I have a little book here; I’ve had it for some years now and its age is starting to show. It’s got highlighted lines, brief notes, question marks, bits of paper with notes stuffed between the pages. It’s really quite a mess and the leather binding, which looked sad when it was new, is not quite living up to its promise of beauty over age. But it’s one of my favorite books and maybe some day, my kids will come across it and enjoy it because it’s all beat up and Mom made notes in it. I like that thought.
I had it out this morning, looking for something in particular. It is a rich resource and once again, I think of the genius that put it together. It seems every occasion in life is mentioned here and its words can be applied, in some manner, to most of life. Quite a dandy little book.
This is what I was looking for this morning:
For Our Country
Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favour and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogancy, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (1928 BCP)
I think our English cousins use the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. I’ve never seen one but I hope it’s as full of good, solid, every day prayer as our 1928 BCP. Ours has corporate prayer, private prayer, family prayer, and national prayer. Prayers for the sick and dying, prayers for women in childbirth. There are prayers for ‘fine weather’, prayers for times of calamity and war, prayers for travelers by land, sea, and air. The other thing I love about it is that it retains a lot of the ‘English’ English (you know what I mean – the language of the King James Bible and the different spelling of words; favour instead of favor, for example).
Yes, I know the controversy – after the Reformation, the Book of Common Prayer had changes made and someone once said our 1928 is “schizophrenic” because, in the rubrics, the person is referred to as priest or minister; it can’t quite seem to decide if its Anglican or Protestant. I’m laughing to myself because, frankly, I don’t care. I love my little book. It’s always within reach.
All Along the Watchtower 
I have several copies of the 1662 BCP, which I love. I totally understand your emotions here Audre. One of my current delights is the Customary of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, which preserves so much of the best of the Anglican patrimony. Thank you for sharing this, Audre.
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good brother chalcedon, dont pull your punches, tell good sister what you really think of her religion and its adherents. you never spare my feelings. and you know what a sensitive kinda guy i am..
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I think it is clear that Anglo-Catholicism is where my heart is.
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Im going to report you to the holy father and have you uncommunicated post haste ex post facto immidiato.
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I’d get on with it if I were you, but I think his Latin may be a little better than yours.
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Ah there is no need to report anything. The Roman Catholic Church has two divisions of excommunication which is part of their Code of Canon Law. A person becomes excommunicated either ferendae sententiae (meaning with judicial review) or latae sententiae (meaning automatic sentencing). Leaving the Roman Catholic Church and joining the Anglican Communion is considered heretical and schismatic especially in light of the fact that the Romans now have an ordinary for former Anglican members. Committing heresy and being schismatic are latae sententiae excommunicated violations of cannon law that inflict excommunication upon the person immediately. This type of excommunication is said to have been done a jure (by the law) as opposed to the imposition by a person of authority. This type of excommunication can be resolved with absolution during the Sacrament of Penitence which is usually done by the local ordinary (Bishop) or his delegate (in some cases the Holy See reserves the right to lift the excommunication but these are very rare). The issue with lifting the excommunication is that Penitence requires remorse and a desire to change one’s wrong behaviour and a person who has left the Roman Catholic Church in good conscience cannot simply walk into a confessional and admit wrongdoing unless that is how they truly feel. For many Anglo-Catholics who conform to the branch theory, this is a hard stumbling block of unity and will always remain an issue between the catholic churches who hold each other in schism.
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good brother eric, pleased to meet you. you are a man after my own heart. will you join me while we give good brother chalcedon the boot and kick him straight out of the catholic communion? we all saw his heresy. his heart is with the anglican communion. (drum roll) good brother chalcedon is hereby forthwith ananthema.
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I am in the same boat my friend. I left the Roman Catholic Church two years ago and joined the Anglican Communion after finding an amazing Anglo-Catholic parish near my home. I’ve never looked back. The Roman Catholic Church does not hold the monopoly on what is catholic and what is not. Being catholic is about following the precepts of the One True Church founded by Christ and manifests in a common professing of the same Creed. The Roman Catholic church, the Anglican Church and the Orthodox Church all profess the same Creed and are all catholic, but each because of their own sins and shortcomings refuse to see the catholicity in each other. The Romans are too tied to their false doctrine of the infallibility of the Pope, the Orthodox are obsessed with the patristic church and the Anglicans flirt closely with Protestantism too much. Each have their own flaws that actually prevent them from being truly catholic. I pray for the day when we are all in union once again.
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So what was the reason you left the Catholic Church?
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well good brother eric, if youre not satisfied with the anglican church, why do you subscribe or belong to it? just between you and me, my favorite is the anglican church also.i was wed inside its august ivy draped halls.
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No objections here – I recommend the videos uploaded by the Prayer Book Society to YouTube. I have one or two posts about that here on AATW.
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Like Audre, I love the 1928 BCP, and quote it and use its prayers quite a lot, preferring it even to the Lutheran Book of Service. But even above that standard is my love of my 1868 Cambridge copy of the Book of Common Prayer. Simply the best, the only downside is the smallness of the print, but there is so much in it, that it couldn’t be helped.
Just bookmarked the Customary, which I’m sure I will enjoy, as well.
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In the Anglican Church of Canada we use the Book of Alternative Services that has a mass in the form of 1962 within in (what we use at my Anglo-Catholic parish) but the all of the Propers are in plain 1970s “accessible” English which I think was overlooked when the Bishops permitted the 1962 form because it sound really bad with modern collects and then an old English Canon of the Mass. Needless to say my Pastor has approved modifying the Propers to a style commiserate with the old English in the 1962 form which adds work to people who put together the leaflet but sounds much better in the end.
Two prayers have stood out for me since joining the Anglican Communion. Before Mass we do the Collect for Purity together which is amazing and at the end we say the Doxology together which again is a very powerful and clear English prayer.
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I think I came across an article by 2040 there will be no Anglican Church of Canada via Terry Mattingly
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