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A number of emails have come to me asking if I know the real reason why the Customary of Our Lady of Walsingham for England has been delayed. No, I do not know why. I do not know if it is true that all pre-orders in the USA were cancelled by Amazon. Honestly, I know nothing about any of this, and I do not think it matters a jot.Que será, será...
To know what will be in the new Customary, I suggest one read "A Manual of Anglo-Catholic Devotion", "Common Worship" (Church of England), "The ASB 1980", the Series liturgies, the Proposed but rejected Book of Common Prayer 1928 (Synod of the Church of England), and the current Ordinary Form Roman Missal in English. Imagine it mixed together in a 'blender' or processed through a Cuisinart and then pressed through an RSV English strainer, and you will have a pretty good idea of what is ahead whether in the Customary or in future books.
Perhaps the best indication of what is to come can be found in the Ordo 2012 for the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. I believe this link should still be working or you may wish to click here. Note the reliance upon the Church of England's Common Worship.
I gather the collects quoted now have some official standing in the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. I am very pleased to see that the collects for the various saints and doctors of the Church include an expression imploring or asking for their intercession. It is an extremely well done Ordo and is an example worth following in North America and the Ordinariates.
(This book Common Worship is a directory of services and options currently authorised in the Church of England. One can be forgiven for being a bit confused as "Common Worship" is a title previously used only by Presbyterians for their worship books. Some are thrilled with this new book, and others regard it as simply a large beermat or paperweight. The truth is that it is a very mixed bag with some dreadful material in some places and some outstanding developments in other locations.)
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