This continues the post Another New Zealand Prayer Book?
The story so far: the Liturgical Commission of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia has announced that next year there will be a new, physical Prayer Book with rearrangements of formularies (the Church’s binding, agreed texts), and translations into South Pacific languages of formularies.
Clearly, rearranging elements of a formulary does not give us a (new) formulary. Say we rearrange the paragraphs of the Eucharistic Prayer – what results is not even allowable, let alone a (new) formulary. I sought a different sequence in our rite of baptism from the main text version where we pour water over someone after which we check if people believe anything. In order to have the order profession of faith preceding baptism, I had to get a motion passed at General Synod Te Hinota Whanui (GSTHW) which initiated the “twice round” process of GSTHW, diocesan synods and hui amorangi, back to GSTHW and then wait a year.
It is now clear that it is unclear what our Constitution refers to when it binds A New Zealand Prayer Book on us (Part B1). Is it one of the four printed editions, the online version (which acknowledges it has errors), or – as some think – all formularies not included in BCP1662?
Thirdly, we come to the translations of formularies into Samoan, Tongan, Fijian, and Māori that are promised to be part of next year’s new Prayer Book. The justification for including these is Title G Canon X of Translations of Services.
Sure, a translation of a formulary may be published and used BUT such a translation is NOT a formulary and does not form part of A New Zealand Prayer Book He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa (ANZPB/HKMA). You can translate, publish, and use to your hearts content into any language not mentioned in clauses 2-4 which restricts this in the case of languages of the South Pacific. I can translate into Dutch for a visiting group of Old Catholics or into Spanish for a celebration of Camino pilgrims (and publish and use these) but these translations are not formularies and cannot be bound into ANZPB/HKMA.
Sure, a book can be printed next year containing rearranged formularies and translations of formularies – but it will not be A New Zealand Prayer Book He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa. To be crystal clear: I would be absolutely delighted to see these translations become part of ANZPB/HKMA – that is not what this post is about. This is about having these Samoan, Tongan, Fijian, and Māori rites clearly have the equivalent status to the English ones and do so by going through the process which gives them that status.
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ps. when work is begun on a new edition of ANZPB/HKMA, pretty please, with a cherry on top, can we finally have our baptism rite corrected: Options A and D on pages 396-397 both omit a page and half of the rite The Presentation for Baptism pages 384-385.
pps. I also repeat: our Church seriously needs a comprehensive review after which it is clear what is required, what is allowed, and what is forbidden.
And I thought our process for new liturgical books was complicated! At least, I supposed, the necessity of receiving the “recognitio” or “confirmatio” of the Holy See before a liturgical text can be used – a process that is lengthy and involved – ensures we will always be sure of “what is required, what is allowed, and what is forbidden.”
Good luck!
There was a time, of course, Fr Andrew, when our lengthy process and the Holy See’s lengthy process resulted in you and I using identical texts. May that day come again. Blessings.
This is the key question: “It is now clear that it is unclear what our Constitution refers to when it binds A New Zealand Prayer Book on us (Part B1). Is it one of the four printed editions, the online version (which acknowledges it has errors), or – as some think – all formularies not included in BCP1662?”