The Draft Book of Occasional Offices
The ACNA Book of Common Prayer (2019) Resource page posted the draft version of the ACNA Book of Occasional Offices (2026) for downloading, review, and comments. According to the webpage, comments and suggestions can be sent: “Before April 5 (Easter Day) 2026, please email the Rev’d Jacob Hootman at liturgytaskforce@anglicanchurch.net with any feedback or comments on these draft liturgies.” This provides just under twelve months to submit feedback and comments to the task force. Unfortunately, the work for the Liturgy Task Force has yet to reach a broader audience as ACNA has not communicated on its official channels that this trial resource is available for comment, despite having been released for at least two weeks. Hopefully, this will be rectified after Holy Week. The Anglican Office of Education, Training, and Formation, a directorate of the Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (which I oversee), has published as a courtesy to the wider Province a copy of the offices as one document to assist in using as a “book” and to provide suggestions and edits to the Liturgy Task Force. The document may be downloaded here.
The purpose of this column is not to provide an in-depth commentary on the draft book, which will come later after much review and use. Instead, this column will provide an overview and some initial observations about the draft book and why it is crucial that all formulary-abiding churchmen review and submit questions and comments. Regrettably, many critiques of the ACNA Book of Common Prayer (2019) could have been addressed had online commentators traded their hot takes and comment boxes for email feedback to the Liturgy Task Force. In other words, “let him now speak, or else hereafter forever hold his peace.” (The Form of Solemnization of Matrimony, Book of Common Prayer, 1662).
This draft edition consists of a Preface and three sections: “For Seasonal Use,” “For Pastoral Use,” and “For Episcopal Use.” The organization is practical and is in line with how the 2019 prayer book is organized. If I might make an initial suggestion, it would be recommended to move the Holy Week services within the 2019 prayer book to the “For Seasonal Use” section and publish a slimmer 2019 prayer book, though I doubt such a change would occur. However, a slimmer personal and pew editions of the 2019 prayer book would also save on costs per book, and those once-a-year services would more appropriately be housed within the Book of Occasional Offices. Furthermore, even if a parish did not invest in copies to equip the whole parish with the Book of Occasional Offices for Holy Week, a parish could simply use the individual and printable sections for Holy Week, located on the 2019 BCP Resources page in Word format. Bottom line, when the average parish (and budget) is hovering likely a hair below or above 100 souls, a prayer book at nearly $32 a book becomes an expensive item, especially considering the cheapest shipping cost adds another $6.13 for USPS Media Mail (and goes into double digits when shipping USPS Ground or FedEx Gound!).
Alas, I digress, but the church planter in me cannot help but desire that our official provincial publications be made affordable and readily available. The Gospel needs to be preached, and the sacraments readily administered. But to return to the topic at hand, let’s examine the draft Book of Occasional Services. In total, there are 43 services within this book. This book is notably shorter than the 2003 Book of Occasional Services The Episcopal Church previously authorized (and is still authorized for use in several ACNA dioceses). While this may be disappointing for some, that is easily rectified through ACNA bishops authorizing omitted services from prior TEC editions. I find it refreshing to see a slimmer work published, as frankly, not every occasion requires a public liturgy. We Anglicans are still allowed to spontaneously pray and mark unique, memorable, or planned occasions without needing a specific liturgy. After all, for centuries, Anglicans merely had the public liturgy of the Book of Common Prayer, without any additional liturgies for occasional events in the life of the church and its members.
Nevertheless, I am not advocating against a Book of Occasional Offices, far from it. Instead, at first glance, I am happy to see the book does not appear to “over-liturgize” – but I reserve to alter my opinion as I dive into the actual services. My own review and use of this draft edition will be colored and informed through my use and reliance upon the American Book of Offices (1949), which pairs nicely with the American 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Additionally, I advise churchmen to use the Reformed Episcopal Church’s own Book of Occasional Services when formulating their suggestions to the Liturgy Task Force. I especially find The Blessings of Houses superior to that in the modern TEC books. However, I will reflect on the draft office as I use it during the next year and compare the two, perhaps in a later publication on The North American Anglican. One item I had hoped to see in this draft is the ACNA Offices of Instruction. The American 1928 Book of Common Prayer contains Offices of Instruction, broken into services where the congregation publicly recites the essentials of faith required for confirmation. The Offices of Instruction are excellent resources I personally used within the parish context during Lent. This draft Book of Occasional Offices would be the perfect instrument to publish ACNA’s own version. After all, from its ratification in 2009, the ACNA canons require all presbyters to pass an examination demonstrating knowledge of the Creeds and “the Offices of Instruction,” which, unfortunately, are currently non-existent. (ACNA Title III, Canon 4, Paragraph 4). I plan to submit a proposed set of Offices of Instruction and encourage other churchmen to do the same.
There are several rites and resources from the now-defunct Seabury Society that I hope to see incorporated in the final draft. Namely, the classic short catechism (slightly modernized in language), Midday Prayer lectionary, and instructions on ante-communion are resources that would benefit the Province. However, at least two resources from the Seabury Society did make it into the draft. I am pleasantly surprised to see an older American rite return in this book, namely The Visitation of Prisoners. A rite for a minister visiting an imprisoned parishioner was included in the original American prayer books but disappeared in the American 1928 prayer book, never to return within the Book of Common Prayer. Nevertheless, seeing such a rite resurrected in the draft ACNA Book of Occasional Offices is excellent and encouraging. Furthermore, I tip my hat to the Liturgy Task Force as I see they inserted A Penitential Office, which returns the classic prayer book tradition of having an evergreen penitential service that would traditionally be used on Ash Wednesday but could be used in other circumstances. (The Commination, 1662 Book of Common Prayer and A Penitential Office, 1928 Book of Common Prayer). While I prefer removing the Holy Week offices to the Book of Occasional Offices, I would welcome replacing them in the 2019 prayer book with the evergreen rites of the Offices of Instruction, Penitential Office, and Visitation of Prisoners (after all, the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world).
Ultimately, I close with an appeal to all churchmen, regardless of their prayer book preference, to take the time to download, pray, use, and provide substantive feedback on this draft book. This is the one opportunity that we will get as churchmen to ensure this work ultimately reflects the faith of our formularies and the Fundamental Declarations of our Province. Where you see a need for an additional office, take the time to write it and submit it. When you see the need for stronger conformity to the formularies, submit your comments. When you see a good service well written, write and commend the task force on a job well done. Now is not the time to be silent, but to speak up for what we pray is what we believe (lex orandi lex credendi) and what we pray is what we are teaching and discipling our next generation into. I pray we are building a Province we not only can pass along to the next generations, but more importantly, that raises up Christians who “shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, and manfully to fight under his banner, against sin, the world, and the devil; and to continue Christ’s faithful soldier and servant unto his life’s end. Amen.” (The Ministration of Publick Baptism of Infants, 1662 Book of Common Prayer).
Therefore, submit feedback as requested on the 2019 BCP Resources webpage to the Rev. Jacob Hootman at liturgytaskforce@anglicanchurch.net. Although the Liturgy Task Force is taking in feedback until next Easter (April 5, 2026), I suggest providing feedback in early January 2026 to provide the task force time to sort, evaluate, and edit the draft book accordingly. Hopefully, the Rev. Hootman will again be the “point man” for spearheading a traditional language edition of the Book of Occasional Offices. The multitude of parishes and churchmen using the 1928, 1662, and 2019 Traditional Language Edition prayer books will benefit from a traditional language Book of Occasional Offices. However, now is the time for traditional churchmen to speak into the process, because any possible traditional language Book of Occasional Offices will merely reflect what is created in this contemporary language draft. Therefore, take up the challenge and influence the Province and future generations raised within our parishes.
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