The introduction to “A Modern Liturgy for the Holy Eucharist
as used at Saint Catherine’s Church, Port Coquitlam, BC at the Family Service” (circa
1979) [1]
included the following reflection on the Nicene and Apostles Creeds:
We shall, however, say the ecumenical version of the
Creed as produced by the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. and ratified at
Constantinople in 381 A.D.
The Eastern Orthodox Churches have always faulted Western
Christians for arbitrary changes in the wording of the Ecumenical Creed of the
Undivided Church.
With due respect then for historical accuracy, this ‘new
English version’ of the Nicene Creed lets us recite it in its original
form. Hence the verbal changes to “We
believe” and the omission of the phrase “and the Son” (in Latin, filioque).
The so-called Apostles’ Creed uses the personal
pronoun “I” because this statement of faith originated solely in the West as
part of the examination of candidates for baptism.
Over the years St. Catherine’s has used “modern language”
versions of both the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed, although for some
time we have rarely used the Nicene Creed.
More recently we have experimented with different affirmations of our
faith.
Starting on September 9, 2018, interested persons will have
an opportunity to explore various expressions of the Creed during four weekly
discussion sessions. Chris Longley, a
graduate of Education for Ministry will lead the discussion group.
[1]In
the late 1970s and early 1980s the Anglican Church was working to update or replace
the Book of Common Prayer, as other
denominations worked to renew their liturgies.
The International Consultation on
English Texts produced modern language texts for the Gloria in Excelsis, Lord’s Prayer, Nicene Creed, Apostle’s Creed,
etc. This work culminated in 1985 with the
production of the Book of Alternative
Services, which we use today. However,
it was a slow and sometimes process that entailed 14 years of
experimentation. In 1979, Anglican
Church leaders reached a compromise that would allow all congregations to use a
clarified Tudor English form of the service, a contemporary English form, or
both. From 1982 to 1985 St. Catherine’s
used a “Blue Booklet” and a “Yellow Booklet,” which contained a “Modern
Liturgy” based on a proposed revision of the traditional Tudor English service.
