Daily Prayer for experimental use

The Liturgy Committee was mandated by the Faith and Order Board to revise the text of Daily Prayer, first authorised 1990, and revised 1998 and 2006. This, the most thorough revision to date, takes into account not only developments in the English language, of which sensitivity to gendered language is perhaps the most conspicuous, but also increased use of this material during the pandemic and subsequently, not least in virtual, often lay-led, gatherings.

The revised texts presented here incorporate the Revised (Inclusive Language) Liturgical Psalter of the Anglican Church of Canada, for which permission has been granted. The current texts of the English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC) are used for the Gospel canticles; others are from The Daily Office SSF, by permission of the European Province of the Society of St Francis.

To make the material more accessible, seasonal provision is now headed accordingly. Morning and Evening Prayer for each season, and for each week on ordinary time, are grouped together, for ease of navigation. Latin titles of canticles have been relegated to parentheses, and English titles are used.

Recitation of the Psalter now follows a sixty-day cycle, with those unpalatable to contemporary Christian sensibilities consciously included as integral to holy Scripture and reflecting authentic human instincts and emotions, which as a Church we need to continue acknowledging. Major festivals have been appointed proper psalms, and tables for these and for the cycle are included.