Reluctant Anglicans (4) - Patrimony in Liturgy

It seems to be agreed by many of those within or entering AU and ordinariate parishes and sodalities that the official texts along with rubrics for the Anglican Use of the Roman Rite which are to replace the Book of Divine Worship (BDW) will go a long way to answering questions about Anglican Patrimony.

On the principle of lex orandi lex credendi the new AU liturgies for Mass, the Offices, Sacraments and pastoral offices will convey the Catholic faith in an Anglican expression. Will these rites be formulated in patrimonial, traditional, sacral or modified "Prayer Book language"?

If the first AU rites already approved in the UK for marriage and funerals are to be an indicator, traditional (sacral) language will be at the forefront. Many agree that there would be no need for other modern language AU options since these are available with The Ordinary Form (OF) of the Roman Rite which may be used by AU/ordinariate parishes, groups and individual clergy (in both Latin and English).

Many have suggested that a slightly modified form of The English (or Anglican) Missal would serve for most liturgies, this form of the rite being essentially The Extraordinary Form (EF) of the Roman Rite in sacral English. Others continue to debate the revival of the pre-reformation Sarum Use of the Roman Rite in some form.

Questions also arise concerning the Breviary. Naturally AU and Ordinariate Anglicans are welcome to use The Roman Breviary in either English or Latin but would something like a revised form of The Anglican Breviary find a home in AU/Ordinariate parishes, monastic communities and sodalities? (e.g. What are the All Saints sisters using in Maryland?)

Will  Morning and Evening Prayer in a new edition of BDW serve for those who follow the pattern of the Anglican office?


What about communities that want the full English Breviary and/or an Office of Readings but do not want the Roman Breviary in its current English translation? What direction will the ordinaries give to clergy on individual and group recitation of the office?

Of course the issue of The King James Version of the Bible (KJV or AV) seems to have been settled for the moment. The Catholic Version of the Revised Standard Version is approved as a text for use at Mass. Could there be a provision made for use of a Catholic version of the KJV for offices and personal use? Certainly there is an argument to be made that it carries much Catholic patrimony and would require only some editing in certain places.

King James I and the following Stuart monarchs certainly had Catholic sympathies to varying degrees. I do not know what publication copyright provisions would apply for a revised Catholic version of the KJV but there have certainly been various attempts like the New King James Version of some decades ago and so it seems that the text is in the public domain at least outside of the UK. Someone will no doubt have the facts on this.

These are some more substantial questions which have been raised by those posting in various places. Your constructive comments are again invited.