Virginia Theological Seminary Worship Guidelines
Adopted by the Faculty on 9/27/16
NOTE: These Worship Guidelines describe the worship planning process approved by the faculty
in May 2016, and in effect during 2016-2017. These guidelines are subject to change if the 20162017 worship planning process is changed.
Introduction
Worship at Virginia Theological Seminary is offered in the power of the Spirit with thanksgiving
and praise to the God who has created and redeemed humanity through Jesus Christ. Both word and
sacrament are central to worship at Virginia Theological Seminary. Worship is offered in many ways
within our community, both personal and communal. These guidelines pertain to communal worship,
which is ordered primarily by the rites for the Daily Office and the Holy Eucharist found in the Book
of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church, a part of the Anglican Communion. References to
instructions (rubrics) from the Book of Common Prayer are identified by page numbers, e.g., (BCP,
148).
While Virginia Theological Seminary is historically rooted in the protestant evangelical
tradition, with its focus on the Word of God and its preference for simplicity in worship, the
Seminary encourages its students to prepare for liturgical leadership in the larger Episcopal Church by
becoming familiar with a wide range of styles and practices. Moreover, liturgical leaders in today's
church are expected to participate in ecumenical worship. The Seminary is blessed to have members
who bring other liturgical traditions from different denominations or other parts of the Anglican
Communion. They provide both opportunities to attest to "the one holy catholic and apostolic
church" and to reflect upon liturgical practices that remind us of our rich diversity in Christ.
As a former professor at the Seminary, Dr. Charles P. Price, summarized it,
“in Christ, we have been made "no longer servants but friends." The spirit of worship in the
Chapel has not been so much the meticulous following of a way deemed to be liturgically
proper as the expression of a forthright, direct, and even intimate relationship of a community
to the God it presumes to address as "Abba."1
These guidelines are intended to serve the following purposes: 1) to describe briefly and clearly the
usual liturgical practices of the Seminary at this time; 2) to introduce newcomers to the current
consensus about liturgical matters at the Seminary; 3) to refer liturgical planners to primary sources
where more detailed information on specific points is available; 4) to promote excellence in our
liturgical offerings to God by encouraging careful attention to ancient tradition, contemporary
custom, and the best thinking in current liturgical theology; 5) to facilitate the development of a
liturgical framework of word and sacrament that includes all members of the Seminary community; 6)
to foster disciplined creativity in worship planning generally and specifically in the use of music and
the arts in worship; and 7) to honor our protestant evangelical episcopal heritage while increasing
opportunities to worship God in other ways as well.
The following guidelines primarily apply to the seminary’s worship in the Fall and Spring
semesters, rather than to January and Summer term worship.
1. Expectation of Regular Chapel Attendance during Fall and Spring
Semesters
1
All students, faculty, and ordained staff who lead worship are expected to attend at least one
worship service each day Mondays through Fridays during the fall and spring semesters while the
Seminary is in session. Students and faculty are expected to attend Monday’s Service of Morning
Prayer, Thursday morning Worship/Formation Groups and the Wednesday Seminary service of Holy
Eucharist. Many other opportunities to worship God exist within the Seminary community, such as
small group worship and other prayer groups. Currently the following corporate offerings are planned
for the community as a whole:
A.
Daily Morning Prayer (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) according to the BCP. The
Monday service of Morning Prayer is planned by the assigned Worship Planning Teams.
Services on Wednesday and Friday are planned in the Associate Dean of Chapel’s office and
by the Officiant. All faculty and students take their turn in leading these services, following a
rota issued each semester by the Dean’s Office.
B.
Daily Evening Prayer (Monday through Friday) planned and led by students with
support from the Associate Dean of Chapel’s office.
C.
Morning Worship (Tuesdays) planned by the assigned worship planning teams.
D.
Worship/Formation Group (Thursdays) planned and led by faculty and students
in worship/formation groups.
E.
Daily Holy Eucharist according to the BCP unless the celebrant is not
Episcopalian, planned by Worship Planning Teams with support from the Associate
Dean of Chapel’s office. All faculty and students take their turn in leading these services,
following a rota issued each semester by the Dean’s Office.
F.
Particular Holy Eucharist, usually but not necessarily BCP, planned and led by
faculty, student, and staff volunteers.
G.
Holy Week Services, Quiet Days, and Liturgies for Special Occasions as needed,
planned and led by faculty, student, and staff volunteers, selected by the Dean and
Worship Committee. Chapel services during August, January, and summer terms are
coordinated by special teams. Chapel services are not normally held on weekends or when
the Seminary is not in session.
2. Concerning the Seminary Chapel Services
General Information. The Bishop of Virginia is the Ordinary for chapel worship at VTS. The
Dean and President of the Seminary is the Dean of the Chapel.
Alternation of Rites with Episcopal Liturgies. Each year in the spring the worship committee
will suggest to the faculty the pattern by which rite I, rite II, and Enriching Our Worship (or its
successor) texts will be used in chapel in the following year. This pattern may include leaving
the choice to individual Chapel Ministry Teams or to the Seasonal Planning Teams.
The Bishop of Virginia has granted permission to use elements of EOW at any time
when using Rite II.
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Non-Episcopal Liturgies: A minister from a tradition not in full communion with The
Episcopal Church. When chapel worship is led by a minister from a tradition not in full communion
with The Episcopal Church, the chapel becomes an expression of that tradition for that worship
service. Thus the minister with the minister's home liturgy becomes the host for this worship, and
the Episcopalians present become guests in that tradition. In the spirit of ecumenism and with the
permission of the Bishop of Virginia, the worship guidelines for Book of Common Prayer usage are
suspended and practices follow the rubrics of the host tradition (e.g., remaining seated for the Gospel;
allowing students to read the Gospel, distribute bread and wine, or give the dismissal). Eucharistic
hospitality follows the invitation practice of the host tradition.
Non-Episcopal Liturgies: A minister from a tradition that is in full communion with The Episcopal Church. When chapel worship is led by a minister from a tradition that is in full communion
with The Episcopal Church, the chapel practices follow the full communion worship guidelines.2
These guidelines are sometimes slightly modified to fit VTS circumstances (e.g. a seminarian or
Lutheran faculty member may preach, distribute bread and wine, or give the dismissal).
Bible Translations. The Seminary Chapel lectern holds a copy of the Bible in the NRSV
(1990) translation and normally lessons are read from this translation. Other canonically
approved translations may be substituted as desired.3
Collects and Lessons. Collects for the Daily Office and the Wednesday Seminary Eucharist are usually
taken from the Book of Common Prayer while Collects for the Daily Holy Eucharist are normally
drawn from either the BCP or the most recent version of Lesser Feasts and Fasts (LFF). Daily Office
Lections (including Thursday Morning Worship and Worship/Formation Group worship) are normally
taken from the BCP lectionary. The Wednesday Seminary Eucharist generally uses the Revised
Common Lectionary (RCL) lessons from the previous Sunday. (During Pentecost season,
the semi-continuous option provided in the Sunday Lectionary for OT lessons and Psalms, which is
the first choice listed, is to be used rather than the thematic option.) Daily Holy Eucharists take
lessons from the Two-Year Weekday Eucharistic Lectionary (Epiphany and Pentecost) and seasonal
lectionaries (Advent, Lent, Easter) in LFF as determined by the Associate Dean of Chapel.
In addition, VTS observes a limited number of lesser feasts and fasts, selected each year
by the Associate Dean of Chapel in consultation with the Worship Committee. The
commemorations selected focus on VTS alumni/ae, doctors of the church, and missionaries, in
keeping with VTS’s charism and history.
Introduction of Lessons. Lessons are normally introduced by chapter and verse unless a bulletin
provides that information. (See BCP 888 for instructions for clarifying the start of a lesson.) Lessons
(other than the Gospel in Holy Eucharist) are concluded with either "The Word of the Lord" or "Here
ends the Reading" (sometimes preferred for deutero-canonical lections). While EOW is being used,
lessons are concluded with either "Hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches" or "Hear what the
Spirit is saying to God's people." Where there is more than one lesson, it is desirable to conclude
both lessons in the same way.
Music, Copyrights and Publication. The Hymnal 1982, Wonder, Love, and Praise, Lift Every
Voice and Sing II, Voices Found, the Enriching Our Music series, el Himnario, and Evangelical
Lutheran Worship (when available) provide rich musical resources. Those planning worship services
are responsible for insuring that copyright permissions for the use of music or for art used in worship
bulletins are correctly cited and reported. (See Notes.)4 Bulletins are not generally used for evening
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worship services. W o r s h i p P l a n n i n g T e a m s are strongly encouraged to provide
bulletins for Monday Morning Prayer, Tuesday Morning Worship, the Wednesday Eucharist and
Daily Eucharists, and for services in which texts from Enriching Our Worship are used, as a way of
offering hospitality to visitors and to visually or hearing-impaired worshippers. The Teaching
Assistant in Music should be notified of all copyright material that is duplicated in the bulletin
and will tell the team what language is to be used in the copyright permission for the bulletin, as
well as reporting usage to the copyright owner.
Use of Gluten-Free Bread: Gluten-free bread is used at most Eucharist services in the VTS
chapel. At services where wheat bread is used, gluten-free bread will also be available.
Individual Services
A. Daily Morning Prayer (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) follows the order of the BCP.
The Monday service is planned by Worship Planning Teams; the remaining services are planned
in the Associate Dean of Chapel’s Office and by the Officiant of the service. Daily Morning
Prayer may be said or sung and is expected to conform carefully to the rubrics of the BCP
(36, 74, 141-43) except during ecumenical weeks. Music is provided on
Monday. During Lent, the Great Litany is normally prayed on Wednesday mornings.
(BCP, 148).
Officiants for Daily Morning Prayer usually vest, traditionally in cassock and surplice
(with academic hood if desired and/or tippet if ordained). Lectors sitting in the congregation
generally do not vest but are neatly dressed.
If the confession of sin is included (BCP, 41, 79), the priestly form of the absolution
is used only by an episcopally ordained and vested priest (whether Anglican, Lutheran,
Roman Catholic, or Orthodox) who stands to give it. Any officiant may use the prayer for
absolution while remaining kneeling (BCP, 42, 80).
Psalms may be read, sung, and prayed in a variety of ways. Note the most traditional
methods listed (BCP, 582), the recommendation that a distinct pause should follow the
asterisk (BCP, 583), and the care given to honoring the name of God (BCP, 583-84).
B.
Daily Evening Prayer (Monday through Friday) occurs in various styles, planned
and led by students with faculty support. Daily Evening Prayer may be said or sung, with
music usually provided by the participants themselves. Officiants may or may not vest,
depending on the level of formality desired.
In addition to the BCP, prayer books from other parts of the Anglican Communion and
from other liturgical traditions, including prayer books or hymns in other languages may be
used. When some part of the worship is conducted in a language other than English, it is
customary to provide an English translation or paraphrase (see 1 Corinthians 14 for an
analogous argument about speaking in tongues).
C.
Morning Worship (Tuesday) is non-eucharistic and is not generally ordered by the
BCP. Worship Planning Teams assigned to plan Tuesday worship normally plan all the
Tuesday services for a liturgical season. Tuesday Morning Worship is often ecumenical,
historical, or experimental in form. It is expected that the BCP Daily Office lessons for the
day (including the psalm) will be used. Planning teams must contact the Professor of
Church Music at least one week in advance of a service if musical support is needed.
Participants may or may not choose to vest. Alternative forms of worship are designed to
enrich the community and may take a variety of forms, e.g., a hymn sing, liturgical dance,
meditation, or dramatic presentation. These liturgies will often contain features not found in
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D.
the BCP order for Daily Morning Prayer. Please Note: Morning Worship services always
require considerable time spent in planning.
Worship/Formation Group Worship is held on most Thursdays. It is noneucharistic and is planned by members of the individual worship/formation groups. It is
expected that the BCP Daily Office lessons for the day (including the psalm) will be
used, so that the community as a whole will have heard the same lessons while
worshipping in multiple contexts.
E.
Wednesday Seminary Eucharist, usually midday (but with exceptions such as
Convocation), is planned by Worship Planning Teams. Since this is the Seminary
community's principal liturgical event of the week and it is expected that everyone will
attend, there should be sufficient bulletins for the community and its guests. The Holy
Eucharist may be either said or sung. Music is provided and time is set aside for a
somewhat longer sermon (see the section on preaching below).
Following the Seminary's protestant evangelical tradition, simple vestments for the
Eucharist (cassock-alb or cassock and surplice, with a stole for ordained members of the
altar party) are always appropriate. The celebrant may, however, choose to wear a chasuble,
and a deacon may choose to wear a dalmatic. Lectors sitting in the congregation generally do
not vest but are neatly dressed. Whenever possible, there should be an opportunity to receive
the sacrament kneeling. When the faculty member of the chapel ministry team is not Anglican,
both the order for Eucharist and the eucharistic vestments may reflect the tradition of the
faculty member.
The faculty member of the chapel ministry team may invite one or more
concelebrants and deacons as available and may ask other faculty members or students to
assist as needed.
Consecrated elements are either consumed or otherwise disposed of with due
reverence.
F.
Daily Holy Eucharist (midday on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) is
celebrated according to the BCP unless the celebrant is not Anglican. These services are
planned by a Worship Planning Team. The Daily Holy Eucharist may be said or sung.
Music is provided on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Every Daily Holy Eucharist
includes a short homily or meditation (see the section on preaching below). Members of the
altar party vest in either cassock and surplice, or cassock-albs. Ordained members of the
altar party may wear stoles. The celebrant and deacon may choose to wear a chasuble and a
dalmatic.
Consecrated elements are either consumed or otherwise disposed of with due
reverence.
The Tuesday Holy Eucharist is conducted in Spanish, with the sermon preached in English.
The Thursday Holy Eucharist normally includes the laying on of hands for healing. The Friday
Holy Eucharist, while following the BCP, sometimes includes a richer use of ritual as
determined by the Worship Planning Team.
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G. A Particular Holy Eucharist. With considerable advance planning and special
permissions as needed, another form of Eucharist may replace the Daily Holy Eucharist. What
is envisioned here are rites that are ecumenical (e.g., Lutheran, Presbyterian), historical (e.g.,
the rite of Hippolytus from ELW pp. 69-70, abbreviated forms of BCP 1549, liturgy of St.
Chrysostom or of St. James), or experimental (e.g., U2charist, Hip-hop mass) as proposed by
members of the community and scheduled by the Associate Dean of Chapel, in consultation
with the Bishop of Virginia when appropriate, with faculty, student, and staff volunteers. It is
expected that the lessons for the day (including the psalm) will be used and music is
provided. Participants may or may not choose to vest. This liturgy will often contain features
not found in the traditional BCP order for Holy Eucharist. Please note: any such proposed
liturgy requires considerable time spent in planning and may also require special permission
from the Bishop of Virginia.
H. Community Eucharists, occasional festal evening celebrations are planned by an
assigned Worship Planning Team, in consultation with the Associate Dean of Chapel.
Community Eucharists are almost always family-friendly, child-friendly, and intergenerational. Homilies are appropriately shorter and less formal; alternative options for
children's activities may be provided. When a weekday evening Community Eucharist is
scheduled, the midday Holy Eucharist is replaced by noonday prayer or another rite, so that
the Eucharist is celebrated in this community only once each
day.
Members of the altar party vest in either cassock and surplice or cassock-albs.
Ordained members of the altar party may wear stoles. The celebrant may wear a chasuble,
and a deacon may wear a dalmatic.
L. Holy Week Services, Quiet Days, and Liturgies for Special Occasions as needed
are usually planned and led by faculty, student, and staff volunteers selected by the Dean and
Worship Committee.
As the sacrament of unity, the Holy Eucharist is normally celebrated on scheduled
occasions when the entire community is present and invited. The Holy Eucharist may,
however, be celebrated during off-campus retreats, on Sundays, outside of term, and by oncampus conferences and meetings of groups composed primarily of non-Seminary members,
provided that the celebrations are publicized and open to all.
3. Other Important Information
A. Chapel Ministry Teams. The Worship Planning Teams consist of a faculty and students
assigned to work together on behalf of the Seminary community. It is expected that all those
entrusted with the planning of worship participate regularly in daily worship. Worship Planning
Teams provide valuable training in planning and leading worship as well as experience working
with others who hold different liturgical opinions. In 2016-2017, there are four types of Worship
Planning Teams:
i. Seasonal Worship Planning Teams: responsible for planning the bulk of the services of
Holy Eucharist, and the Monday Morning Prayer services, for a particular liturgical season.
ii. Major Feasts and Special Seminary Liturgies: responsible for planning Major Feasts,
Community Eucharists, Convocation liturgies, and the like.
iii. Ecumenical Worship Planning Teams: responsible for planning ecumenical worship at
various points in the year.
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iv. Tuesday Morning Worship Planning Teams: responsible for planning a series of Tuesday
Morning Worship services, usually for a liturgical season.
B. Participation in Worship Planning Teams: All full-time students are expected to serve on
at least one Worship Planning Team per year. Part-time degree students may request inclusion
on a Chapel Ministry Team from the Associate Dean of Chapel; those who are already
episcopally ordained may participate according to their orders at the discretion of the faculty
member of the Chapel Ministry Team. All members of the Chapel Ministry Team should
prepare adequately to fulfill their assigned responsibilities according to these guidelines,
including conducting rehearsals of the services they are leading. The Associate Dean of Chapel
and the Sacristans are responsible for instructing Chapel Ministry Team members on their
liturgical duties.
C. The Chapel Rota: Liturgies planned by the Seasonal Worship Planning Teams
willed by staffed by a rota managed by the Associate Dean of Chapel’s office. All
students are required to serve on the worship rota. Major Feasts, ecumenical worship
services, and Tuesday Morning Worship services will be staffed by the Worship
Planning Teams who have planned those services.
D.
Student Lectors. Students who have satisfactorily completed or are currently enrolled
in the course in Performance Skills for Liturgical Leadership (LTG401) or an equivalent
acceptable to the Associate Dean of Chapel may read in chapel. The privilege of reading, and
therefore interpreting, Scripture for the Seminary community is not given lightly. All lectors
(faculty, students, staff) are expected to prepare beforehand. A handbook for pronouncing
biblical names can be found in the sacristy.
E. Student Liturgical Leaders: Students who have satisfactorily completed or are
currently enrolled in the course in Performance Skills for Liturgical Leadership (LTG401) or
an equivalent acceptable to the Associate Dean of Chapel may exercise liturgical leadership
roles in chapel services, both in the daily office and at the Holy Eucharist.
F.
Preaching and Presiding. Faculty members normally preach at the Wednesday
Seminary Eucharist and may preach at any chapel service. Ordained faculty members may
preside at any service. Ordained staff members may preach and preside at any service. Any
M.Div., M.A. or Anglican Studies student may preach once, in his or her final year of
studies, after completing one semester of homiletics at Virginia Theological Seminary.
Exceptions for students can be made with the permission of the homiletics professors.
Approval for other proposed preachers and presiders can be given in one of two ways: 1)
presence on the Dean's List of regularly invited preachers and presiders who have already
secured prior faculty approval, or 2) prior approval given by the Dean or Associate Dean of
Chapel on a case by case basis. This list is reviewed once a year by the faculty.
Length of Homilies and Sermons. Apart from the Wednesday Seminary Eucharist where
time is allotted for a sermon of no more than ten minutes, and Special Occasions where a
visiting preacher is invited to give a full sermon, the normal length for a brief homily,
sermon, or meditation is five minutes. Faculty, staff, and students who accept the privilege
of preaching are assumed to have accepted the responsibility of preaching within the
allotted time.
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G.
Music. Because music is integral to the church's liturgy and because there are so
many different musical styles, everyone seeking ordination (and others as well) will need to
acquire some facility in hymn selection and other musical skills.
The Professor of Music is available to meet with each Worship Planning Team to plan
the worship and music in the context of the church year. Worship Planning Teams are very
strongly urged/required to take advantage of this expertise in their planning. Such
collaboration can model the relationship between clergy and church musicians described in
Title II, Canon 5 of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church.5
The Worship Planning Team, guided by the Professor of Music, is able to make wider
and more flexible use of the available musical resources, such as metrical or hymnic versions
of canticles (BCP, 141-2) and alternative settings or tunes. The Professor of Music also keeps
a running log of hymns and settings played recently to avoid unintended repetition. The
community is gifted with the musical talents of many of its members and the use of a variety
of musical instruments is encouraged. Planning for musical events should occur well before
the scheduled liturgy to allow adequate time for rehearsal. The Worship Planning Team must
have all musical decisions made and communicated to the Professor of Music and the staff
person coordinating copyright permissions at least one full week before the liturgical event in
question.
H.
Inclusive Language. Language shapes the perception of reality and defines cultural
norms both explicitly and in more subtle ways. The generic use of "men" and phrases such as
"kingdom of God" and "God of our fathers" puts obstacles in the way of worship for many
members of this community and of the wider church--both men and women. Worship
planners and Officiants are urged to avoid the exclusive connotations of language found in
parts of the BCP hymnals, and the Bible and/or to balance exclusively masculine imagery in
one source with specifically feminine imagery in another. Similar care should be taken with
language likely to be racially, socially, or economically offensive to others.
Specific examples of problematic passages within the BCP and practical suggestions
for overcoming them can be found in an appendix to this document.
I.
Incense. The use of incense is generally reserved for Sung Evening Prayer, but may
be used for other special occasions. As always, a decision to follow a custom that is known
to be valued by some but not all members of the community is made with care and, when it
seems appropriate, with adequate notice to the community.
Anyone using incense must consult in advance with the sacristan about the proper disposal
of charcoal and ashes. Ashes and charcoal should be disposed of either directly into the ground or in
a container of sand kept outside of seminary buildings.
J.
Status of the Worship Guidelines. The Dean's Office keeps an up-to-date copy of
The Virginia Theological Seminary Worship Guidelines. Any substantial changes to the
Worship Guidelines will be voted on by the faculty as a whole.
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Notes
1
John E. Booty, Mission and Ministry: A History of Virginia Theological Seminary (Alexandria: Protestant
Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, 1995), 318.
2
"Guidelines and Worship Resources for the Celebration of Full Communion: The Episcopal
Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,"
http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Guidelines_And_Worship_
Res_For_The_Celebration_Of_Full_Communion_Lutheran_Episcopal.pdf
3
Title II, Canon 2: Of Translations of the Bible: "The Lessons prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer shall be read
from the translation of the Holy Scriptures commonly known as the King James or Authorized Version (which is the
historic Bible of this Church) together with the Marginal Readings authorized for use by the General Convention of 1901;
or from one of the three translations known as Revised Versions, including the English Revision of 1881, the American
Revision of 1901, and the Revised Standard Version of 1952; from the Jerusalem Bible of 1966; from the New English
Bible with the Apocrypha of 1970; or from The 1976 Good News Bible (Today's English Version); or from The New
American Bible (1970); or from The Revised Standard Version, an Ecumenical Edition, commonly known as the "R.S.V.
Common Bible" (1973); or from The New International Version (1978); or from The New Jerusalem Bible (1987); or
from the Revised English Bible (1989); or from the New Revised Standard Version (1990); or from the Contemporary
English Version (1995); or Common English Bible (2011); or from translations, authorized by the diocesan bishop, of
those approved versions published in any other language; or from other versions of the Bible, including those in languages
other than English, which shall be authorized by diocesan bishops for specific use in congregations or ministries within
their dioceses." Constitution and Canons for the Government of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of
America Otherwise Known as The Episcopal Church, adopt., rev. General Convention, 1789-2012. (New York:
Church Publishing Inc. 2012), 63.
4
The Seminary holds several copyright licenses, renewed annually: 1) Christian Copyright
Licensing International (CCLI) #775042; 2) Augsburg Fortress Liturgies #23976. If you are
not certain whether the music you wish to copy is covered by these licenses-, please consult the
seminary music professor or head librarian.
5
Constitution and Canons for... The Episcopal Church 2012, 64: Title II, Canon 5: Of the Music of the Church. "It shall
be the duty of every Member of the Clergy to see that music is used as an offering for the glory of God and as a help to
the people in their worship in accordance with
the Book of Common Prayer and as authorized by the rubrics or by the General Convention of
this Church. To this end the Member of the Clergy shall have final authority in the administration of matters pertaining to
music. In fulfilling this responsibility the Member of the Clergy shall seek assistance from persons skilled in music.
Together they shall see that music is appropriate to the context in which it is used."
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Appendices
Appendix One: Typical patterns for alternation of
rites:
Pattern One:
* two of the quarters of the Academic Year from Rite II from the Book of Common Prayer
* one quarter from Rite I from the Book of Common Prayer
* one quarter from Rite II and from supplemental liturgical resources authorized for use by
the General Convention of The Episcopal Church.
Pattern Two;
* three of the quarters of the Academic Year from Rite II from the Book of Common Prayer
* one quarter from Rite I from the Book of Common Prayer
* Text from supplemental liturgical resources used throughout the year at the discretion of the
individual Chapel Ministries Teams.
Pattern Three:
*Leave the decision about rites to the individual Chapel Ministry Teams.
Pattern Four:
*Leave the decisions about rites to the individual Seasonal Planning Teams.
The Worship Committee will keep aware of any changes that the General Convention might
make in the authorization of alternative texts and, when necessary, seek authorization through
the office of the Dean for the use of particular alternative texts from the Bishop of Virginia. The
ongoing process of Prayer Book reform at some point may make a fresh consideration by the
Worship Committee of any scheme of alternation a logical necessity.
Certain ad hoc variations in this pattern have been made in the past. Worship during Alumni/ae
Convocation and the Commencement Ceremonies is done in the contemporary idiom (currently
Rite II). On occasion the transition in rites is done in a way that is mindful to the seasons of the
Church Year.
Appendix Two: Regarding Language in the Generic Masculine:
A. General. Officiants are urged to be sensitive to the exclusive connotations of language in the
generic masculine gender. Use of this language in worship is painful for many men and women
in the seminary congregation. The Virginia tradition is one, not only of liturgical simplicity, but
of pastoral sensitivity and awareness of the power of words to injure as well as to heal.
B. Prayer Book. Rite I of the BCP '79 contains a few generic "men," "fathers,” and other
phrases which continue to put obstacles in the way of worship for some members of our
community, both men and women. The following passages are examples:
In Morning Prayer
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p.37 Christmas sentence
p. 38 Lent sentence
p. 40 At any time
p. 47 Benedicta
p. 52 Gloria
p. 53 Te Deum
p.58 General Thanksgiving
In Evening Prayer
p. 72 General Thanksgiving
In the Holy Eucharist
p. 325 Gloria in Excelsis
Behold the tabernacle of God is with men
... and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
... with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit...
0 ye children of men ...
0 ye holy and humble men ...
good will towards men ...
to deliver man ...
and to all men ...
and to all men ...
good will towards men ...
p. 327 Nicene Creed (second ver.) for us men ...
p. 329 Prayer for Whole State give thanks for all men ...
p. 331 General Confession Judge of all men ..
p. 332 Comfortable Words of all men to be received ...
if any man sin ...
p. 343 Offertory Sentences I beseech you, brethren, ...
brother hath aught against thee …
C. The Hymnal. The Hymnal1982 also contains unnecessarily exclusive language.
D. Strategies. Chapel Ministry Teams are encouraged to be sensitive to language. Two strategies
are suggested:
1) Balancing masculine references with feminine references to God and humankind drawn
from resources such as the Enriching Our Worship series, Voices Found, and the
Enriching Our Music volumes.
2) Selecting rubrical alternatives to the masculine language in the Book of Common Prayer
and Hymnal 1982. There are plenty of other opening sentences and offertory sentences.
Rite II canticles may be used at any Rite I service (BCP, 47). The “we believe” version
of the Nicene Creed is the first alternative the rite I Holy Eucharist. In that rite there is
an alternative confession at the Eucharist and use of alternative Prayers of the People is
allowed. Any of the Comfortable Words may be omitted. There is an alternative General
Thanksgiving (BCP, 836).
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