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In the 350th anniversary year of the Church’s traditional liturgy, a charity calls for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee to be marked by using an ancient service.

This year marks the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. It is a text which has shaped the worship and doctrine of the Church of England as well as wider afield across the global Anglican Communion. Indeed, it remains the cornerstone of Anglican identity, and is its official standard of doctrine.

It is especially appropriate that 2012 is also Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee because the Prayer Book contains a ready-made Accession Service for churches and places of worship to use on the anniversary of the day of Accession of the Reigning Sovereign.

“What better occasion to turn to the Prayer Book’s specially composed prayers for the Sovereign than on Queen Elizabeth’s sixtieth anniversary on the throne on 6th February?”, says Prudence Dailey, the Chairman of the national Prayer Book Society which seeks to celebrate traditional liturgy in church life. “Some churches already use this service, every year, but how fitting for it to be more widely adopted in this very special year as a tribute to Her Majesty as Supreme Governor of our Church. There is no reason why it cannot be used by every parish church and in every cathedral.”

As well as a specially provided service to mark the occasion, the Prayer Book also offers a combination of ancient Psalms, Bible lessons, and prayers to be used at both morning and evening prayer, as well as specially selected readings and prayers for celebrating Holy Communion.

It hasn’t always been an easy ride for the Prayer Book. Even as recently as the early 1970s it looked possible that the Book of Common Prayer might be swept away totally in a tide of liturgical reform. A concerted campaign to save it from extinction proved successful (and the Prayer Book Society was formed). Within today’s ‘mixed economy’ of worship, the Prayer Book still retains its unique status as a Formulary of the Church of England.

This year’s notable anniversary year is an ideal time to encourage those who may not be familiar with the Book of Common Prayer, or who have not used it for some time, to explore its pages. This is the hope of our Archbishops who have backed the 350th anniversary campaign with supportive messages on the commemorative website at www.bcp350.org which provides a resource on how to mark the anniversary in every parish and each diocese, as well as recording events already planned, both national and local. --end

THE Prayer Book Society is delighted to announce the appointment of Lord Cormack as president of the national charity which celebrates the use of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer in Church Life.

As a Staffordshire MP, the then Sir Patrick Cormack served as a member of the Parliamentary Ecclesiastical Committee and, for several years, was a member of the Church of England’s ruling General Synod. He was made a Life Peer in December 2010, as Baron Cormack.

The traditional liturgy was instilled in him at an early age when he attended St James’s Choir School in Grimsby; a venue to which he returned later as a Master in a career which spanned teaching, journalism and politics.

“I am honoured and delighted to assume the Presidency of the Prayer Book Society”, says an enthusiastic Lord Cormack, acknowledging how much the charity has done over the last forty years to proclaim the glories of the Book of Common Prayer. “Our Prayer Book is one of our greatest national treasures, as well as being the defining document of the Church of England”, he continues. “Its language is truly memorable and I hope that, as we celebrate the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Prayer Book [in 2012], many more people will become familiar with it and learn to treasure it.”

The Prayer Book Society Chairman, Prudence Dailey, says she is delighted to have Lord Cormack as the Society’s new President. “His obvious enthusiasm for the church’s founding liturgy is wonderful. I know that with his added commitment and dedication we shall be able to do even more to ensure that the 1662 Book of Common Prayer retains its proper place at the heart of our Church today.”

Talking of the last forty years of liturgical upheaval, Lord Cormack says, “the quest for modernity has left congregations not quite knowing where they are and, although many traditionalists have been alienated, the young have not been attracted in great numbers.” He is confident that the Prayer Book is as relevant today as it was in 1662, and when he was a chorister and schoolboy, “to suggest that young people cannot be moved by noble and stirring words is an insult to their intelligence,” he says.

The national Prayer Book Society has Branches in each Church of England diocese and plans a year-long celebration in 2012 to mark the 350th anniversary of the liturgy which is still used every day in most of our cathedrals and weekly in thousands of parish churches. --end

A life-long Anglican has been appointed by a national charity to promote traditional church services which are under threat.

John Service, who lives at Goring Heath in Berkshire, is the Prayer Book Society’s first Churches and Clergy Co-ordinator. The new position has been created to boost the use and understanding of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer in parish churches up and down the country.

“We are delighted to have been able to appoint John”, says Prudence Dailey, the Prayer Book Society’s chairman. “He is well-known to many of our members, being a long-time member and supporter of the Society, a one-time trustee and, for several years, the Society’s voluntary chief executive. In this new role he has taken on a very different remit as we work to promote the Book of Common Prayer in Church life today.”

Among John’s duties are to engage with clerics in training as well as working clergy by arranging training days to supplement the lack of instruction in the Church’s founding liturgy during modern ordination training. “I shall also be establishing a network of clergy, at all levels, who are sympathetic to the 1662 Prayer Book”, explains John. Another key facet of the job is to increase the number of churches who are corporate members of the Prayer Book Society. “I shall be travelling the length and breadth of the country to visit those places of worship with a particular commitment to the BCP”, he adds.

This is in line with the Church of England’s vision outlined in its recent review of worship patterns. “The Liturgical Commission’s 2007 report ‘Transforming Worship’ advocates the creation of ‘centres of excellence’ for the Book of Common Prayer, and John’s role will very much focus on this”, explains Prudence Dailey.

The charity plans a year of celebration throughout 2012 which marks the 350th anniversary of the 1662 liturgy. Details at www.bcp350.org --end

A national charity has come to the support of a Church of England bishop who has spoken out against the abandonment of traditional Sunday morning services.

The Prayer Book Society backs the call by the Bishop of Lichfield for a return to straightforward morning prayer, or Matins, in an effort to stem the decline in church attendance. Addressing the Lichfield Diocesan Synod, the Rt Revd Jonathan Gledhill said the increased use of Eucharists by almost every church in the country had resulted in longer services that were “less simple and inclusive” He said: “Morning Prayer used to last 50 minutes with a good sermon; family services only 45 minutes. But a sung Eucharist can take anything to an hour and a half.” He felt the move was not encouraging people to try their parish church: “this is a good way of saying ‘Go away’ to young people who come to visit us,” he told his audience.

His comments have found favour with traditionalists. The Prayer Book Society champions the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. National chairman, Prudence Dailey, says echoes the bishop’s cry. “The abandonment of Matins has gone hand-in-hand with a decline in numbers attending church on Sunday mornings”, she says. “It has long been the Society’s belief that the whole range of services available in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer should be made available, including for the main morning service.”

Miss Dailey, a member of the Church’s General Synod, concurred with the bishop that church services need to be for a much wider audience. She backs his call for parishes up and down the country to look at their regular pattern of worship to provide a welcome for the outsiders and the occasional people as well as the regulars. --end

A new, convenient and hassle-free way to access the Church’s founding liturgy in a unique fusion of tradition and technology is warmly welcomed by the national charity which champions the Book of Common Prayer.

The up-to-the minute relevance of the ancient texts of the Book of Common Prayer is highlighted by the launch of an Apple iPhone application, called ‘iPray’, in time for the Prayer Book’s 350th anniversary next year. Developed in the USA, the easy-to-use app is perfect for personal daily devotions by those at home and those on the move. “It automatically displays the appropriate lessons, correct collects and right Psalms for the day all in one go”, explains Prudence Dailey, chairman of the Prayer Book Society which wholeheartedly endorses the program. “It means users can pray the daily Offices from the Book of Common Prayer without having to refer to the church’s calendar, look up the lessons in the lectionary and find the appropriate Psalms for the day in the Psalter”, she adds. “A modern day way to enjoy church tradition with all the hassle removed.”

The iPray app, the brainchild of Mr David Hill from Oklahoma City, is designed to have a wide international appeal; and uses the texts of Morning and Evening Prayer from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, supplemented by Midday Prayers and Compline from the Canadian 1962 Prayer Book.

The app also uses the 1922 BCP lectionary, which will be familiar to British users of the Prayer Book. More information about the app is available on the ‘iPray BCP’ page on Facebook.

“We are delighted by this fusion of ancient and modern”, says Miss Dailey. “It can be enjoyed by countless Anglicans across the globe who appreciate traditional liturgy and is a much needed addition to the App Store.”

The app was developed by Phase2 Interactive of Oklahoma City, and is available through the iTunes Store. An extension to cover Android phone users is being considered, pending suitable funding being secured. -end-

PLANS for a year-long celebration of the founding liturgy of the nation's church are unveiled at a major religious event today [10 May], supported by the head of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

The 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer will be marked throughout the land in 2012, three-and-a-half centuries after it was introduced. Despite past attempts to relegate it to history, the time-honoured book is still used for thousands of services every week, throughout the Anglican Communion.

As the Archbishop of Canterbury says of the 350th anniversary plans, "The Prayer Book is a profoundly valuable inheritance which we neglect at our peril".

The Prayer Book Society will remind visitors to the Surrey exhibition that the 1662 Book remains the sure foundation of Anglicanism, that it is closely based on scripture, and is a service book for all occasions, while all being available online at www.churchofengland.org.

"Come along to Stand T17a, in the Surrey Hall, at CRE, and find out how we will be marking the very special anniversary", says Prudence Dailey, the Prayer Book Society's Chairman. "We have some unusual mementoes to give away, and Society staff and clergy will be on hand to explain how the 350 year-old book is just as relevant today as when it was published in 1662 - to every age group.

"It is often claimed that a book in the language of Shakespeare cannot speak to the youth of today", adds Prudence. "What rubbish. If it is used today, then it becomes a modern liturgy used by modern people. It has proved to be a rock for people living in a very uncertain world, beset by media frenzy."

Archbishop Thomas Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer is part of the fabric of the English language. He was determined to give substance to the newly established Church of England by changing its language of worship from Latin to the vernacular. The book is a testament to Cranmer’s genius as a translator and writer of formal religious prose, and its phrasing and cadences have echoed around the churches of England and the Commonwealth ever since. So many everyday phrases we use come from it – ‘the apple of my eye’, ‘out of the mouths of babes and sucklings’, ‘little lower than the angels’. It has also been pillaged for titles of books by authors as different as Ernest Hemingway (A Moveable Feast), P. D. James (Devices and Desires) and P. G. Wodehouse (Joy in the Morning).

The importance of Book of Common Prayer is also acknowledged by the Archbishop of York who says, "The Prayer Book places the Bible at the heart of the Church’s worship and on the lips of the people. I pray that it will challenge us afresh to express the love and grace of God, his glory and holiness, in words and in forms which are worthy of the Gospel." --end

Traditional weddings are far from reserved exclusively for Royalty, a national charity reminds us in a campaign launched in the wake of the Royal wedding to encourage the greater use of traditional marriage services.

Couples are being encouraged to follow in the steps of William and Catherine, and stage a traditional wedding ceremony despite the lack of support from those in the Church of England who are steering people towards the modern alternative.

The national church launched its Weddings Project to encourage couples to marry in churches, rather than at their local town hall or tourist attraction, and has created a special website -www.yourchurchweding.org- promoting church weddings and enabling them to plan their marriage ceremony online. But the new site concentrates on the modern church service, introduced just eleven years ago, rather than services which are steeped in history.

The failure of the online resource to give due prominence to the traditional language alternatives, as enjoyed the Royal pair, has frustrated a national charity. The Prayer Book Society, which campaigns to uphold the traditional services, has this week launched a campaign to raise awareness of the legal alternatives still available in parish churches.

"The order of service selected by the Royal couple is bound to heighten interest in traditional church weddings", explains Prudence Dailey, chairman of the Prayer Book Society, "but the Weddings Project website makes it hard for couples to choose this option, and indeed seems almost designed to discourage it.

“Anyone planning a church wedding should be aware that the timeless, majestic, memorable language of the Book of Common Prayer is not reserved for Royal weddings, and couples who want a similar ceremony for their own special day should not feel hesitant in asking the clergy about it."

The Prayer Book Society adds that the historic Book of Common Prayer still embodies the Church of England’s official understanding of Christian marriage. -end

SCORES of young people from across the country battled it out in London in the annual Cranmer Awards contest. Each had been the victor of a regional heat and were fighting for the coveted national title in the chapel at Charterhouse.

Organised by the Prayer Book Society, it sees 11-18 year-olds reciting, from memory, their favourite passage from Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer, the Anglican church’s founding liturgy.

The Bishop of London presented the prizes to the young entrants, telling them how special it is to memorise prayers and Scripture. The chairman of the judging panel, the Rev’d Fred Arvidsson, chaplain to King’s School in Canterbury, congratulated all the finalists on the high quality they achieved, saying they showed clarity, differentiation, pace, projection and tone in their performances.

The contest was the brain-child of veteran journalist Charles Moore, then editor of The Spectator magazine who went on to edit The Daily Telegraph, and is now in its 22nd successful year.

--end

THE head of the Church of England has confirm 85 young people this week (Sunday 6 Feb) using a 16th century service in Canterbury Cathedral.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will used the sometimes neglected 1662 Book of Common Prayer at an early evening service to welcome the 11-17 year-old students from the King's School into the church. Each confirmand received a personal copy of 1662 liturgy as a gift from the national Prayer Book Society.

Commenting on the use of the ancient text, Dr Rowan Williams said: "The Book of Common Prayer remains a deeply valuable spiritual resource for people of all ages. It offers a wealth of words and images to deepen prayer and enrich imagination, and I am delighted to see younger people having the opportunity of experiencing this richness.”

The 1662 Prayer Book is much favoured by the school's Chaplain, Fr Fredrik Arvidsson. When used today, he believes it to be a modern liturgy used by modern people. "Working in a school with young people that once they become familiar with the pages of this treasure house they have come to love the book and its liturgy."

Fr Fred believes The Book of Common Prayer to be a collection of ancient and beautifully inspired prayers and services. "It can be a rock for young people who live in a very uncertain world, beset by media frenzy. Young people need stability! The Book of Common Prayer should be an affirmation of our faith," he says.

The Prayer Book Society works nationally to promote the continued use of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer in our churches and cathedrals, it is the founding book of the Church of England. --end

Churches are urged to make a New Year’s Resolution, and declare whether services are modern or traditional....

OUR cathedrals and parish churches are being encouraged to make a new year’s resolution and provide better information about the forms of service they use – whether traditional or contemporary.

The call has come from the Prayer Book Society, a national charity which campaigns for the continued use of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. It contains the Church of England’s historic formularies and the traditional services first used after the Reformation and still in use over 350 years later.

“Congregations have increasing difficulties with churches simply showing that a service will be the Eucharist or Holy Communion, and not indicating whether it will be the traditional form from the 1662 book, or a contemporary service using Common Worship, published in 2000”, explains Prudence Dailey, the Prayer Book Society’s Chairman.

Miss Dailey calls on churches to make it very clear in all lists of services just which liturgy is intended. “It is frustrating to be in an area and to be quite unable from the church magazine, pew sheet or even the church noticeboard, to tell which service is on offer”, she explains.

It is not only traditionalists who will benefit from greater transparency over the text to be used, claims the Society which has active branches in every Church of England Diocese and sister organisations across much of the Anglican Communion. There will be those who are expecting a modern-day service, complete with hand-shaking and a more informal approach, who will be disconcerted by the structured 1662 liturgy which addresses the Persons of the Holy Trinity with ‘Thees’ and ‘Thous’.

To end the current state of confusion, the Prayer Book Society suggests that the already used abbreviations CW and BCP are used to clearly show which liturgy is being followed. It advises against the use of ‘traditional’ as a label since it is too vague. -end

The Prayer Book Society offer their hearty congratulations to Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton on the announcement of the Royal engagement.

"We very much hope that the Royal wedding will be conducted according to the Book of Common Prayer, as befits the dignity of the occasion", says PBS Chairman Prudence Dailey. --end

SCORES of traditional Anglicans are gathering in Gloucestershire this week [17-19 Sept] for a theological gathering.

Prayer Book Society members from across the country are converging on the Royal Agricultural College for a weekend of talks, lectures and a wide range Prayer Book services in the college chapel.

Among the speakers is national newspaper columnist Peter Hitchens. He will remind the traditionalist audience that the contents of their beloved 1662 book are not merely legal, they are officially permitted and enshrined by Act of Parliament as the worship and doctrine of the Church of England.

“I had hoped at the very least we could safeguard for all time the remaining strongholds of proper, reverent worship as found in the 1662 Prayer Book. This does not seem to me to have happened.”

Mr Hitchens says action is key for future survival of traditional liturgy. “It is my hope”, he concludes, “that, finally released from the cold embrace of a church that has ceased to love them, the Book of Common Prayer (and the Authorised Version) may actually re-enter the discourse of the English-speaking peoples, as our manifesto and as our constitution, as we seek - this time as embattled outsiders, which Christians probably ought to be - to restate the virtues for which they stood and for which they may one day stand again.”

Mr Hitchens advocates placing the 1662 Prayer Book in the hands of the young and in their minds as well, and so rekindle that great Anglican fire of generous goodness, scripture, tradition and reason, that shall never be put out .”

Another speaker at the weekend event is Professor David Owen Norris, a familiar voice on BBC radio. His talk to the Prayer Book Society is entitled Crackling of Thorns. Professor Norris will consider how our common cultural heritage can be renewed, and discuss how new methods of promoting music, drama and poetry can be applied to the work of the Society. His examples will be drawn from Jo Shapcott's work on Spenser, the Black Ram Theatre Company's new production Love's Labour's Lost - the Musical, his own oratorio Prayerbook and his work for the new Radio 4 iPod series.

Others speakers over the three days include the former MP for Staffordshire South, Sir Patrick Cormack, the Rev’d Edward Underhill who has just retired as incumbent of a Prayer Book parish in Gateshead, and the Rev’s John Richardson who writes a well known blog under the title The Ugley Vicar.

The sermon at Evensong on Saturday will be preached by the recently appointed Archdeacon of Cheltenham, the Ven Robert Springett.

During the conference members will discuss how to mark the Prayer Book’s 350th anniversary in 2012 and see the commemorative website www.bcp350.org.uk launched --end

PBS donation to prisoners receives Bishop's blessing...

The Bishop of Liverpool has supported a project to send copies of the Book of Common Prayer to prisoners. Speaking in his capacity as Prisons Bishop, The Rt. Rev. James Jones said he was delighted to learn of the initiative of the Prayer Book Society to place prayer books in prison.

The Society, which campaigns for the continued use of Cranmer's 1662 liturgy, is sending, by request, supplies of the BCP to prison chaplains across the country. So far it has shipped over a hundred.

Supporting the idea, the Bishop said this week: “I hope prisoners will find comfort in the ‘comfortable words’ of the Book of Common Prayer and discover for themselves ‘that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’”.

The scheme has gone down well among those responsible for meeting prisoners’ spiritual needs. At Glen Parva in Leicester, the co-ordinating chaplain Rev’d Alison Adams said the scheme is really a very helpful idea and offer. “'We scratch our heads sometimes, to know what to give people who want something formal to follow. Thank you.”

While at Peterborough prison the faith leader, Rev’d Tim Harling, commented: “I would love to introduce the prayer book to people who have never experienced the beauty and language of the prayer book that I have often thought might allow prisoners to appreciate the ‘Otherness’ and special place faith can have in their lives.”

He goes on: “Many of our men and women her are ex-forces and may have experienced the Prayer Book whilst serving especially within the Army and ‘re-kindling’ this may be a very positive experience for them.”

--Prisoners in their chapel

A CHARITY has come to the rescue after reading in the church media of a need for prison chaplains to have a plentiful supply of reading material to hand out, because prisoners have to spend so much time in their cells.

The Prayer Book Society is making available personal copies of the Book of Common Prayer to prison chaplains who can make use of them.

The first supply has just been gratefully received by the Rev'd Philip Abrey, Chaplain at HMP The Mount at Hemel Hempstead. He says "The men will be able to borrow the Prayer Books and I will also use them for services on an occasional basis in the Chapel".

Mr Abrey also appreciated a specially prepared guide on how to use the 1662 Prayer Book for daily personal devotion, written by the Society's Trustee Rev'd Neil Patterson.

"I can well remember when I moved from the Brethren to the Church of England and encountered the Prayer Book for the first time. I hadn't a clue where to go for the different parts of the service, and as a result it was many months before I appreciated the service as I spent my time trying to find where everything was. If only I had been in possession of these wonderfully thought out notes.”

With its unique blend of liturgy, psalms, collects, epistles and Gospels the Society feels sure that Cranmer's Prayer Book will prove an ideal resource for those imprisoned.

As the PBS Trustee the Rev'd John Masding explains, "the text of the BCP contains all the emotions people in prison might well feel, such as anger, rage and despair - therefore the BCP is an ideal way to offer these things to God and the perfect gift the Society can offer to incarcerated souls."

"If it saves only one or two, the project will be most worthwhile", adds Mr Masding. "Our hope is that prisoners will feel a sense of: I was in prison and You visited me". --end