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The Book of Common Prayer

The 1662 Book of Common Prayer is a permanent feature of the Church of England's worship. It is loved for the beauty of its language and its services are widely used. It is also the foundation of a tradition of common prayer and a key source of the Church of England's doctrine.

The first official liturgical text in English appeared in 1544 and the first complete Book of Common Prayer in 1549. The book went through several revisions until 1662, since when the wording of its services has remained unchanged.

The services which it contains - especially Morning and Evening Prayer and Holy Communion - are still used (with minor modifications or additions) in many churches throughout the country.

It has served as a model and inspiration for worship throughout the rest of the Anglican Communion. It is also one of the three 'historic formularies' of the Church of England, in which its doctrine is to be found (the other two - the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion and the Ordinal - are customarily published in the same volume). It cannot be altered or abandoned without the approval of Parliament.

The following services from The Book of Common Prayer also appear in Common Worship, presented as they are commonly used today and in a more modern layout:

It is planned that the texts of The Book of Common Prayer will be published on this web site as time and resources allow. The first part of the material is now available. Items that are not yet hyperlinked are items that remain to be completed.