You are here
Diocese of Quincy issues partial restriction on public use of ACNA BCP 2019
VOL was informed that the headline did not adequately reflect the truth about the use of the ACNA 2019 Prayer Book. We regret the error. Please read Dr. Munday's take
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
PAX! Recently, I have received several calls inquiring about the new Book of Common Prayer 2019 which was released by the Anglican Church in North America last month at the Provincial Assembly.
Although, this prayer book was published by the ACNA, the House of Bishops voted to let each bishop decide if it would be used in their respective dioceses. After much consideration, prayer and consultation with my fellow bishops, clergy from our diocese and others I have decided the Diocese of Quincy will continue to use Common Worship.
I have come to this decision for many reasons both theological and practical. Of course, you may use the BCP 2019 (or other resources) in your private devotion but it is not to be used for liturgy at Mass, public Daily Offices or in any other way in the life of this church.
As always, I am available should you want to talk with me about this or any other issue.
In Christ,
The Rt. Rev. J. Alberto Morales, OSB, DD
Quincy IX JAM/rwg
*****
From: The Rev. Dr. Robert S. Munday
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
By now you should have seen Bishop Morales' Pastoral Letter regarding his decision for our Diocese to continue using Common Worship as our authorized Prayer Book. This Pastoral Letter, which was not intended as a press release, has been reported in various online media with the controversial claim that the ACNA's new prayer book is "banned" in the Diocese of Quincy. That is a sensational mischaracterization of the Bishop's letter. Let me share with you what I have said on various online forums in the hope that it will put this decision in perspective:
The Diocese of Quincy left the Episcopal Church in October 2008, before the ACNA existed, and began using Common Worship almost immediately as a way of differentiating itself from the Episcopal Church, and a way of unifying the Diocese as a new and distinct entity.
While many of the ACNA dioceses continued to use TEC's 1979 BCP and a mixture of liturgies gathered from various sources for the past decade, in addition to the draft rites as they were gradually posted (and revived and reposted) to the ACNA website, Quincy has been unified around a Common Book throughout that time.
Because Quincy was formed prior to the existence of the ACNA, a number of parishes across North America that had already left TEC affiliated with Quincy as their Diocese. Quincy had not only a more orthodox jurisdiction to offer them, but a more orthodox Prayer Book, so they quickly leave behind the trappings and painful memories of "Egypt." Many parishes, such as All Saints Anglican Church, Montrose, CO, where I would later become rector, bought pew editions for all their pew racks.
The jarring and un-pastoral thing at this point would be to tell parishes that we are abandoning Common Worship for a new book that has only just been issued in the past two weeks, and that other diocese and parishes in the ACNA may take their time in adopting as well. It would be far more helpful and accurate to say that, rather than the ACNA's new BCP being "banned" (which is the word used in Anglican Ink's headline, not the Bishop's letter, Quincy is simply continuing to use for the foreseeable future, the same book of worship the Diocese has already used for more than a decade.
Yours in Christ,
The Very Rev. Robert S. Munday, Ph.D., D.D. is President the Standing Committee, The Diocese of Quincy
