TUESDAY'S NEWS

Liturgical Advisory Committee maps out future course

Some 110,000 copies of the pew edition of the new Book of Common Prayer will have been printed by the end of May 2004, Bishop Harold Miller of Down and Dromore reported to members of the General Synod in proposing the report of the Liturgical Advisory Committee.

Bishop Miller, Chairman of the Committee, spoke of his passion for liturgy and told Synod members that the Committee saw its future role as encouraging a renewal of the worshipping life of the Church. He assured Synod that, now the new prayer book was available, the Committee would continue to work on behalf of the Church “to move beyond the mere words of worship…into areas such as liturgical resources, liturgical formation and education in congregations, the use of the internet in worship and music and architecture.”

Bishop Miller acknowledged the contribution of a number of members who were retiring from the Committee, making particular mention of the Very Rev John Paterson, who recently retired as Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin and had served on the LAC since 1980. Also retiring from the Committee was Bishop Edward Darling, who had been a member since 1978. The Bishop also thanked Rev Canon Brian Mayne for his work as Editor of the Book of Common Prayer (2004), Rev Canon Ricky Rountree for his ongoing work as Central Liturgical Officer and Mr Seán O’Boyle, Managing Director of The Columba Press for his constant helpfulness in the publication of the book.

Canon Rountree, seconding the report, echoed Bishop Miller’s words on liturgical resourcing and emphasised the unifying strength of the new Book of Common Prayer as a worship resource encompassing traditional and contemporary language. He told Synod members that, in his role as Central Liturgical Officer and in consultation with the Liturgical Advisory Committee, he was now concentrating on putting in place practical structures for liturgical resourcing into the future and he commended this process to Synod members, exhorting them to keep in mind that “only the people of God can bring life to the words of the book”.

Receiving the report of the Committee, the Synod warmly applauded the work of the Committee in producing the new prayer book.