The Book of Occasional Services 2018 Conforming to General Convention 2018 i Table of Contents Preface 5 The Church Year Seasonal Blessings 8 Concerning the Advent Wreath 18 Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols 20 Las Posadas 25 Our Lady of Guadalupe 27 Blessing of a Crèche 32 Christmas Festival of Lessons and Carols 33 Service for New Year’s Eve 38 Candlemas Procession 42 The Way of the Cross 47 Tenebrae 65 On Maundy Thursday At the Foot-Washing 82 On Reserving the Sacrament 83 On the Stripping of the Altar 83 Agapé for Maundy Thursday 84 Blessings over Food at Easter 86 Rogation Procession 88 A Rite for the Blessing of a Garden 98 St Francis Day/ Blessing of Animals 100 Service for All Hallows’ Eve 112 Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) 115 1 Pastoral Services Welcoming New People to the Congregation 117 When Members Leave a Congregation 119 A Service of Renaming 120 The Preparation for Holy Baptism: The Catechumenate Concerning the Catechumenate 125 Admission of Catechumens 127 During the Period of Preparation 129 Enrollment of Candidates for Baptism 131 During the Period of Final Preparation 134 Blessing of a Pregnant Woman 139 Preparation of Parents and Sponsors of Infants and Young Children to be Baptized The Welcoming of Parents and Sponsors 141 During the Period of Preparation 143 Enrollment of Candidates for Baptism 144 Preparation for Confirmation, Reception or other Reaffirmations of the Baptismal Covenant Concerning Reaffirmation of Baptismal Vows 147 Welcoming Candidates for Confirmation, Reception, and the Reaffirmation of Baptismal Vows 150 Rite of Enrollment for Confirmation, Reception, and the Reaffirmation of Baptismal Vows 152 Recognition of Ministries in the Church and the World 154 Celebration for a Home 156 A Shorter Blessing of a Home 166 Anniversary of a Marriage 168 A Public Service of Healing 171 A Rite of Welcoming After Absence 185 Concerning Exorcism 187 Burial of One Who Does Not Profess the Christian Faith 188 Concerning the Blessing of Water 192 Concerning Holy Oils 193 Dedication of Church Furnishings and Ornaments 194 2 The Founding of a Church Ground Breaking 211 Laying a Cornerstone 217 Discernment for a New Church Mission 219 A Liturgy for Commissioning a Church Planter, Missioner or Mission Team 225 A Liturgy for the Opening of a New Congregation 235 Setting Apart Secular Space for Sacred Use 239 A Litany for the Mission of the Church 240 A variety of Church Planting collects, blessings and other prayers 242 Hymn suggestions for Church Planting liturgies 244 Discernement pour une nouvelle mission d’église 249 Une liturgie pour mettre en service un fondateur d’église, un missionnaire ou une équipe missionnaire 255 Une liturgie pour l’inauguration d’une nouvelle congrégation 267 Réserver un espace séculaire pour l’usage sacré 271 Une litanie pour la mission de l’Église 272 Une variété de collectes, de bénédictions et d’autres prières pour la fondation d’une église 275 Hymnes suggérés pour les liturgies de fondation de nouvelles églises 277 Restoring of Things Profaned 279 Secularizing a Consecrated Building 281 Distribution of Holy Communion by Lay Eucharistic Visitors to Persons Who Are Ill or Infirm 285 Guidelines for Use on the Occasion of a Retirement or Work Transition 287 Liturgical Materials Honoring God in Creation 289 3 Episcopal Services Consecration of Chrism Apart from Baptism 310 A Proper for the Consecration of Chrism 312 Reaffirmation of Ordination Vows 313 A Service for the Ending of a Pastoral Relationship and Leave-taking from a Congregation 319 Recognition and Investiture of a Diocesan Bishop 327 Welcoming and Seating of a Bishop in the Cathedral 335 Setting Apart for a Religious Vocation 338 4 Preface The Book of Occasional Services is a collection of liturgical resources related to occasions which do not occur with sufficient frequency to warrant their inclusion in The Book of Common Prayer. These materials are authorized by the General Convention [through the provisions of Title II, Canon 3, Section 6 of the Canons of the Episcopal Church]. The Book of Occasional Services is a companion volume to The Book of Common Prayer. The rites and ceremonies contained in this book are to be understood, interpreted, and used in light of the theology, structure, and directions of The Book of Common Prayer. As provided for in the copyright statement, it is expected that the materials to be used for a specific occasion will be reproduced locally for that use. All of the material in this book is optional. None of it is required, and no congregation is likely to make use of all of it. The materials included in this collection come from a variety of sources. Generally, they arise out of the specific use of worshipping communities engaged in the process of creating liturgical responses to particular occasions in the life of the church. A previous edition, for example, included for the first time liturgical forms to accompany the preparation of adults for baptism. Some of the rites contained in this book come from specific cultural contexts and should be treated sensitively when they are used. It is particularly recommended that congregations consult closely with people from the cultural context in which the rites were developed, so as to avoid cultural appropriation. This book is intended for public worship but the materials offered may be used for private devotion as appropriate. It is noted, however, that this is not intended to be an exhaustive collection of seasonal devotional materia 5 Throughout this volume, the term “presider” has been used to identify the person, ordained or lay, leading the liturgy. This reflects contemporary usage and allows adaptation to those various liturgical contexts (eucharistic or non-eucharistic) in which The Book of Common Prayer uses the terms “celebrant” and “officiant.” 6 The Church Year 7 Seasonal Blessings The following blessings may be used by a bishop or priest whenever a blessing is appropriate. Two forms of blessing are provided for each major season (except for Lent). The first is a three-fold form, with an Amen at the end of each sentence, leading into a trinitarian blessing. The second is a single- sentence formula leading directly into the blessing. The formula for chanting these blessings is given in the musical appendix to the Altar Edition. Advent Blessing May Almighty God, by whose providence our Savior Christ came among us in great humility, sanctify you with the light of his blessing and set you free from all sin. Amen. May he whose second Coming in power and great glory we await, make you steadfast in faith, joyful in hope, and constant in love. Amen. May you, who rejoice in the first Advent of our Redeemer, at his second Advent be rewarded with unending life. Amen. And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you for ever. Amen. 8 or this May the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you and scatter the darkness from before your path; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen. Christmas Season Blessing May Almighty God, who sent his Son to take our nature upon him, bless you in this holy season, scatter the darkness of sin, and brighten your heart with the light of his holiness. Amen. May God, who sent his angels to proclaim the glad news of the Savior’s birth, fill you with joy, and make you heralds of the Gospel. Amen. May God, who in the Word made flesh joined heaven to earth and earth to heaven, give you his peace and favor. Amen. And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you for ever. Amen. or this May Christ, who by his Incarnation gathered into one things earthly and heavenly, fill you with his joy and peace; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen. 9 Epiphany For use from the feast of the Epiphany through the following Sunday; and on the Second Sunday after the Epiphany in Year C. May Almighty God, who led the Wise Men by the shining of a star to find the Christ, the Light from Light, lead you also, in your pilgrimage, to find the Lord. Amen. May God, who sent the Holy Spirit to rest upon the Only- begotten at his baptism in the Jordan River, pour out that Spirit on you who have come to the waters of new birth. Amen. May God, by the power that turned water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana, transform your lives and make glad your hearts. Amen. And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you for ever. Amen. or this May Christ, the Son of God, be manifest in you, that your lives may be a light to the world; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen. Lent In Lent, in place of a seasonal blessing, a solemn Prayer over the People is used, as follows: The Deacon or, in the absence of a deacon, the Presider says Bow down before the Lord. The people kneel and the Presider says one of the following prayers: 10 Ash Wednesday Grant, most merciful Lord, to your faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve you with a quiet mind; through Christ our Lord.