Associated Parishes Begins New Publication Program
Diocesan Press Service. December 5, 1975 [75422]
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- At its fall meeting in Ocean City, New Jersey, on October 1, the Executive Committee of Associated Parishes, Inc., approved the first in a series of new publications dealing with the liturgical rites which will appear in the Draft Proposed Book of Common Prayer.
The first of these booklets, entitled A COMMENTARY ON THE HOLY EUCHARIST, RITE II, will be published in February 1976 at the time of the publication of the Draft Book. Written by a committee of Associated Parishes members chaired by the Rev. H. Boone Porter, Jr., it is believed to be the only commentary of this kind to be published at such an early date. "We have endeavored," stated Dr. Porter, "to base this document on sound liturgical and historical scholarship, but at the same time, present material in an attractive manner which will not be difficult for the reasonably informed lay person to utilize." It is designed to be useful in both individual and group study.
Associated Parishes, a network of clergy and laity concerned with Liturgy as a primary instrument of the Holy Spirit for the renewal of the Church and for Mission in the world, was founded in 1947. In the 1950's and early 1960's, through a series of publications dealing with the rites of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, and through a series of National Liturgical Conferences, AP led many Episcopalians and their parishes in the renewal of worship which has been the goal of the Liturgical Movement. Among those publications were: THE PARISH EUCHARIST, IN NEWNESS OF LIFE, and A PARISH PROGRAM FOR LITURGY AND MISSION.
With the appearance of the first Trial Services in 19(7, AIP began a series of publications and conferences which exposed many church-people to liturgical experimentation and which sought to aid them in the trial use of the proposed rites. With these publications and the initiation of the Episcopal Diocesan Liturgical Conferences, AP became closely identified with one particular outgrowth of liturgical renewal, namely, Prayer Book revision.
Now that Prayer Book revision is moving out of the experimental phase and into the Church's legislative processes, Associated Parishes is re-emphasizing its primary work of promoting the renewal of worship and the liturgical education of the Church's members. A COMMENTARY ON THE HOLY EUCHARIST, RITE II will be followed by others which will explain and elucidate the rites which will be presented to the 1976 General Convention, and which, if passed, will be before the Church for the following three years.
Members of Associated Parishes will each receive a copy of the new booklet as one issue of AP's journal, OPEN. Others may order copies from AP's office at $1.50 per copy (up to 19 copies), $1.25 (20 to 49 copies), and $1.00 per copy (50 or more). Associated Parishes' mailing address is P.O. Box 5562, Washington, D.C. 20016.