The liturgy accessible to all

books:


	• Ceremonies of the Eucharist: A guide to Celebration Howard E. Galley Cowley Publications, 1989 - 240 pages average customer review:based on 6 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Useful guide to Liturgy

This book walks Priest, Deacon, Acolyte and lay ministers through the liturgy in a parallel guide, so you can see what each person needs to be doing and what others are doing at the same time. The book also discusses why things are done the way they are and when there are different approaches which is preferable. Highly recommended.

The liturgy accessible to all

The most appealing aspect of this book is that it allows everyone access to what is normally the province of the clergy. That is a good thing because it is often forgotten in churches, even the Episcopal Church, that liturgy is the work of the people, not something to be imposed from on high by the rector.

In typical Anglican fashion, Galley attempts to walk the via media. He gives readers broad latitude in shaping their own liturgy while explaining what many Episcopalians can not answer: why do we do that? While some of the practices he endorses and not for everyone, this book is an excellent resource for anyone with an interest in the liturgy of the Episcopal Church.

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The answer

If you are looking for the proper way to do anything in church this is the place to look. It has solved many a dilemma for me. It is great to have an authority to whom one can turn instead of just relying on the good old Espiscopal, "We've always done it this way." It doesn't mean you can't follow your own parochial traditions, but at least you'll know you're playing by house rules when you do! I am a bit of a nit-picker, so I found this book to be ever so helpful.

Applicable to all levels

Galley writes this ceremonial with broad applicability. It is useful to the layman/laywomen who assists as server, acolyte, thurifer, or lector (reader). His discussion is not so erudite as to be unintelligible to someone without seminary education. However he is so thorough and clear that a priest would be ill-advised to pass this book over. His synopsis (chapter 6) provides a complete walk through the entire eucharist from before the processional to the dismissal, and everything in between. It is presented in four columns, showing the concurrent liturgical actions of the celebrant, deacon, acolyte and other ministers. The ceremonial is written around the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) 1979, and assumes a parish that is not entirely low-church. Galley's real value is that this work is easily extended to other rites and forms, due in great part to his concise directions. Anyone of the Anglican persuasion should be interested in this, as it explains the action of the liturgy. Anyone from another denomination will find this a useful resource for comparison.

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reviews: page 1, 2

Unlike liturgical manuals that are intended specifically for the use of parish clergy, The Ceremonies of the Eucharist is for everyone who bears responsibility for the planning and conduct of public worship.

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