Prayer Book Studies . ,') ---/ : --' t '. 'j IX \) THE CALENDAR THE STANDING LITURGICAL COMMISSION OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA THE CHURCH PENSION FUND NEW YORK 1957 Copyright, 1957, by THE CHURCH PENSION FUND - Preface The last revision of our Prayer Book was brought to a rather abrupt conclusion in 1928. Consideration of it had preoccupied the time of General Convention ever since 1913. Everyone was weary of the long and ponderous legislative process, and de­ sired to make the new Prayer Book available as soon as possible for the use of the Church. But the work of revision, which sometimes has seemed diffi­ cult to start, in this case proved hard to stop. The years of de­ bate had aroused widespread interest in the whole subject; and the mind of the Church was more receptive of suggestions for revision when the work was brought to an end than when it began. Moreover, the revision was actually closed to new ac­ tion in 1925, in order that it might receive final adoption in 1928: so that it was not possible to give the consideration to a number of very desirable features in the English and Scottish revisions, which appeared simultaneously with our own. It was further realized that there were some rough edges in what had been done, as well as an unsatisfied demand for still further alterations. The problems of defects in detail were met by continuing the Revision Commission, and giving it rather large 'editorial' powers (subject only to review by General Convention) to correct obvious errors in the text as adopted, in the publication of the new Prayer Book. Then, to deal with the constructive proposals for other changes which continued to be brought up in every General Convention, the Revision Commission was reconstituted as a Standing Liturgical Commission. To this body all matters concerning the Prayer Book were to be re­ ferred, for preservation in permanent files, and for continuing consideration, until such time as the accumulated matter was sufficient in amount and importance to justify proposing an­ other Revision. The number of such referrals by General Convention, of Memorials from Dioceses, and of suggestions made directly to III Preface the Commission from all regions and schools and parties in the Church, has now reached such a total that it is evident that there is a widespread and insistent demand for a general re­ vision of the Prayer Book. The Standing Liturgical Commission is not, however, pro­ posing any immediate revision. On the contrary, we believe that there ought to be a period of study and discussion, to ac­ quai:nt the Church at large with the principles and issues in­ volved, in order that the eventual action may be taken intelli­ gently, and if possible without consuming so much of the time of our supreme legislative synod. Accordingly, the General Convention of 1949 signalized the Fourth Centennial Year of the First Book of Common Prayer in English by authorizing the Liturgical Commission to publish its findings, in the form of a series of Prayer Book Studies. It must be emphasized that the liturgical forms presented in these Studies are not - and under our Constitution, cannot be - sanctioned for public use. They are submitted for free discus­ sion. The Commission will be grateful for copies or articles, resolutions, and direct comment, for its consideration, that the mind of the Church may be fully known to the body charged with reporting it. In this undertaking, we have endeavored to be objective and impartial. It is not possible to avoid every matter which may be thought by some to be controversial. Ideas which seem to be constructively valuable will be brought to the attention of the Church, without too much regard as to whether they may ultimately be judged to be expedient. We cannot undertake to eliminate every proposal to which anyone might conceivably object: to do so would be to admit that any constructive prog­ ress is impossible. What we can do is to be alert not to alter the present balance of expressed or implied doctrine of the Church; We can seek to counterbalance every proposal which might seem to favor some one party of opinion by some other change in the opposite direction. The goal we have constantly had in mind- however imperfectly we may have succeeded iv Preface in attaining it - is the shaping of a future Prayer Book which every party might embrace with the well-founded conviction that therein its own position had been strengthened, its witness enhanced, and its devotions enriched. The objective we have pursued is the same as that expressed by the Commission for the Revision of 1892: "Resolved, That this Committee, in all its suggestions and acts, be guided by those principles of liturgical construction and ritual use which have guided the compilation and amendments of the Book of Common Prayer, and have made it what it is." • • • THE STANDING LITURGICAL COMMISSION GOODRICH R. FENNER, Chairman ARTHUR C. LICHTENBERGER ·BAYARD H. JONES, Vice-Chairman JOHN W. SUTER, Custodian MASSEY H. SHEPHERD, JR. CHARLES W. F. SMITH FRANCIS B. SAYRE, JR. BERTRAM L. SMITH SPENCER ERVIN, Secretary JOHN W . ASHTON • Died, April 27, 1957 The Commission has been at work on this report since 1945. Throughout its preparation, the sub-committee responsible for the Calendar Study has consisted of Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Jones, and the Reverend Morton C. Stone. The Commission grate­ fully records that Dr. Jones' invaluable assistance in preparing materials for this Study continued with unabated energy and interest until his untimely death on April 27, 1957. He had been v Preface able to read and give his approval to most of the manuscript of this Study. A companion Study to this volume will follow in due time, with proposals for the propers of the minor Holy Days - Col­ lects, Epistles and Gospels. Only those entries in the present proposed Calendar that are printed in italics will be provided with a full set of propers; the other Black Letter commemora­ tions will have only a memorial Collect. In view of the length of the two Studies, it has seemed best to publish them as sepa­ rate volumes. MASSEY H. SHEPHERD, JR. When this Study was in final stages of proof, the Commis­ sion received the Report of a Commission appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, preliminary to the Lambeth Con­ ference of 1958, entitled The Commemoration of Saints and Heroes of the Faith in the Anglican Communion (London: S.P.c.K., 1957). The Commission regrets that it was not avail­ able in time for its study and use in the preparation of this book. But we commend it to the readers of this Study as a val­ uable supplement of comment and illustration upon the subject of Calendar revision. VI Contents THE PROPOSED CALENDAR V1l1 PART ONE THE HISTORY OF PRAYER BOOK CALENDAR REVISION I. The Reformation 3 II. Red and Black Letter Days 8 III. Recent Anglican Revisions 12 PART TWO PRINCIPLES OF CALENDAR CONSTRUCTION I. The Development of Saints' Days II. The Problem of Modern Reconstruction III. Recent Anglican Calendars PART THREE PROPOSALS FOR REVISION I. Principles of the Present Proposals 35 II. Changes Proposed in the Red Letter Days 39 III. Notes on the Black Letter Days 42 APPENDICES I. Comparative Tables of Anglican Calendars 107 2. The Proposed Calendar in Chronological and Topical Order 120 3. Notes on Certain Rejected Commemorations 125 4. General Bibliography 128 5. Alphabetical Index of Commemorations, with Special Bibliographies 130 Vll The Proposed Calendar JANUARY I A THE HOLY NAME OF OU,R LORD JESUS CHRIST 2 b 3 c 4 d 5 e 6 f , THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST 7 g 8A 9 b IO c William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1645 II d 12 e I3 f 14 g Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers, 367 15 A 16 b 17 c Antony, Abbotin Egypt, 356 18 d 19 e 20 f 2 I g Agnes, Martyr at Rome, 304 22 A Vincent, Deacon of Saragossa, and Martyr, 30 4 23 b Phillips Brooks, Bishop of Massachusetts, 1893 24 c Saint Timothy 25 d THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL THE ApOSTLE 26 e Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, and Martyr, 156 27 f John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, 407 28 g 29 A 30 b 31 c viii The Proposed Calendar FEBRUARY I d Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, and Martyr, c. 115 2 e THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE 3 f Ansgarius, Archbishop of Hamburg, Missionary to Denmark and Sweden, 865 4 g Cornelius, the Centurion 5 A 6 b Saint Titus 7 c 8 d 9 e IOf I I g 12 A 13 b 14 c 15 d Thomas Bray, Priest and Missionary, 173 0 16 e 17 f 18 g 19 A lOb 21 c 22 d 23 e 24 f SAINT MATTHIAS THE ApOSTLE 25 g 26 A 27 b George Herbert, Priest, 1633 28 c 29 1X p The Proposed Calendar MARCH I d David, Bishop of Menevia, Wales, c. 544 2 e 3 f 4 g 5 A 6 b 7 c Perpetua and her Companions, Martyrs of Carthage, 202 8 d Thomas Aquinas, Friar, 1274 9 e IOf I I g 12 A Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, 604 13 b 14 c 15 d 16 e I7 f Patrick, Bishop and Missionary of Ireland, 461 18 g 19 A Saint Joseph 20 b Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells, 17 I I 2 I C 14 22 d 3 23 e Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop and Missionary of Armenia, c.