928 to 2019 use, as well as encouraging 1662 use in dioceses that only allow 2019 liturgies.
However, please note that the additions have not been officially approved, and should be considered devotional. Following only prayer book options, noted throughout, is consistent with the officially approved text and rubrics of the ACNA 2019:TLE service. The 2019 Book of Common Prayer, Traditional Language Edition text is used with permission.
2019 ACNA
Contemporary Language Edition
Additionally a Modern Language Altar Book edition for use with the Contemporary Language ACNA 2019 is available for download, along with a word document reorganizing the sections according the the Rubrically-allowed 1662 service order. The official altar books and prayer books allow for a Traditional 1928/1662 services order, but do not provide copies.Unlike the 2019:TLE, the prayers in this edition depend less upon 1928 and earlier prayers, and so is released as a free pdf, and as a at-cost-of-printing hardcopy for non-commercial church bulletin & service book use. Hardcopy 4x7 service book follows the same pagination as the Altar Book, but omits certain pages and the collects.
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2019 ACNA
Contemporary Language Edition
This liturgy follows the 2019 BCP rubrics allowing the contemporary liturgy to follow the shape found in the historic prayer books: "The Anglican Standard Text may be conformed to its original content and ordering, as in the 1662 or subsequent books."This edition is unique and distinct from the ACNA Altar Book and Book of Common Prayer, neither of which include the re-arranged text as permitted within the books.Page references for 1662IE and appendix of the ancient collects (in modern language) and lectionary are included, according to the rubrics.
This edition has the following order:
The Lord’s Prayer
The Collect for Purity
The Decalogue
The Collect of the Day
The Lessons
The Nicene Creed (conformed to 1662, TLE BCP p. 144)
The Sermon
The Offertory
The Prayers of the People
The Exhortation
The Confession and Absolution of Sin
The Comfortable Words
The Sursum Corda
The Sanctus
The Prayer of Humble Access
The Prayer of Consecration and the Ministration of Communion
The Lord’s Prayer
The Post Communion Prayer
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Blessing
Unlike the 2019:TLE, the prayers in this edition depend less upon 1928 and earlier prayers, and so is released as a free pdf, and as a at-cost-of-printing hardcopy for non-commercial church bulletin & service book use. Hardcopy 4x7 service book follows the same pagination as the Altar Book, but omits certain pages and the collects.
1662 Contemporary Language Edition
A Contemporary Language Edition of the 1662 Altar book is available for those seeking to transition to a Catholic Anglican implementation of the 1662 service, but not yet inclusive of the traditional elevated language. 1662:IE page numbers are included inline for reference and catechetical purposes.
The PDF is sized for 7" x 10" large-ish print, but is readable in half-sheet 5.5" x 8.5" binders, as well as large-print full sheet notebooks. This Eucharistic Text is based upon the 2008 An Anglican Prayer Book,* developed for the Anglican Mission in America. An Anglican Prayer Book has been used in the AMiA, ACNA, ACA, and was unanimously approved for trial use at the 2008 REC General Council.
*(used with permission of HIS Publishing Group)
Download the Contemporary Language Edition PDF, or purchase a 7" x 10" hard copy.
Also available in a People's Edition (4" x 7", people's responses in bold) hardcopy, or PDF.
A corresponding Prayer Book for Daily Offices is available, originally from the Anglican Mission in America.
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