The Book of Common Prayer
United States England Scotland Ireland Wales Canada World

    The Proposed Revision
of the Book of Common Prayer (1925)

 

THE FORM AND MANNER OF
MAKING, ORDAINING, AND CONSECRATING

BISHOPS, PRIESTS, AND DEACONS.

In the Proposed book only those changes in the 1892 book are given, with references to the 1892 BCP.

1925

 
1928

 
    In the first rubric in the FORM FOR MAKING DEACONS, page 510, for ORDERING PRIESTS, page 514, and for CONSECRATING A BISHOP, page 523, omit the words “after Morning Prayer is ended.”
 

 
THE ORDERING OF DEACONS.
 

 

 
The Form and Manner of
Making Deacons

 

    In the second rubric, page 510, insert at the beginning, “The Sermon being ended.”
 

    Amend the sixth rubric (page 510 of Prayer Book) by adding:

And Note, That after The suffrage, That it may please thee to illuminate all Bishops, etc., shall be said the following suffrage: That it may please thee to bless these thy servants, now to be admitted to, the Order of Deacons, and to pour thy grace upon them; that they may duly execute their office, to the edifying of thy Church, and the glory of thy holy Name; And Note further, That in the discretion of the Bishop, instead of the General Litany, may be said the Special Litany for Ordinations.
 

 

And Note, That after the Suffrage, That it may please thee to illuminate all Bishops, etc., shall be said the following Suffrage:

THAT it may please thee to bless these thy servants, now to be admitted to the Order of Deacons, and to pour thy grace upon them; that they may duly execute their Office, to the edifying of thy Church, and the glory of thy holy Name;


¶ And NOTE further, That in the discretion of the Bishop, instead of the Litany appointed, may be said the Litany for Ordinations.

 

    Amend the second rubric on page 311 so as to read as follows:

¶ Then, the People being seated, the Bishop shall examine every one of those who are to be Ordered, in the presence of the People, after this manner following.

    Change the first Question and Answer on page 512 of the Prayer Book to conform with the Question and Answer in the Ordination of Priests, as follows:

ARE YOU persuaded that the holy Scriptures contain all Doctrine required as necessary for eternal salvation, through faith in Jesus Christ?
    Answer. I am so persuaded.

    Amend the first rubric on page 512 so as to read as follows:

¶ Then, the People standing, the Bishop shall lay his hand8 severally upon the head of every one to be made Deacon, humbly kneeling before him, and shall say,

    In the third question on page 512, omit the words, “to intimate their estates, names, and places where they dwell, unto the Curate, that by his exhortation,” and insert the word “that” before the words “they may be.”

 

 
THE ORDERING OF PRIESTS.
 
 
 
The Form and Manner of
Ordering Priests
 

    Amend the rubric at the bottom of page 514 of the Prayer Book, by placing a period after the word “Litany” in line 3, and substituting in place of what there follows, this, viz:

    And NOTE, That after the suffrage That it may please thee to illuminate all Bishops, etc., shall be said the following suffrage:

    That it may please thee to bless these thy servants, now to be admitted to the Order of Priests, and to pour thy grace upon them; that they may duly exercise their office, to the edifying of thy Church, and the glory of thy holy Name;

    And Note further, That in the discretion of the Bishop, instead of the General Litany, may be said the special Litany for Ordinations.

    In printing the ORDINAL, omit the Litany and the Order for Holy Communion, and in place of the Litany insert the special Litany for Ordinations.
    Adopt the following Form as the Litany for Ordinations, to take the place of what is now on pages 530-533 of the Prayer Book.
[In the 1928 version, this Litany appears separately after the Ordinal.]

LITANY AND SUFFRAGES FOR
ORDINATIONS

O GOD the Father,
Have mercy upon us.
    O God the Son,
    Have mercy upon us.
    O God the Holy Ghost,
    Have mercy upon us.
    O Holy Trinity, One God,
    Have mercy upon us.
    We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord; and that it may please thee to grant peace to the whole world, and to thy Church;
    We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
    That it may please thee to sanctify and bless thy holy Church throughout the world;
    We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
    That it may please thee to inspire all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, with love of thee and of thy truth;
    We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to endue all Ministers of thy Church with devotion to thy glory and to the salvation of souls;
    We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
 

(At the Ordination of Deacons or of Priests.)
 
¶ Here, at the Ordination of Deacons or of Priests shall be said,
 

    That it may please thee to bless these thy servants, now to be admitted to the Order of Deacons (or Priests), and to pour thy grace upon them; that they may duly execute their office to the edifying of thy Church and to the glory of thy holy Name;
    We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
 

(At the Consecration of a Bishop.)
 
 
¶ Here, at the Consecration of a Bishop shall be said,
 
    That it may please thee to bless this our Brother elected, and to send thy grace upon him, that he may duly execute the Office whereunto he is called, to the edifying of thy Church, and to the honour, praise, and glory of thy Name;
    We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
[The remainder of the Litany is identical in both versions.]
 

    Amend the Collect on page 515 by striking out in the third line the word “the” before “Church” and inserting in the place of it the word “thy”.

    Amend the Gospel in the Form of Ordering Priests, page 515 of the Prayer Book, St. John x., so as to read:

    I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine, even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father.

    And lower down, change the word “fold” into “flock” so as to read “one flock and one shepherd”.

    Amend the rubric on page 516 so as to read as follows:

¶ Then, the People being seated, the Bishop shall say unto those who are to be ordained Priests as followeth.

    Amend the third rubric on page 519 so as to read as follows:

¶ After which, the persons to be ordained Priests kneeling, and others standing, the Bishop shall sing or say, Veni, Creator Spiritus; the Bishop beginning, and the Priests, and others that are present, answering by verses, as followeth.

    Substitute for the longer form of the Veni, Creator Spiritus, pages 519-521 of the Prayer Book the translation of the Hymn printed in the New Hymnal No. 375 as follows:

COME, Holy Ghost, Creator blest.
Vouchsafe within our souls to rest;
    Come with thy grace and heavenly aid,
    And fill the hearts which thou hast made.

2. To thee, the Comforter, we cry;
To thee, the Gift of God most high;
The Fount of life, the Fire of love,
The soul’s Anointing from above.

3. The sevenfold gifts of grace are thine,
O Finger of the Hand Divine;
True promise of the Father thou,
Who dost the tongue with speech endow.

4. Thy light to every sense impart,
And shed thy love in every heart;
Thine own unfailing might supply
To strengthen oar infirmity.

5. Drive far away our ghostly foe,
And thine abiding peace bestow;
If thou be oar preventing Guide,
No evil can our steps betide.

    In the first rubric on page 519, after the word “then” insert the words “all standing”, and after the word “Bishop”, strike out the words, “standing up.”

    Amend the rubric beginning at the foot of page 522 by striking out the second sentence beginning with the words: “The Collects shall both be used,” and at the end of the rubric insert the following: “The Collect shall be as followeth.”

The Collect.

ALMIGHTY God, giver of all good things, who by thy Holy Spirit hast appointed divers Orders of Ministers in thy Church; Mercifully behold these thy servants now called to the Office of Deacon and these thy servants now called to the Office of Priest; and so replenish them with the truth of thy Doctrine, and adorn them with innocency of life, that, both by word and good example, they may faithfully serve thee in their Ministry, to the glory of thy Name, and the edification of thy Church; through the merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.

 

CONSECRATION OF A BISHOP.
 

    Insert the following rubric immediately after the suffrage and response at the top of page 526:

And NOTE, That in the discretion of the Bishop presiding, instead of the General Litany, may be said the special Litany for Ordinations, in which case the above proper Suffrage shall be used.
 

 

And NOTE, That in the discretion of the Presiding Bishop, instead of the Litany, may be said the Litany for Ordinations.

    Amend the third rubric on page 526 by inserting after the word “Then” the words, “the People being seated”.

Amend the first rubric on page 528 so that it shall read:

¶ Then shall the Bishop-elect put on the rest of the Episcopal habit, and shall kneel down; and Veni, Creator Spiritus shall be sung or said over him; the Bishop presiding shall begin, and the Bishops, and the others that are present, standing, shall answer by verses, as followeth.
 

    Amend the second rubric on page 528, so that it shall read:

¶ Or else the alternative paraphrase of the same Hymn, as printed in the Ordering of Priests.

 
[The 1928 version prints it out in full.]

 

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