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| Book of Alternative Services (1985) | |
|---|---|
| Title | Book of Alternative Services (1985) |
| Caption | Cover of the 1985 edition |
| Publisher | Anglican Church of Canada |
| Date | 1985 |
| Language | English |
Book of Alternative Services (1985) is the principal contemporary liturgical book authorized for use in the Anglican Church of Canada since 1985. The volume was produced through committees that included members from dioceses such as Toronto, Montreal, and Rupert's Land, and was influenced by liturgical scholarship from institutions like Trinity College, Toronto, McGill University, and the University of Toronto. Its introduction followed debates in synods alongside responses from clergy trained at General Theological Seminary, Westcott House, Cambridge, and Nashotah House.
The development of the book was shaped by commissions and liturgical bodies including the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Liturgical Committee of the Anglican Church of Canada, and ecumenical dialogues involving representatives from the Roman Catholic Church in Canada, the United Church of Canada, and the Anglican Consultative Council. Drafts circulated amid influences from historical sources such as the Book of Common Prayer, the Tridentine Mass, and the Second Vatican Council, as well as contemporary liturgical movements connected to scholars like Alexander Schmemann, Dom Gregory Dix, and H. A. Wilson. Debates in synods referenced precedents from provinces including Canada, England, and Australia, while theological input came from theologians associated with St. Michael's College, Toronto and Wycliffe College.
The book organizes services for the Holy Eucharist, daily offices, pastoral rites, and seasonal material into sections that mirror traditional categories found in the Book of Common Prayer and newer compilations such as the Alternative Service Book (1980). It contains multiple Eucharistic prayers, collects, lectionary provisions adapted from the Three-Year Lectionary endorsed by ecumenical consultations including the World Council of Churches and the Consultation on Common Texts. Rites for baptism, confirmation, marriage, reconciliation, ordination, and burial are arranged alongside pastoral resources used in dioceses like Calgary, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and Qu'Appelle. Appendices include rubrics, a table of psalm tones paralleling usages in Anglican chant tradition and references to musical resources from publishers such as Oxford University Press and Church Publishing Incorporated.
The theological framing emphasizes a balance of continuity with Reformation formularies and renewal influenced by Liturgical Movement theology and ecumenical statements from bodies like the World Council of Churches and the Lambeth Conference. The Eucharistic theology incorporates language resonant with writers such as Richard Hooker, Thomas Cranmer, and contemporary theologians including David Jenkins and John Macquarrie. Language revisions sought inclusive formulations responsive to discussions influenced by activists and scholars associated with Canadian Feminist Theology, Indigenous theological movements, and the pastoral practice debates in dioceses like Cariboo and Rupert's Land.
Adoption patterns varied across dioceses including Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and New Westminster, with parishes and cathedrals such as St. James Cathedral, Toronto and Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver implementing the book for principal Sunday worship. Critics drew from perspectives represented at synods and academic settings like McGill University and Toronto School of Theology, while supporters included clergy trained at Trinity College, Toronto and lay leaders connected to congregations in Halifax and Winnipeg. Debates over language, ritual practice, and pastoral provision involved bishops from provinces such as British Columbia and Yukon and Ontario, and were reported in church periodicals and journals connected to institutions like The Anglican Journal and The Living Church.
The book's compilation engaged ecumenical partners including the Roman Catholic Church in Canada, the United Church of Canada, and participants from the Anglican Communion represented by the Anglican Consultative Council and the Lambeth Conference. Liturgical texts reflect convergence with ecumenical texts produced through the Consultation on Common Texts and dialogue with revisions emerging from The Church of England and the Episcopal Church (United States). The inclusion of a three-year lectionary and certain pastoral rites parallels developments in ecumenical worship publications endorsed by the World Council of Churches and seminaries such as General Theological Seminary.
Subsequent revisions, pastoral directives, and authorized supplements have been addressed by the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada and diocesan synods, producing guidelines and alternative rubrics for language, same-sex marriage rites, and pastoral care shaped by resolutions similar to those debated at assemblies like the Lambeth Conference and national synods of Anglican provinces. Later liturgical resources and supplements issued in the 1990s and 2000s responded to developments in Canadian ecclesial life involving institutions such as Anglican Network in Canada and dialogues with First Nations representatives, while academic commentary continued from scholars at Wycliffe College, Trinity College, Toronto, and St. Michael's College, Toronto.
Category:Anglican liturgical books Category:Anglican Church of Canada