Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori calls for prayers for President, US Congress, elected officials
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has joined other religious leaders from the National Council of Churches in calling for a commitment of daily prayers for the President, Vice-President, United States Congress and elected officials beginning January 3 until January 21. January 3 is the first day of the new Congress; January 21 is […]
Where Prayer Has Been Valid…, Proper 28 (B) – 2009
In T. S. Eliot’s poem, “The Four Quartets,” he talks about going to a church at Little Gidding, the site of a small Anglican religious community founded in the seventeenth century. Eliot writes, “You are not here to verify, instruct yourself, or inform curiosity or carry report. You are here to kneel where prayer has […]
Book Annexed, The
A shortened form of the title of The Book Annexed to the Report of the Joint Committee on the Book of Common Prayer Appointed by the General Convention of MDCCCLXXX or of The Book Annexed . . . As Modified by the Action of the General Convention of MDCCCLXXXIII. These books were published in 1883 […]
Prayer Book Commentary
A comprehensive study of the liturgical and theological background of a Prayer Book. During the Puritan Commonwealth in England, when the BCP was outlawed, two systematic commentaries were published: Anthony Sparrow's A Rationale or Practical Exposition upon the Book of Common Prayer (1655) and Hamon L'Estrange's The Alliance of Divine Offices (1659). Thomas Comber published […]
Proposed Book
The Book of Common Prayer, . . . As Revised and Proposed to the Use of the Protestant Episcopal Church (1786) incorporated recommendations from Connecticut and from the other New England states and revisions of a convention of states south of New England. The book was edited by William White of Philadelphia, William Smith of […]
House of Bishops issues Pastoral Letter along with a Theological Resource: The Nation and the Common Good: Reflections on Immigration Reform
The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church, meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, has issued the following Pastoral Letter and Theological Reflection: “The Nation and the Common Good: Reflections on Immigration Reform.”
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori at Haiti Prayer Service: Our Hearts Are Broken
“Our hearts are broken,” The Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said in a homily at a prayer service for Haiti on January 17. The Presiding Bishop joined Bishop of Washington John Bryson Chane, Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III, The Honorable Susan E. Rice, US Ambassador to the United Nations, His Excellency Raymond […]
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Epiphany 3 (C) – 2004
Contrary to what our contemporary culture may tell us, the Christmas season does not begin sometime after Halloween and conclude with returning unwanted presents on December 26. Rather, the Christmas season has its own cycle, beginning with Advent, moving through Christmas, and continuing with Epiphany. This is similar to the pattern with Easter: the Lenten […]
Bulletin Insert: All Saints’ Day (B) – All Saints’ Day – November 7, 2021
All Saints’ Day, celebrated November 1 or the nearest Sunday afterward, is characterized by the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) as a Principal Feast, “taking precedence over any other day or observance” (BCP, 15). The day is set aside to remember and commend the saints of God, especially those who are not recognized at other points in the church year.
The Episcopal Church offers a new Global Mission Digital Toolkit
The Global Mission Digital Toolkit is now available. Launched on World Mission Sunday, which was observed on the last Sunday after Epiphany, February 14, this resource is a collaboration between The Episcopal Church Office of Global Partnerships (OGP), the Global Episcopal Mission Network (GEMN), and the Standing Commission on World Mission (SCWM). This toolkit explores The Episcopal Church teaching that the mission of the church is “to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ” (Book of Common Prayer, p 855) in a global context and offers resources to help Episcopalians live into this teaching. The project collaboration is supported by a generous grant from the Constable Fund.
Bible Study: Christ the King Sunday (C) – 2025
RCL: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Canticle 16; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43 Jeremiah 23:1-6 There is a unique relationship between a shepherd and flock. For city-dwellers and suburbanites, we most likely do not encounter shepherds or sheep in our daily lives. In the country of Georgia, shepherds and sheep are a familiar sight. There is an ancient tradition […]
God’s Grace, All Saints’ Day (C) – 2025
[RCL] Daniel 7:1-3,15-18; Psalm 149; Ephesians 1:11-23; Luke 6:20-31 The redactors of our “new” Book of Common Prayer — which is almost 50 years old — probably didn’t imagine that most of our congregations would only observe All Saints’ Day on the Sunday following. On page 15 of the prayer book, they write, “All Saints’ […]
Bible Study: Proper 24 (C) – 2025
RCL: Jeremiah 31:27-34; Psalm 119:97-104; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8 Jeremiah 31:27-34 Very few people want to be the one to insist that an old tradition, a former way of thinking, or beloved way of life must end. Even the iconoclasts among us know that pressing for transformation often comes at great personal cost. In […]
Bulletin Insert: The Nicene Creed, Week 8 – November 2, 2025
Bulletin Insert: The Nicene Creed, Week 1 – September 14, 2025
An Invitation to a Holy Autumn
By Heather Melton, UTO Staff Officer At my house, we have a rule that each season/holiday is only celebrated during its designated time. In August, it’s back to school and the blessing of the backpacks; September is apple picking and birthday month for our kiddos; once their birthday has passed, we can decorate for Halloween. […]