The Anglican Use liturgy is found in the Book of Divine Worship (or BDW for short). The BDW is very much like the Book of Common Prayer (or BCP for short), which in its various forms is familiar to all Anglicans around the world. The BDW is essentially a compilation and revision of elements from both the 1928 BCP and the 1979 BCP in use in the Episcopal Church. The BDW contains traditional and contemporary language services for Morning and Evening Prayer, the Eucharist, Baptism, Matrimony, and Burial, as well as two versions of the Psalter, a traditional version of the Litany, a Calendar, and a Lectionary. It is a complete book of liturgy for Catholics who come from the Anglican tradition.
Considered from the Catholic perspective, the Anglican Use liturgy is an approved variation of the Ordinary Form of the Latin Rite. It is one of many different liturgical traditions that may be found within the Catholic Church. In terms of its tone and character, the Anglican Use liturgy falls in between the Ordinary Form and the Extraordinary Form of the liturgy, that is, in between the English mass and the Latin mass, the Novus Ordo and the Tridentine, respectively. Imagine the Latin mass translated into traditional English (thee, thou, etc.) and simplified somewhat. Fill this picture out with strong preaching and congregational singing, and this is the Anglican Use.
If we extend the vision a little more, we see a parish family alive in Christ, celebrating this beautiful and moving liturgy, offering Christian education for all ages, growing deeper in the Faith and in charity, and drawing many people home to the Catholic Church – this is our vision for Saint Paul’s Anglican Use.
March 28th, 2009 at 10:47 am
As a mainstream Roman Rite Catholic who is very interested in the Anglican Use, please allow me to offer a minor clarification about Latin in the OF and EF.
While the term “Latin Mass” is often used as a synonym for “Tridentine Mass” or “Extraordinary Form”, such language can obscure something.
The normative missal of the “Ordinary Form” or “Novus Ordo” is also in Latin. Some Roman parishes even make the Latin Novus Ordo a regular part of their liturgical life (though they are few). Keeping this in mind helps one to better understand that the difference between the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms is not essentially the difference between vernacular worship and Latin worship; rather, it is a difference in structure (e.g., the OF has three scripture readings plus a Psalm, while the EF has two readings plus a Psalm, etc.)
From a certain perspective, we might say that there is no such thing as “the English Mass” in the Latin Rite: there is a Latin Extraordinary Form Mass and a normative Latin “Novus Ordo” Mass, the latter of which is more commonly known only through the multiple vernacular translations used in the world today.
From that same perspective, we might also say that “the English Mass” is the Anglican Use liturgy found in the Book of Divine Worship.
Just a few thoughts.