A New Prayer-Book
SIR,—On account of the vagaries of surface mail the Spectators of the first three weeks of March have all arrived in the middle of April. I find myself plunged into your articles and correspondence on public worship. This is a very live subject with us at the moment, because in October last the Episcopal Synod of this Province, sitting with clerical and lay assessors, authorised A Proposed Prayer Book, which is even now in the press and should be published before long. I do not intend to say much of its contents, but the way in which modifications in public worship may come about in a Province which was severed from the Church of England less than a quarter of a century ago may be of interest. A Proposed Prayer Book is authorised under a section of a canon which provides that the forms of worship are supplementary or alternative to the Book of Common Prayer, but do not supersede it. That book remains the norm, and alteration in it can only be made if the general council concurs. The general council consists of a House of Bishops, a House of Clergy and a House of Laity, the last two consisting of representatives of the -dioceses. Concurrence would be needed by two general councils, ordinarily meeting every three years, with opportunity in between for the dioceses to express their opinions, between them, through the diocesan councils. So far I think only the State prayers have been submitted to this full procedure. Some parts of the Proposed Prayer Book will be offered for concurrence.
Yet a third section of the canon allows for wide experiment in suggested forms. This is authorisation by the episcopal synod of forms supplementary and alternative, in any diocese where the Bishop gives diocesan authorisation. This has been greatly used in the last twenty years and more. A pamphlet containing such authorisations runs to forty pages. This has meant a licensed liberty which has given oppor- tunity for controlled trial of proposals which has provided much evidence to diocesan and the provincial liturgical committees before A Proposed Prayer Book was placed as a whole before the episcopal synod. A Diocesan Bishop still has his liturgical rights, but exercises them under the general supervision of the episcopal synod.
Of the contents it may be said that the plea for simplification has been heeded in some cases, especially in the ministration of holy baptism, where the American form was found to be a useful guide. On the other hand, in a country where there are few alternative sources of prayers in Indian languages, the occasional prayers and thanks- givings have been much increased.
It is to be expected that, if A Proposed Prayer Book wins its way, the number of the other permissive alternatives will be restricted.—Yours faithfully, WILLIAM BOMBAY. St. John's House, Colaba, Bombay 5.
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