Versicles and Responses
Short sentences, often drawn from the Psalter, that are said or sung antiphonally in worship. Typically the versicle is said or sung by the officiant or celebrant, with the response made by the congregation. The versicles and responses may also be made between sections of the choir, or between the choir or cantor and the congregation. Examples of versicles and responses include the fraction anthem “Christ our Passover” at the eucharist (BCP, pp. 337, 364) and the suffrages following the Lord's Prayer in Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer (BCP, pp. 55, 97-98, 67-68, 121-122). See Preces.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.