
The 1962 ''Book of Common Prayer'' is an authorized
liturgical book
A liturgical book, or service book, is a book published by the authority of a church body that contains the text and directions for the liturgy of its official Church service, religious services.
Christianity Roman Rite
In the Roman Rite of ...
of the
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
-based
Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2016, the Anglican Church of ...
.
[ The 1962 prayer book is often also considered the 1959 prayer book, in reference to the year the revision was first approved for an "indefinite period" of use beginning in 1960.] The 1962 edition follows from the same tradition of other versions of the ''Book of Common Prayer
The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the title given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christianity, Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The Book of Common Prayer (1549), fi ...
'' used by the churches within the Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...
and Anglicanism
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
generally. It contains both the Eucharistic liturgy and Daily Office, as well as additional public liturgies
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a community, communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, ...
and personal devotions. The second major revision of the ''Book of Common Prayer'' of the Anglican Church of Canada, the 1962 ''Book of Common Prayer'' succeeded the 1918 edition, which itself had replaced the Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
's 1662 prayer book. While supplanted by the 1985 ''Book of Alternative Services
The ''Book of Alternative Services'' (''BAS'') is the contemporary, inclusive-language liturgical book used in place of the 1962 ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) in most parishes of the Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canad ...
'' as the Anglican Church of Canada's primary Sunday service book, the 1962 prayer book continues to see usage.[
]
Background
Following the English Reformation
The English Reformation began in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away first from the authority of the pope and bishops Oath_of_Supremacy, over the King and then from some doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church ...
and the separation of the Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
from the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, the liturgies
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a community, communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, ...
of what became Anglicanism
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
were transcribed into English. The first such production was the 1549 ''Book of Common Prayer'', traditionally considered to be work of Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a theologian, leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He is honoured as a Oxford Martyrs, martyr ...
, which replaced both the missals and breviaries of Catholic usage. Among these liturgies were the Communion service and canonical hours
In the practice of Christianity, canonical hours mark the divisions of the day in terms of Fixed prayer times#Christianity, fixed times of prayer at regular intervals. A book of hours, chiefly a breviary, normally contains a version of, or sel ...
of Matins and Evening Prayer, with the addition of the Ordinal containing the form for the consecration of bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
s, priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
s, and deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions.
Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...
s in 1550. Under Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...
, the 1552 ''Book of Common Prayer'' incorporated more radically Protestant reforms, a process that continued with 1559 edition approved under Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...
. The 1559 edition was for some time the second-most diffuse book in England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, only behind the Bible
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
, through an act of Parliament that mandated its presence in each parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
across the country.
Prayer book in Canada
The first Church of England liturgy in what is now Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
was a 1578 Holy Communion celebrated by a "Maister Wolfall" on Kodlunarn Island, Frobisher Bay
Frobisher Bay is an inlet of the Davis Strait in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the southeastern corner of Baffin Island. Its length is about and its width varies from about at its outlet into the Davis Strait ...
, present day Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' and the Nunavut Land Claims Agr ...
, during the voyage of Martin Frobisher to the Arctic
The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...
. This was most probably said according to the 1559 prayer book.
The entirety of Canadian New France was seized from the Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...
by Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
in 1763 following the Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
. The influence of Catholicism remained in this territory, with celebration according to the 1662 English prayer book often feature high church
A ''high church'' is a Christian Church whose beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, Christian liturgy, liturgy, and Christian theology, theology emphasize "ritual, priestly authority, ndsacraments," and a standard liturgy. Although ...
practices. The 1662 prayer book would remain the dominant liturgy until the first Canadian prayer book was published in the early Twentieth Century.[
]
First Canadian prayer book
In 1911, the General Synod of the Church of England in the Dominion of Canada determined that "adaption and enrichment" of the more than 300-year-old English prayer book pattern should be undertaken, following the 1908 Lambeth Conference
The Lambeth Conference convenes as the Archbishop of Canterbury summons an assembly of Anglican bishops every ten years. The first took place at Lambeth in 1867.
As regional and national churches freely associate with the Anglican Communion, ...
that encouraged such efforts.[ This came after nearly a decade of efforts towards revision, including one that was rejected in 1902 in favor of a minor addition to the appendix of the 1662 prayer book and another popular effort in 1905 that failed after criticism from pro-1662 low churchmen, whose objections failed against the 1911.]
The 1918 prayer book introduced a large number of new prayers and additional Scripture options relative to prior English and American prayer book revisions. Imitating the Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church (; ) is a Christian denomination in Scotland. Scotland's third largest church, the Scottish Episcopal Church has 303 local congregations. It is also an Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, ecclesiastical provi ...
and U.S. Episcopal Church, there were several efforts to include an Epiclesis
The epiclesis (also spelled epiklesis; from , ) refers to the invocation of one or several gods. In ancient Greek religion, the epiclesis was the epithet used as the surname given to a deity in religious contexts. The term was borrowed into the Ch ...
into the Anaphora of the Holy Communion office.[ Ultimately, few alterations were made to the Eucharistic liturgy, which Tractarians had initially sought to replace. Among the few changes were rubrics acknowledging already common practices, providing the option to replace the ]Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...
with the Summary of the Law and the dropping of longer Exhortations.[ Other revisions included an enhancement of Matins to enable its usage as a standalone Sunday liturgy, the introduction of new prayers for illness reflecting medical advancements, and prayers for missionary efforts.][
The 1918 prayer book was introduced as the "authorized book of public worship" on ]Easter
Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
, 1922. Nearly all copies of the 1918 prayer book were printed by Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...
.[ The uniformity of practice between parishes with the 1918 prayer book and 1938 ''The Book of Common Praise'' was considered a positive through the 1940s, though the logistical challenges of Canada's expansive territory meant many would attend ]United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada (UCC; ) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholic Church in Canada.
The United Chu ...
services.
Second revision process
Efforts to revise the Holy Communion office were revived with the Church of England's Proposed 1928 prayer book that restored a 1549-like liturgy. The General Synod authorized the beginning of a new full prayer book revision in 1937. The revisers reported on the less controversial recommendations regarding baptism and a penitential office in 1943, both of which sought to distance the liturgies from the notion of being born into sinfulness.[ A draft liturgy of the Eucharistic liturgy was produced in 1952, drawing criticism for its appending of the Summary of the Law directly to the Decalogue. The ''Draft Book'' of 1955 contained the same and introduced a new Anaphora.
The final approval of the 1959 revision occurred at the 1962 General Synod in ]Kingston, Ontario
Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...
. The resolution approving Canon XXVI that established the prayer book "as the authorized Book of Common Prayer" was moved by Reginald Soward and carried unanimously by both houses of the synod. The approval coincided with the 300th anniversary of the 1662 English prayer book, which was commemorated by a prayer said by Primate Howard Clark.
Contents
Besides the various offices and Psalter, the 1962 prayer book contains several other materials and documents. The preface, modified from that present in the 1918 edition, explains the development of the revisions and states all alterations from the 1662 prayer book would align "with the 27th Resolution of the Lambeth Conference of 1908 and the 78th Resolution of the Lambeth Conference of 1948." It also states that the purpose of the prayer book is so that the members of the church "may become more truly what they already are: the People of God."[
Following the preface, the "Solemn Declaration 1893" is included. It contains the details of the Church of England in the Dominion of Canada's ]full communion
Full communion is a communion or relationship of full agreement among different Christian denominations or Christian individuals that share certain essential principles of Christian theology. Views vary among denominations on exactly what constit ...
with the Church of England and continuation of its liturgical practice.[ A ]catechism
A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...
is also provided, with minor amendments from that present in the 1662 prayer book, particularly in relation to the baptism of infants as entering them into a "household of faith."
Psalms
The Imprecatory Psalms
Imprecatory Psalms, contained within the Book of Psalms of the Hebrew Bible (), are those that imprecate – invoke judgment, calamity or curses upon one's enemies or those perceived as the enemies of God. Major imprecatory Psalms include Psalm ...
and Psalm verses regarding curses were deleted for the 1959 revision, attributed to an aversion to violent imagery emanating from the two world wars and the view that such passages were not useful for the worship of God
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
.[ The expungements were reversed for the 1985 '']Book of Alternative Services
The ''Book of Alternative Services'' (''BAS'') is the contemporary, inclusive-language liturgical book used in place of the 1962 ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) in most parishes of the Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canad ...
'', which contains the full text of the Book of Psalms
The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament.
The book is an anthology of ...
. The Coverdale Psalter forms the basis of the 1962 prayer book, but with minor alterations for updated verbiage and verse numeration.[
]
Collects
The third collect
The collect ( ) is a short general prayer of a particular structure used in Christian liturgy.
Collects come up in the liturgies of Catholic, Lutheran, or Anglican churches, among others.
Etymology
The word is first seen as Latin ''collēcta'' ...
for Good Friday
Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...
, commonly known as the Good Friday prayer for the Jews, is explicitly removed by Canon XIV of the Canons of the General Synod. Other collects within the 1962 prayer book remain largely similar to those within the 1662 edition, with Cranmerian language and cadence being removed in the ''Book of Alternative Services''.
Holy Communion
The 1962 prayer book's Holy Communion office, a development within the English prayer book recension, is not significantly different from that present in the 1918 prayer book. However, where the 1918 prayer book had not received a new Anaphora, the 1962 edition's Prayer of Consecration is a uniquely Canadian form of the Epiclesis, intentionally distinct from that of the Proposed 1928 prayer book or 1929 ''Scottish Prayer Book''.[
]
Daily Office
Rubrics for the 1962 prayer book Daily Office offer several optional omissions and inclusions across the various liturgies. Among these are rubrics to optionally open Morning Prayer with "O Lord, open thou our lips" from Psalm 51
Psalm 51, one of the penitential psalms, is the 51st psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Have mercy upon me, O God". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin V ...
and omit all that follows the Te Deum if Morning Prayer is immediately followed by Holy Communion. Additionally, there is no prohibition against saying extemporaneous prayers. Lateral efforts encouraging the reincorporation of the 1962 prayer book into not only Holy Communion liturgies but also regular public Daily Office celebrations have been organized by Prayer Book Society of Canada.[
]
Other offices
The ordinal for the ordination
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
and consecration for deacons, priests, and bishops is essentially identical to that present in the 1662 prayer book, keeping with the 1918 prayer book. A set of prayers were added for missionary work, and the kalendar added 26 missionaries.[ Sermons at funeral offices are neither explicitly made an option nor prohibited, an allowance serving a pastoral need, particularly among ]charismatic
Charisma () is a personal quality of magnetic charm, persuasion, or appeal.
In the fields of sociology and political science, psychology, and management, the term ''charismatic'' describes a type of leadership.
In Christian theology, the term ...
communities.[
]
Translations and later revision
The Diocese of The Arctic published a translation of the 1959 prayer book into Eastern Eskimo (Inuktitut) in 1960, with a revision issued in 1972. Previous editions of the ''Book of Common Prayer'' had been translated into Inuktitut since 1881, initially under the missionary Edmund Peck and various times over the next century. The 1962 prayer book has also been translated into French, Mohawk, and Cree
The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...
.
The effects of the Liturgical Movement had not been fully implemented by the Anglican Church of Canada until after the approval of the 1962 prayer book. While efforts prior to 1980 had produced a number of complete liturgies, they could not be compiled into a single text as extensive as a typical ''Book of Common Prayer''. Among these was the text resulting from the 1967 General Assembly's desire to collect the "experimental liturgies and services now in use"; the 1969 ''Experiment and Liturgy'' also included explanations of principals of worship and experimentation. In order to release the approved liturgies while enabling the Doctrine and Worship Committee to continue its work, the 1980 General Synod approved the publication of a text intended as an optional alternative to the 1962 prayer book. The Anglican Church of Canada published the ''Book of Alternative Services'' in 1985.[ Among the most notable deviations from the 1962 prayer book are emphases on ]inclusive language
Inclusive language is a language style that seeks to avoid expressions that its proponents perceive as expressing or implying ideas that are sexist, racist, or otherwise biased, prejudiced, or insulting to particular group(s) of people; and i ...
and participation of the laity
In religious organizations, the laity () — individually a layperson, layman or laywoman — consists of all Church membership, members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-Ordination, ordained members of religious orders, e ...
. The ''Book of Alternative Services'' also introduced a full set of liturgies for Holy Week
Holy Week () commemorates the seven days leading up to Easter. It begins with the commemoration of Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednes ...
.[
The production of new and revised liturgies has continued since 1980, with several new texts authorized for regular and experimental liturgies. In 2001, a set of three orders of the Daily Office for usage alongside the ''Book of Alternative Services'' that draw from the 1962 prayer book's pattern.] Additional liturgies presently approved for trial use include those for The Deconsecration
Deconsecration, also referred to as decommissioning or ''secularization'' (a term also used for the external Secularization (church property), confiscation of church property), is the removal of a religious sanction and blessing from somethin ...
of a Sacred Space, Preparation of Candidates and Community for the Celebration of Holy Baptism, and Liturgies for Journeys of Gender Transition and Affirmation.
Associated texts
Hymnals
''The Book of Common Praise'' is the name assigned to the standard authorized Anglican Church of Canada hymnal
A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). They are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Christia ...
. The first edition of ''The Book of Common Praise'', containing 795 hymns as well as 139 settings, was published in 1908 and known for its brown binding. It was followed by the blue-bound 1938 edition, initially containing 812 hymns, which was in use through the revision process of the 1962 prayer book. A revision of this edition was approved in 1963. This edition is partially credited with the introduction prayers for the dead into the 1962 prayer book, as several hymns for the deceased are included despite a tradition of excluding such prayers emanating from the Reformation.
An attempt at a union between the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada produced the 1971 ''The Hymn Book of the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada'', identifiable by its red binding. In 1998, another edition of hymnal was published. Again bound in blue but now simply called ''Common Praise'', this edition contains 769 hymns.[
]
Supplements
In order to assist in the execution of the rubrics in the conduct of parochial liturgies, brethren of the Society of St. John the Evangelist's Bracebridge, Ontario
Bracebridge is a town and the seat of the District Municipality of Muskoka in Ontario, Canada.
The town was built around a waterfall on the Muskoka River in the centre of town and is known for its other nearby waterfalls (Wilson's Falls, High Fal ...
, location published ''Readiness and Decency'' in 1961, intended to match with the requirements of the 1959 prayer book. This work was a successor to an edition of ''Readiness and Decency'' prepared in 1946 for usage alongside the 1918 prayer book. While certain rubrical flexibility exists for usage of the 1962 prayer book, the performance of the liturgy is to be within delineated rubrics, including in cases of ecumenical concelebration
In Christianity, concelebration (from the Latin + , 'to celebrate together') is the presiding of a number of presbyters (priests or ministers) at the celebration of the Eucharist with either a presbyter, bishop, or archbishop as the principal ce ...
with other denominations.
Influenced by Walter Frere's 1911 ''Some Principles of Liturgical Reform'', the 1962 prayer book includes the names of an increased number of post-Reformation individuals. However, whether all these individuals should be referred to as "saint
In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
s" and how they should be liturgically celebrated were not described. The publication of ''For All the Saints'' by the Anglican Church of Canada following the introduction of the ''Book of Alternative Services'' would enumerate the celebration of Anglican saints. Further supplemental offices were provided within Archbishop Harold Sexton’s 1964 ''The Canadian Book of Occasional Offices''.
See also
* Anglican Use
* ''Book of Common Prayer'' (1979)
* List of English-language hymnals by denomination
Notes
References
{{Portalbar, Books, Canada, Christianity, History
1962 non-fiction books
20th-century Christian texts
Anglican Church of Canada
Book of Common Prayer
1962 in Christianity