A pocket sized resource for pastoral ministry


In the past 12 years the Church of England's liturgical life has been greatly enriched with the publication of prayers, services and rites which are authorised or commended as alternatives or supplements to the Book of Common Prayer. I refer, of course, to the resources known as Common Worship. 

What we have now is an embarras de richesses, which can occupy 7 or 8 volumes on our bookshelves! For clergy and lay ministers there is is not generally time to extract all you might need from these volumes as you head out the door to respond to an emergency or urgent need, say a sudden illness, injury or death. And certainly one does not want to be carrying two or more heavy volumes as you go!

Church House Publishing has now addressed this situation with the compilation of a slim, light-weight volume, which contains the essentials that will be required in such pastoral circumstances. It is called Common Worship: A Pastoral Ministry Companion. It is durable enough (with two ribbon markers) and portable enough to be always with you as a vade mecum in the glove compartment of the car, in a bag, briefcase or coat-pocket.

Common Worship: A Pastoral Ministry Companion includes liturgies, prayers and readings for:

  • emergency baptism
  • Prayers for the sick, including Laying on of Hands and Anointing  
  • Holy Communion at home or in hospital, including distribution of Holy Communion from the Reserved Sacrament
  • Confession and reconciliation
  • Prayers with the dying and at the time of a death 
  • Prayers for use at home before and after a funeral 
Passages of scripture and the psalms are included, in both modern and traditional language, eliminating the need also to carry a bible with you.

I highly recommend this book to our clergy (and to those of our Readers who find themselves engaged in emergency pastoral response). It is available from Church House Publishing at an introductory price of £16. It is also available as a Kindle eBook from Amazon.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Farewell to the Diocese in Europe

Image
Deacon Frances and I packed up our office yesterday and turned over our official files, emails and equipment. Thus a close working together for 22 years comes to an end. So it is hard to believe that today, St David's day, a new chapter begins, after 44 years of stipendiary ministry, 22 years as deacon then priest and 22 as a bishop.  Here are just a few memories from the last couple of months...   But now it is time to begin a new chapter.  O God, by whose command the order of time runs its course: forgive our impatience, perfect our faith and, while we await the fulfilment of your promise, grant us to have a good hope because of your Word,  even Jesus Christ our Lord. (St Gregory Nazianzus, 330 - 390)
Read more

Archbishop of Canterbury's Pentecost Letter: A European Consequence

Image
In his Pentecost letter, the Archbishop of Canterbury warned of certain consequences for provinces of the Anglican Communion which have failed to stand by the three moratoria . (No authorisation of blessings services for same-sex unions; no consecrations of bishops living in same-sex relationships; and no bishop authorising any ministry within the diocese of another bishop without explicit permission). One consequence would be that representatives from such provinces w ould not be able to participate in the formal international interchurch dialogues of the Communion. One of those dialogues is the Anglican-Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council ( AOCICC ), the official instrument set up to deepen the relationship of communion established in 1931 between the Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht . As the member Churches of the Union of Utrecht are all European, the AOCICC is effectively a European body. (I am one of the members, appointe
Read more

Advent in Helsinki: Mary, the Church's calling, and the One who brings us out of darkness to light

Image
Outside the Cathedral in Helsinki Yesterday, 8 December, was a very full Advent day, with activities redolent of the themes of the season. It was, of course, the Feast of the [Immaculate] Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary when we contemplate the mystery of the one who was prepared, through grace, to become the Mother of the Redeemer.  At the Vallila Help Centre (above, with Coordinator Eeva and Fr Tuomas) St Ambrose of Milan (whose feast we also celebrated this past week) was the first to refer to the Blessed Virgin as the Mother of the Church,  Mater Ecclesiae,  a title which helps us consider not only her role in giving birth to the Redeemer from whom the Church itself was born, but also how in her own life she responded to God's call in faith and love, as the Church today is also called to respond to the needs of the world.  It was with this in mind that I was so moved by a visit to the Ukraine Vallila Help Centre, a project supported by USPG and this diocese, which provides
Read more