The Former Catholic Apostolic Church in Edinburgh: An Evening Intercession

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The former Catholic Apostolic Church in Edinburgh, Scotland
The former High Altar of this church (not pictured) is now
the High Altar of St. Mary Catholic Cathedral, Edinburgh

ALMIGHTY and Everliving God, who hast given unto Thy Son Jesus Christ power over all flesh, that He should give Eternal Life to as many as Thou hast given Him ;  and hast raised Him to Thy right hand to be High Priest over the House of God, and the Angel and Mediator of the New Covenant, ever present with Thy people ; In His Name we come before Thy holy Altar, and make intercession unto Thee.

Hear, O Most Holy Lord God, the supplications and prayers of Thy people which have been made to Thee this day in Thy holy Church. Let our prayers come up before Thee as incense, and the lifting up of our hands be as the evening sacrifice.

Holy Father, keep, through Thine own Name, those whom Thou hast chosen in Christ Jesus ; preserve them from the evil that is in the world ; sanctify them through Thy truth ;  let Thy love be manifested in them ;  fill them with Thy Holy Spirit, that they may be one in Thee, O Father, and in Jesus Christ Thy Son ;  perfect them in the hope of His Coming; Give unto them a full entrance into His eternal kingdom, and make them partakers of His glory.

Come, O Lord Jesu, be Thou exalted among all nations. Let all kings fall down before Thee, let all nations serve Thee. In every place let incense and a pure offering be offered unto Thy Name, and let the whole earth be filled with Thy glory.

These things we ask, O Heavenly Father, in patient confidence and joyful hope, being assured that we ask them according to Thy will ; that the voice of Thy Church is heard by Thee, that the intercessions of the Holy Ghost are known unto Thee, and that the mediation of Thy well-beloved Son, our Lord and Saviour, doth prevail with Thee.

Wherefore we glorify Thy Name, we fall down before Thy throne, we worship and adore Thy glorious Majesty ;  evermore praising Thee and saying, 

 "Salvation be unto our God which sitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever.”

"Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever." 

Amen.

Evening Prayer

The Litugy and Other Divine Offices

of the Catholic Apostolic Church 

Geo. Barclay, Castle Street, Leicester Square

London, 1847

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Two Prayers of Eric Milner White

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O my God,

bring me, even now, to the mansions

which thy Son prepareth for them that love thee.

Every day make me to dwell in the eternal,

and live unto thee.

Let me walk in that heavenly city

of which the Lamb is the light:

let me serve as in the courts

where the Lamb reigneth:

let me follow the Lamb

whithersoever he goeth:

and fear not, cease not, to battle for right

after the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Let my conversation be in heaven

with thy blesséd and beloved,

the whole company of the redeemed;

and with hierarchies of angels

praising, worshipping, and adoring him

that sitteth upon the throne for ever and ever.

Amen.

Bring us, O Lord God, 

at our last awakening 

into the house and gate of heaven,

to enter into that gate and dwell in that house,

where there shall be no darkness nor dazzling

but one equal light,

no noise nor silence,

but one equal music,

no fears nor hopes

but one equal possession,

no ends nor beginnings,

but one equal eternity,

in the habitations of thy majesty and thy glory,

world without end.

Amen.

Eric Milner-White

of Memory Eternal

"Sacramental Hymn" • The Catholic Apostolic Church (Irvingite)

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With another kind request from a reader of this blog, I am reposting the following article once again:

Note:  The term "Irvingite" is almost always appended to the name of the Catholic Apostolic Church, and I have done so many times for the sake of clarity.  But the members of that Church rejected the name "Irvingite" as they insisted they were not a personality cult.
 

Christ the King, Gordon Square

One of my chief interests in the history of the English denomination named the Catholic Apostolic Church (CAC or CathAp) is in the two editions of its Hymnal compiled and edited by Edward Wilton Eddis, a poet who held the office of Prophet in the CAC.  He co-authored the hymnal with Apostle John Bate Cardale, the architect of Catholic Apostolic liturgical worship.

Of the liturgical worship many wrote that the hymns of the Catholic Apostolic Church had a great deal to do with its success.  Those hymns, compiled and edited by E.W. Eddis and Cardale, were printed without tunes  A separate book entitled Hymn Tunes by Edmund Hart Turpin came slightly later as well as a tune book for the singing of the Psalter to Gregorian plainsong.

Many of the remembrances of Catholic Apostolic worship are of the strong, vibrant, vigorous singing of all the members.  It was expected that all would sing, and all did sing.  The liturgy was fixed with prayers intoned, and anything marked by rubric to be sung had to be sung.  The Anglican manner of speaking things meant for singing was forbidden.  Some of the early discussion about the success of this denomination focused upon the original hymns written by members of this Church and the enthusiastic manner in which the community sang to God.

Below you will find a scan of one of E.W. Eddis' finest hymns for the Eucharist.  The second verse is not by Eddis but is consistent with his thought and the teaching of the CAC.

Following the hymn immediately a doxology was to be sung to the same tune, and the 2nd Edition of the hymnal provided the following text. 

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Another text by E.W. Eddis worth sharing is one he wrote for Good Friday and Easter Eve.  It expresses well the theology of this Church:

                    Our sins, our sorrows, Lord, were laid on Thee;
                    Thy stripes have healed, Thy bonds have set us free;
                    And now Thy toil is o’er, Thy grief and pain
                    Have passed away; the veil is rent in twain.

                    Now hast Thou laid Thee down in perfect peace
                    Where all the wicked from their troubling cease,
                    And tranquil Sabbath in the grave to keep;
                    Thy Father giveth His Belovèd sleep.

                    Yet in Thy glory, on the throne above,
                    Thou wast abiding ever, Love of Love,
                    Eternal, filling all created things
                    With Thine own presence, Jesus, King of kings!

                    E’en now our place is with Thee on the throne,
                    For Thou abidest ever with Thine own;
                    Yet in the tomb with Thee, we watch for day;
                    O let Thine angel roll the stone away!

                    O, by Thy life within us, set us free!
                    Reveal the glory that is hid with Thee!
                    Glory to God the Father, God the Son,
                    And God the Holy Spirit, ever One.

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The Catholic Apostolic ("Irvingite") Church's version of The Prayer of Humble Access

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The ("Irvingite") version of the Prayer of Humble Access as found in the Liturgy of the Catholic Apostolic Church, 1847 USA edition is as follows:

I have had a great interest in the Catholic Apostolic Church, in part for familial reasons (re: Albury Park), but moreso because a wide range of Anglican, Episcopalian, Church of Scotland, and US Evangelical & Reformed liturgies bear the clear signs of having used this magnificently structured Divine Liturgy for inspiration, guidance, and direction in developing liturgical theology based upon a three-fold blending of the Holy Bible, The Book of Common Prayer, and the ancient liturgies of the Apostolic and Eastern Churches in the language, form, and purpose of worship.

 Liturgies as different as those of the Anglicans in India to the United Liturgy of Nigeria to the 1979 USA Book of Common Prayer all bear the marks of having grown in part from the fertile soil of the Catholic Apostolic Church's liturgies in English.

The Euchologion from the Church of Scotland perhaps best carried forward the extreme humility and deeply penitential qualities of the Catholic Apostolic Liturgy, but none of them managed to hold in tension that equal measure of humility and penitence with a like measure of rapturous adoration and praise so emblematic of the Irvingite liturgical offerings.

Penance and self-abnegation are never ends in themselves in the Catholic Apostolic liturgical orders: they always point brightly to the Divine Mercy of God the Father in the bestowal of spiritual and physical mercies and gifts together within the never-failing communion of the individual within the mystical Body of Christ.

I conclude with one of the acts of praise from the Liturgy and Divine Offices of 1847:

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RADIO WALSINGHAM 24/7

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Radio Walsingham is broadcasting online 24/7, but, if you live outside of the USA, you may not be able to listen.

If you acquire a VPN —normally used for internet privacy— you can set it to appear as though you are in the USA.  And - PRESTO - you can hear the station.

For some of you, clicking on our direct streaming link may work for you:

http://streaming.live365.com/a26995

Ordinarily a listener in the USA and few other countries can click on the link to our page on Live365.com and from there listen to the station:

https://live365.com/station/a26995

I pray that wherever you may be in the world that God spreads upon your nation and every nation the abundance of God's peace and the divine gifts of wisdom and understanding.

Created by the hand of Sr. Marie Pierre Semler, MM

Holy JESUS, Light of the world, 

shine forth in Beauty
and send your Mercy to rain upon us.

Holy Mary, Mother of the Light, 

let thy maternal radiance bless our lives.

Holy Joseph, Guardian of the Eternal Light, 

let your love shine into every heart.

Holy Family, Hope of the world,
pray for us to the Lord God of Hosts.

USA: A Blessèd Thanksgiving to All!

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The Collect 

for 

Thanksgiving Day

The Book of Common Prayer, USA, 1979

Almighty and gracious Father, we give thee thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we beseech thee, faithful stewards of thy great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A General Thanksgiving

The Book of Common Prayer, USA, 1979

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendour of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.

We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.

We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.

Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know Christ and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.

O MOST merciful Father, who hast blessed the labours of the husbandman in the returns of the fruits of the earth; We give thee humble and hearty thanks for this thy bounty; beseeching thee to continue thy loving-kindness to us, that our land may still yield her increase, to thy glory and our comfort; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blessed Solanus Casey

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Blessed Solanus Casey, pray for us!

LINK:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/18/thousands-attend-beatification-father-solanus-casey-who-one-step-sainthood/877901001/

Prof. Rachel Fulton Brown's "Mary & the Art of Prayer: The Hours of the Virgin in Medieval Christian Life"

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Rachel Fulton Brown, Associate Professor of Medieval History at the University of Chicago, has written a most important work for anyone interested in understanding the authentic way mediaeval people of faith understood and lived their devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God the Lord Jesus Christ.  

The work is entitled Mary & the Art of Prayer: The Hours of the Virgin in Medieval Christian Life and Thought, and, although it is a scholarly work, this book is also a very important work today for those who love the Blessed Mother and those who wish to understand the beautiful Medieval devotion to Mary the Mother of God from the point of view from the Medieval faithful whose profound devotion to the Holy Virgin has long stood as a witness against the claims of revolutionaries and reformers.

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S. Albertus Magnus (a day late)

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“The Blessed Virgin Mary 

wrapped the Word of the Father 

in humble bands to teach us

that the Divine Word 

should be clothed by preachers 

in simple language 

rather than in rhetorical finery.”

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“Hail, Saviour of the world, 
the Father’s Word — 
true victim, living flesh, 
wholly God, truly man. 
Ingrafted in you, 
may we be worthily offered 
in your Majesty’s divine temple. 
Brought near to the Body 
at the Father’s right hand, 
may we one day 
share your eternity, 
have fellowship in your bliss, 
and be incarnate 
in your Incarnation, 
for yours is all honour and glory 
for ever and ever. Amen.”

Saint Albert the Great

Our Duty according to St. Cyril of Alexandria

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"It is our duty, therefore, 

to be faithful to God, 

pure in heart, 

merciful and kind, 

just and holy; 

for these things imprint in us 

the outlines of the Divine likeness, 

and perfect us as heirs of eternal life."

Saint Cyril of Alexandria

A Hymn of St. Alcuin, trans. Fr. Adrian Fortescue

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Luminis fons, lux et origo lucis

Fountain of light, thyself the light unending,

Lord, hear our prayer and, cleansing us from evil,

Take away darkness; let thy holy radiance

Shine on thy servants.

Now that the evening brings the end of labour,

Lord, who hast kept us safe in thy protection,

Grateful we offer thee our thanks and worship

Now and at all times.

Since then the daylight fades into the darkness,

Let that sun light us which enlightens always

Choirst of angels in they holy presence,

Light never failing.

From all the sins which we this day committed

Cleanse thou our conscience, Christ our Lord and Saviour,

So in the night time we may rest uninjured,

Safe in thy friendship.

Six days we labour, working as thou willest;

Then on the seventh resting by thine order,

We look to that day which at last shall bring us

Rest everlasting.

S. Alcuin of York (d. 804) 

translation by Fr. Adrian Fortescue

from Latin Hymns 

as sung at St. Hugh, Letchworth 

Fr. Adrian Fortescue

ALL SOULS DAY

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Listen kindly to our prayers, O Lord,
and, as our faith in your Son,
raised from the dead, is deepened,
so may our hope of resurrection for your departed servants
also find new strength.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Roman Missal, 3rd ed.

Father of all,
we pray to you for those we love, but see no longer.
Grant them your peace,
let light perpetual shine upon them,
and in your loving wisdom and almighty power,
work in them the good purpose of your perfect will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Book of Alternative Services

Anglican Church of Canada

O God, the Maker and Redeemer of all believers;
Grant to the faithful departed
the unsearchable benefits
of the passion of your Son;
that on the day of his appearing
they may be manifested as your children;
through Jesus Christ our Lord
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Lesser Feasts and Fasts

The Episcopal Church USA

Eternal God, our maker and redeemer,
grant us, with all the faithful departed,
the sure benefits of your Son’s saving passion
and glorious resurrection
that, in the last day,
when you gather up all things in Christ,
we may with them enjoy the fullness of your promises;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Common Worship

The Church of England

Enid Chadwick: All Saints and All Souls

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O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, 

we pray thee to set thy passion, cross, and death, 

between thy judgement and our souls, 

now and in the hour of our death. 

Give mercy and grace to the living, 

pardon and rest to the dead, 

to thy holy Church peace and concord, 

and to us sinners everlasting life and glory; 

who with the Father and the Holy Ghost 

livest and reignest, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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ALL SAINTS DAY

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O God, the King of saints, we praise and magnify thy holy Name for all thy servants who have finished their course in thy faith and fear; for the Blessed Virgin Mary; for the holy patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs; and for all other thy righteous servants, known to us and unknown; and we beseech thee that, encouraged by their examples, aided by their prayers, and strengthened by their fellowship, we also may be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; through the merits of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Book of Common Prayer, 1979, USA

Almighty ever-living God, by whose gift we venerate in one celebration the merits of all the Saints, bestow on us, we pray, through the prayers of so many intercessors, an abundance of the reconciliation with you for which we earnestly long. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Roman Missal, 3rd ed.

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: grant us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that we may come to those inexpressible joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Common Worship, Church of England