I've noted elsewhere that after seeing the products of attempts to translate parts of traditional Books of Common Prayer into modern English with varying degrees of success, I was about to abandon, as have so many, any hope that liturgy could be written in modern English without sounding either pedestrian or trendy – or horrible.  (Imagine if you will, beginning every prayer with “We just want to praise you, Father God….”)  So I thought I might give it a try myself.

Now, I’m no Shakespeare or Eliot.  The last poetry I wrote resides in my wife’s dresser, written when I was courting her and thank goodness it isn’t shown to anyone.  After all, criticising literature, not creating it, is my strong suit.  But as I contemplated the attempts out there, a little voice whispered “heck, even I could do better than that!”  So here it is. 

Starting with the Eucharist from the U.S. 1928 BCP, translated into current modern English, following the principles of Liturgiam Authenticam, in the contemporary version I have used the most up to date ICEL texts, which will be in sync with the next Ordinary Form Roman Missal to be issued in English.  It is set up to work with either the 3 year Ordo Lectionum Missae and the Daily Lectionary or the older lectionaries in the various BCPs.  I think the former the better choice, of course.

Because Anglicanism is an international body these days, I have edited the base text in four ways,

1. By incorporating some features of other national Anglican BCPs (Canada 1962, Scotland 1970, South Africa 1954, West Indies 1959),
2. By incorporating the calendar and proper prefaces from the Book of Divine Worship,
3. By eliminating some of the vague areas that have been patient of heresy, and
4. By streamlining the whole to make it possible to have a short weekday service for working folk.

I have labeled the contemporary language version "Ordinary Anglican Form" and then prepared a traditional language version called the "Extraordinary Anglican Form."  Rubrics are made more fluid in order to provide a BCP that can be used by Catholic in the Anglican Ordinariates, Anglican Catholics in the continuing churches, and even evangelical Anglicans in the new Anglican Church in North America.  

I have prepared this text for discussion purposes only, and it has not been authorized for public use -- or even private -- by anyone, anywhere.  I haven’t even tried it out by myself. I would be glad of any comments.

Anglican Book of Common Prayer 2010 Mass Excerpt