Archbishop Peter Robinson on The Old High Churchman has posted an article that continues his line of extremely interesting comments on liturgy and his Old High Church vision of Anglicanism.
His subject is the Easter Vigil, which is approached from a pastoral point of view as well as a liturgical and academic angle.
Typically, it is an extremely long service and lay people can get impatient with the endless readings from the Old Testament and the chanting of the Exultet and blessing of the Paschal Candle, and then after the Prophecies the blessing of the Baptismal water. I was attracted by Archbishop Robinson’s suggestion of using the Dominican liturgy, as it is extremely similar to the Sarum Use, though a little simpler. Myself, I use Sarum and not anything inspired by the Roman modifications of the 1950’s like lighting the Paschal Candle itself at the fire and carrying it into church.
In my little chapel, I have no font and I have never had a Christening to do here. It is better for people to have their children baptised as Roman Catholics, and then they don’t have problems when it comes to marriage and their existence in a parish register. I therefore omit the baptismal ceremonies completely, and I find the renewal of the baptismal vows as practised in the Pius XII Roman rite awkward. I see no need for it, and find the good Archbishop’s explanation fits my own way of seeing it.
The Dominican and Sarum uses have four Prophecies, though the first from the Book of Genesis is long. The old French missals also have only four Prophecies. The Litany is brief and is followed by the first Mass of Easter. Archbishop Robinson finds attendance low at the Vigil, but I am used to having only one or two persons at Mass. The liturgy takes on a monastic simplicity, though we try to sing at least the Ordinary of the Mass and something at the end like a hymn to Our Lady. Do the Vigil without Mass? I hardly see any advantage.
Of course, Archbishop Robinson as an Anglican sticks very closely to the 1928 American Prayer Book, which is praiseworthy. My fare is different – the Sarum missal and Offices from sources now available on the Internet – Sarum Chant. I follow pre-Reformation usage but with modern pastoral considerations in mind for the rare lay Christians approaching me or coming to services.
His criticism of the Liturgical Movement of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s is interesting – “so few of its proponents were parish ministers with the result that their demands are often unrealistic when transferred into the parochial setting“. I recognise the idea, as I tend to think like a monk myself rather than as a parish priest – but of course I have no parish. My ministry is one of intercession, availability and teaching.
I like Archbishop Robinson’s non-polemical and scholarly approach.
The Blue Flower 
Perhaps Anglicanism, and especially FREE Anglicanism, is in a position here, moreso than either Rome or the mainstream Anglican jurisdictions, to borrow wholesale from the Byzantine Rite on Holy Saturday night/Easter Sunday morning. IMHO, the latter has the best Paschal service around, and I don’t think I’m alone in that opinion.
I would not do so myself, but others are free to explore that option.
My preferred schema would be Sabbato Sancto with Blessing of Candle, etc in the forenoon and Paschal Mattins at night. Does Paschal Mattins in Sarum/Dominican differ from its Roman counterpart?
Very interesting indeed. For those who are more or less Prayer-Book Catholics, or because of pastoral realities, Massey H. Shepherd published, in 1958, a very interesting “Holy Week Offices” for the American Church. This small book, with chants, includes the following: Palm Sunday, blessing of Palms and procession; a very nice way of the cross (with nine stations); The office of tenebrae for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday; Good Friday services including the anti-communion, bidding prayers and collects, the reproaches; the Easter Vigil.
The breakdown of the Vigil is as follows: New Fire, Procession (singing “light of Christ”), the Exultet(during which time the Paschal candle is light), BCP evensong, the Vigil with four lessons interpersed with Psalms, BCP Litany. The Vigil may be followed by either the Mass of Easter or with an anti-communion and the Mass of Easter celebrated in the morning.
Much like all of Shepherd’s liturgical works, they are primary structured to be used in small parishes and are directed towards a fuller Catholic expression, whilst still remaining loyal to BCP traditions. He also was responsible for the production of the Filipino Missal (an interesting production, based upon the American Missal, with surprisingly an Anglican canon, but Tridentine rubrics).
Dale, I wonder how that compares with what eventually ended up in the American BCP of 1979.
Also, on a more personal note, are you the same Dale that once was attending a traditional Latin Rite parish under the omophor of the Indian Orthodox Church? If so, please e-mail me, if you would: FrGregACCA [at]yahoo[dot]com or contact me on Facebook.
Thanks.
Massey Sheperd was indeed on the commission that produced the 1979 BCP. Since most of his work prior to the production of the 1979 BCP was in a far more in a Catholic direction than the overall general direction of the 1979 BCP, I would be very interested in knowing what parts he was responsible for.
I find interesting that you note that Sarum and Gallican vigils have four prophecies.
I read, several years ago, somewhere (can’t remember where or how authoritative) that the very ancient Roman Rite, with 12 prophecies, assumed that the Baptistery was a separate building or chapel distant from the nave, and that the large number of baptisms happened simultaneously to the lessons and responsories, and that they were heard only by those remaining in the nave. A kind of utilitarian use of three nocturnes so that those having nothing to do with the baptisms would have to sit with nothing to do, since the Baptisteries simply couldn’t accommodate that many people. Have no idea if it is true, but an interesting theory.