During the Eucharist on the Feast of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, I couldn't help be reminded of John Alexander's conclusion that the "new" liturgies of the 1979 prayer book are the cause of many leaving the church [TLC, March 22]. Whatever the foundation of the statement, if it is true, my real worry is that "traditional" liturgy may have become the object rather than the means of worship.

What prompted the thought was that I had trouble with "thees," "thys" and "thous" in a local adaptation of the litany forms of the Prayers of the People from Rite 2. The language seemed an artificial mix of two styles in an attempt to sound "traditional." To what end? I also thought of Fr. Secaur's letter in the same issue as a call in another direction. Is there room for "both/and"?

On the other hand, possibly the legend of St. Cyril read from Lesser Feasts and Fasts offers some wisdom. Cyril is known best for teaching his people what sacraments and liturgy are. I wish the people of whom Mr. Alexander speaks could have shared with me the experience of many liturgies: With Dom Gregory Dix in the rite of Hyppolytus; the Latin liturgies of Ambrose, Sarum and, yes, the BCP; St. John Chrysostom sung in Slavonic; the prayer books from 1549 on (even a deadly 1662) and from many provinces of the Anglican Communion.

Mr. Alexander speaks of abandoning "our centuries-old tradition," but implies that it only goes back to 1928. The fact is that 1979 contains much more of that centuries-old tradition than former books. The "tradition" of our worship is catholic in the best sense, drawing on various expressions from all of our history, and it is glorious.

(The Rev.) J. Philip Talmage Wauwatosa, Wis.