Saying and Singing In the rubrics, ‘said’ and ‘sung’ are interchangeable.
Rubrics In the rubrics, ‘until’ means ‘up to and including’; whereas ‘to’ means ‘as far as, but not including’.
Brackets Items in square brackets [ ] may be omitted.
Before the Office The material provided for use before the Office, page 8, is optional.
Hymns Various points are indicated for the singing of hymns but, if occasion requires, they may also be sung at other points. The hymns suggested are optional.
Greetings In addition to the points where greetings are provided, at other suitable points the officiant may say ‘The Lord be with you’ and the reply is either ‘And also with you’ or ‘The Lord bless you’.
Silences Periods of silence may be kept after each psalm or group of psalms, after each reading (though, when the Responsory is used the silence should follow that), before the collect, before the confession at Night Prayer and at other suitable points.
Other Versions The sentences, psalms, canticles, readings and prayers may be read in any authorised version.
Office and Eucharist When the Eucharist closely precedes or follows an Office, ‘The Prayers’ section may be omitted from the Office. If the Office and the Eucharist are combined, the order may follow the pattern given in The Alternative Service Book 1980, page 71.
Office Week When it is not replaced by seasonal material, the seven-week Psalm and Midday Prayer Reading Cycles follow that given in the section ‘The Christian Year’, pages 341 to 493.
Scripture Readings The readings are announced in the order: book, chapter and verse.
Readings may be slightly adjusted if it is necessary to make sense in a particular translation.
When a course of readings is interrupted (usually by a feast day), the first displaced reading may be added to the previous day’s portion and the second displaced reading to the following day’s.
In a compact cycle of readings such as printed in the Lectionary, some passages have necessarily had to be abbreviated. When opportunity allows, the passages may be read in full.
The Lectionary is designed especially for this book, but any authorised lectionary may be used and any necessary adjustments made.
At the conclusion, the reader may say ‘[This is] the word of the Lord’ and the reply is ‘Thanks be to God’.
Intercessions Petitions of intercession, thanksgivings and other forms of free prayer may be used either before the confession at Night Prayer or in all Offices at any point in ‘The Prayers’ section, provided that they occur before ‘The Blessing’, which forms the conclusion of the Office. The Kyries may be used as responses to such petitions.
Kyrie Eleison The Kyries are optional; they may be used either in English or in Greek; they may be said in threefold, sixfold or ninefold form.
The Collect The collect may be introduced by the words ‘Let us pray’ and a brief bidding, after which a short silence may be kept.
The collect ‘of the day’ is the prayer proper to the Sunday of the current week; the collect of a feast takes precedence over the Sunday collect and becomes the collect of the day; the collect of a memorial, observed on a weekday, may take precedence over the Sunday collect and become the collect of the day. The collect of the day is not used in the Office if the Office is close to the Eucharist, though the collect from the Common of Holy Days may be used.
On any occasion, when more than one collect is provided, only one is used. When separate collects are provided for the Office and the Eucharist, that provided for the Office is used at Morning and Evening Prayer and may be used at Midday Prayer when appropriate, but is not used at Night Prayer. Other suitable collects may be used to conclude the Office in place of those provided.
In the case of any collect ending with the words ‘Christ our Lord/Saviour/Redeemer . . .’ etc., the Officiant may add the longer ending: ‘who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.’ Such doxologies are optional, but are recommended for use especially at Morning and Evening Prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer The tradition from the early Church (the Didache, c.2nd century) is that the Lord’s Prayer should be used three times a day; the provision for it to be used at all the Offices is to meet the need of those who will not be using all the Offices.
Other suitable introductory words may be used and, either way, they are optional.
A Sermon A sermon or homily may be given after the second reading at Morning and Evening Prayer, or after any Office.
A General Thanksgiving A General Thanksgiving, page 247, may be said at the conclusion of any Office when appropriate.
The Sunday Gospel The gospel reading for Sunday may follow the order for ‘The Gospel Proclamation’, page 245, on the Saturday evening.
Refrains Refrains (antiphons) have been provided, for optional use, for the canticles. Refrains drawn from the opening sentences given in The Alternative Service Book 1980, page 37, or from other passages of scripture, or from other sources, may be used.
After the Office The material provided for use after the Office, page 238, is optional.
The Peace At the conclusion of the Office, ‘The Kiss of Peace’ may be exchanged.
Eve of a Feast Propers for Evening Prayer on the eve of a feast and marked with the symbol ³ are used only when the day is observed as a Class I celebration.
Confession If Night Prayer is not said, a suitable penitential introduction may begin Evening Prayer, from ‘Before the Office’.
Preparation Form A is more suitable for feasts and seasons; Form B is more suitable for ordinary days.
Blessing of the Light (Lucernarium) Incense may be burnt during Psalm 141, or it may be lit before the service begins and situated in a suitable place.
Sentences Sentences for use on Sundays, other holy days and special occasions may be used as appropriate.
The Psalmody The psalms are either from the table printed in the Office or from any other authorised table. Another suitable table, giving a fuller use of the Psalter, is printed in the book, page 688.
At Morning Prayer, a psalm of praise (the Laudate psalm) normally ends the recitation of psalmody.
Scriptural Readings The format of the Offices is for two scriptural readings. Where desired, one reading only may be used: in which case, the left hand column is used in odd years and the right hand column in even years; also, the second canticle may precede the Laudate psalm at Morning Prayer and the reading follow that psalm.
If desired, three readings may be used: in which case, the second and third readings follow the second canticle.
Non-Scriptural Reading At either Office, a non-scriptural Christian reading may replace a scriptural reading or be added as a third reading, immediately following the second reading.
Canticles The second canticle and the gospel canticle are optional and may be replaced by an appropriate hymn. On holy days observed locally, an appropriate second canticle may be chosen.
Two second canticles are printed in the Office: generally, the first is more appropriate to the day of the week and the second to the season, but neither is inappropriate to day or season; the other choices given may be more particular to the day or the season.
The refrain to the gospel canticle may be adapted into a Responsory, to be used after the second reading.
Litanies Litanies, page 249, may be said in ‘The Prayers’ section.
The Great Litany, page 249, may be said instead of ‘The Prayers’ section; it is especially suitable on Ash Wednesday, on Fridays in Lent and on the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed (2 November).
The Collect Two collects are printed in the Office: generally, the first is more appropriate to the day of the week and the second to the season, but neither is inappropriate to day or season.
Non-Scriptural Reading The reading may be replaced by a non-scriptural Christian reading.
The Response ‘The Response’ may be sung as a canticle.
Prayers at the Foot of the Cross or Cross Prayers
On Fridays, it is appropriate that these be said at Midday Prayer, because this time is closely linked with the hour of the passion, but they may be used at any Office. They may either replace ‘The Prayers’ section or be observed after the Office.
It is inappropriate to use them from Christmas Eve until the Presentation, from Easter Eve until Pentecost and on feasts.
Standard Night Prayer If it is desired to use an unchanging pattern, Night Prayer for Saturday should be used.
Blessing of the Light On suitable occasions, Night Prayer may begin with ‘The Blessing of the Light’ (Lucernarium). Incense may be placed by the altar before the service begins.
Preparation In the Preparation section, all that precedes ‘O God, make speed to save us’ may be omitted; this is particularly appropriate if the Eucharist has been celebrated in the evening. However, when the confession is being used, it may be replaced by another act of penitence.
Alleluia The Alleluias included in ‘The Responsory’ are for use from Easter Day until the day of Pentecost, not at other times.
Anthems of the BVM Before or after ‘The Blessing’, an anthem may be sung. The tradition is to use an ‘Anthem of the Blessèd Virgin Mary’: Alma Redemptoris Mater from Advent until Candlemas; Ave Regina cælorum from after Candlemas until Passiontide; Regina cœli from Easter until Pentecost; and Salve, Regina from after Pentecost to Advent. Only the last two are printed in this book. However, any appropriate anthem may be used.
Christmas Christmas begins at Evening Prayer on Christmas Eve; however, the collect for Christmas Eve remains in use throughout that day. Christmas ends before Evening Prayer on 5 January. During this season, Wednesday’s Office is said daily.
Propers are provided for each day of Christmastide. Only those propers given for a Sunday after Christmas may take the place of the daily provision. If a feast falls on a Sunday, it may be transferred.
Epiphany Epiphanytide begins at Evening Prayer on the eve of the Epiphany (5 January) and ends either at Night Prayer on the feast of the Presentation (2 February) or, if that feast is being kept on the Sunday following, at Night Prayer on that day. During this season, Thursday’s Office is said daily.
Lent Lent begins at Morning Prayer on Ash Wednesday and, although Passiontide is a part of Lent, the propers change to Passiontide before Evening Prayer on the eve of Lent 5. During this season, Friday’s Office is said daily. Besides its normal usage from Ash Wednesday to Lent 1, the Ash Wednesday collect may be the proper collect for use each day at Midday Prayer, except on feasts. ‘Alleluia’ is not said again until Easter Day.
Passiontide Passiontide begins at Evening Prayer on the eve of Lent 5, includes Holy Week and ends before the Vigil of Easter. During this season, Friday’s Office is said daily. None of the days of Holy Week is superseded by other holy days. The Ash Wednesday collect may be the proper collect for use each day at Midday Prayer, except on feasts.
Triduum Sacrum From the celebration of the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday to the Easter Vigil, the Office may be said in the following way: ‘The Preparation’ section is omitted and the Office begins with the psalms; all glorias and doxologies are omitted; ‘The Responsory’ is omitted; ‘The Prayers’ section consists of the collect alone; ‘The Conclusion’ is omitted.
Eastertide Easter begins with the Vigil of Easter and ends after Night Prayer on the feast of Pentecost. The Paschal Candle burns until Night Prayer on the Day of Pentecost. The propers of Easter are used from the Vigil of Easter until Night Prayer on Ascension Day. During this period, Sunday’s Office is used daily.
None of the days of Easter Week is superseded by other holy days.
‘Alleluia’ may be added to any refrain.
Pentecost Pentecost propers are used from Morning Prayer on the Friday after Ascension Day until Night Prayer on the feast of Pentecost. During this period, Monday’s Office is used daily. The collect for Easter 7 is used from the Friday after Ascension Day to Evening Prayer on the eve of Pentecost.
The Kingdom Season The Kingdom season begins at Evening Prayer on the eve of All Saints’ Day (1 November) (or the First Sunday of the Kingdom, if that occurs before) and ends before Evening Prayer on the eve of Advent Sunday. During this season, Saturday’s Office is used daily.
Ordinary Time Ordinary Time extends from the day after the feast of the Presentation (or the Monday after the Sunday following, if the feast is being kept on that Sunday) until Night Prayer on Shrove Tuesday; and from the day after the feast of Pentecost to Evening Prayer on the eve of All Saints’ Day (or the First Sunday of the Kingdom, if that occurs before). During these times, the Office follows the regular Sunday to Saturday order, varying only on feast days, when the appropriate day of the week is noted.