Book of Common Prayer

The Book of Common Prayer (also known as the BCP or simply as the Prayer Book) is the official book of worship of the Episcopal Church.  Probably more than any other community of faith, Episcopalians are a people of a prayer book.  Not only do we use the BCP to form our corporate and public worship; it is the guide much of our private prayer and the source of most of our theology.  

All prayer books of the Anglican Communion can most directly trace their roots to the first Book of Common Prayer that was published in 1549 in the Church of Engalnd.  But the liturgies found in the BCP actually go back further as they contain the form and elements of worship since the earliest days of Christianity.  The Episcopal Church's current version authorized for use is the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. 

The BCP offers liturgies for both corporate worship and individual prayers for all parts of the day, day of the week, and seasons of the Church year.

The Prayer Book liturgies are offered in both Traditional (Elizabethan English) -- also known as Rite One -- and Contemporary (contemporary English) -- also known as Rite Two.

Sections of the Book of Common Prayer

The Daily Office:  The Daily Office contains liturgies for Morning Prayer, Noonday Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline (prayers for late evening).  There are also abridged versions of these prayer liturgies as forms of Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families (although individuals and families are welcome, and do, use the fuller forms of the Daily Office as part of their daily prayer).

The Great Litany:  The Great Litany is a rite that is appropriate for use in times of special petitions before God (e.g. marking the beginning of the First Sunday of Lent).

The Collects:  The collects are prayers appointed for Seasons of the Year, Holy Days, Saints, and various occasons.  These are the prayers that gather the congregation and offer a petition to God in recognition of the "theme" of the particular observance being celebrated.

Proper Liturgies for Special Days:  Worship for special observances of the Church year -- Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and The Great Vigil of Easter.

Holy Baptism:  The liturgy for the rite for celebrating the sacrament of Holy Baptism.

The Holy Eucharist: The liturgies for celebrating the Holy Eucharist -- our principal act of Christian worship in the Episcopal Church.

Pastoral Offices: Contain the various pastoral offices that are part of a Christian journey:  Confirmation, Commitment to Christian Service, Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage, The Blessing of a Civil Marriage, Thanksgiving for the Birth or Adoption of a Child, Reconciliation of a Penitent, Ministration to the Sick, Ministration at the Time of Death (Last Rites), Burial of the Dead.

Episcopal Services:  Episcopal is from the Greek episkopos which means of or pertaining to bishops.  These liturgies are those at which a bishop is always the presider: Ordination of a Bishop, Ordination of a Priest, Ordination of a Deacon, Celebration of New Ministry, Consecration of a Church or Chapel.

The Psalter or Psalms of David: Contain the Psalms from Holy Scripture.

Prayers and Thanksgivings: Various prayers and offerings of thanks.

An Outline of the Faith, or Catechism: Provides a breif summary of the Church's teaching for an inquiring individual or as an outline of instruction.

Historical Documents of the Church: Various historical documents important in the history of the Episcopal Church.

Tables for Finding the Date of Easter and other Holy Days: Tables used to determine the date of Easter and other Holy Days.  The table in the 1979 BCP includes through the year 2099 (there is nothing significant in this date, it is simply that the table was calculated for years between 1900 and 2099 at the time the 1979 BCP was published).

The Lectionary: Offers the schedule of Bible readings for the three year Sunday cycle (Years A, B, C), Holy Days, Saints' Days, and Various Occasions celebrated in the life of the Church.  Note that the Episcopal Church has adopted the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) for its three year Sunday cycle; which does differ somewhat from the readings presented in the Episcopal Sunday Lectionary.  To learn more you can visit The Lectionary section of our Worship and Prayer pages.

Daily Office Lectionary: Bible readings associated with the Daily Office.  While the Episcopal Church is using the Revised Common Lectionary for Sunday readings, we have maintained use of the Daily Office Lectionary as presented in the Book of Common Prayer.

You can view the BCP online.

To purchase a copy of the Book of Common Prayer visit your local bookstore or order online from amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and other online booksellers.

Link to
The Book of Common Prayer