The concluding volume of the largest liturgical publishing project ever carried out in this country is published today.
'Common Worship: Festivals' is a comprehensive liturgical resource for use in the Church of England, containing material to help churches celebrate saints' days and other festivals and holy days.
"From early times the Christian Church has celebrated those in whom it has seen, with a particular clarity, the power of God to transform human lives, [from] those who first heard Jesus' teaching and followed his call... [to] those who have succeeded and been inspired by them in subsequent generations," explains the volume's introduction.
The new volume provides the resources for marking the individual holy days on which these saints and holy men and women are remembered.
People remembered in the book's rich collection of material range from Alban, who became the first recorded British Christian martyr after he gave shelter to a Christian priest fleeing from arrest in around the year 250, to Josephine Butler, the social reformer who played a major role in improving conditions for women in education and public health before her death in 1906. Thomas Cranmer, the former Archbishop of Canterbury whose Book of Common Prayer remains a valued part of the Church of England's liturgical provision, also features among the people whose faithful lives are celebrated by the volume's contents.
The Rt Rev Stephen Platten, the Bishop of Wakefield and Chairman of the Liturgical Commission, comments: "A key concept throughout the production of the Common Worship family of materials is that the Christian life is a journey, one which those as yet uncommitted to the faith are invited and encouraged to join.
"It is a real privilege to have been involved in the creation of a range of material which could be described as signposts and viewing points along that journey.
"The material in Festivals provides a fitting note on which to conclude the series, by looking to the inspiration of those who have gone before us. The example of the martyrs, saints and those we remember through the festivals challenges us to proceed with the next phase: to make sure our worship is not only worthy of God, but also to ensure that it connects with people and transforms lives, just as they did."
For ease of use, Common Worship: Festivals is organised by day and contains all the liturgical material required for each festival, except the text of the Bible readings. In addition to the relevant Collects, Post Communion prayers and other material, Festivals also includes prefaces for each occasion or type of occasion set to traditional plainsong, and confirms the liturgical colours to be used in church.
