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Hardcover
Publisher: Church Publishing
The first edition of Lesser Feasts and Fasts was authorized more than 40 years ago to meet a liturgical and pastoral need for the commemoration of various saints and occasions not included as major Holy Days on the calendar of the Book of Common Prayer. Subsequent editions have been updated regularly to include biographical and liturgical material for new commemorations authorized for permanent or trial observance by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. This newest edition will contain material approved for trial use by the 2006 General Convention. Among the names presented are Oscar Romero, Roman Catholic Bishop of El Salvador and martyr; James Theodore Holly, first African-American bishop in the Episcopal Church; and Vida Scudder, educator and reformer.
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| Essential, but Surprisingly Sloppy |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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I operate a prayer website, [...], which reproduces the morning and evening services from the Book of Common Prayer. I also include the lesser saints' collects and podcast the thumbnail sketches included in this volume.
It's a valuable book, but it has a lot of unacceptable, embarassing typos for a work designed for the worship of God. You'd have to be the Almighty to figure out we celebrate St. Cyril on March 18.
Just as bad are those little word-pictures of the saints. They are written in stilted, formal English - few can be read aloud to a congregation that wouldn't know Chrysostom from Kristofferson - and they're unbearably class conscious. They assume that we're all ordained white clergymen of a certain rank and station. Stuffy? Get the fan going or you might not be able to breathe.
I don't critique the listing of saints in the calendar; those decisions are the prerogative of the General Convention, but they sure are a lot of old dead white guys.
What most offends me is the slovenly proofreading. Bibles and Prayer Books have to be letter-perfect, but this book isn't even close. One assumes a new edition will come out for 2009.
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| Saints? |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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A compendium of the Episcopal Church's authorized celebratory liturgy for the memorials of the Saints. Generally most useful for priests. No one can verify that the legends of some of the saints are truth or fiction. No record of any miracles performed by them or where their bones are venerated.
I missed the story of Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgins??
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| Amazing Volume! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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This book should be in every Episcopalian's library. The resources it provides for parishes and for personal devotions are exceptional.
The updated Church Kalendar has some great new additions, including a few noted Roman Catholic (esp. St. Ignatius of Loyola - July 31) and Eastern Orthodox (esp. St. Tikhon - April 7). Great Anglican additions are St C.S. Lewis (Nov 22), the Feast of the Ordination of Florence Li Tim-Oi (Jan 24), and St. Philander Chase (Sept 22). My only major regret was that St. Charles I the Martyr was left out! (Jan 30).
Included are some wonderful Propers for the Weekdays for the seasons of Advent, Christmas (until the Baptism of Christ), Lent, and Easter, the Common of Saints, the official guidelines and procedures of the altering of the Kalendar, and two new Lectionaries.
The best part is the Lesser Feasts, which includes not just all the new and old names (note: one or two have moved around), but includes short biographies as well as the Psalm, New Testament, and Gospel Readings as well as the correct Prefaces and both Rite I and II Propers.
Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2006 is an excellent addition to any parish that wants to celebrate the lives of the Saints and for individuals to do the same and to have alternative lectionaries to follow for personal devotions.
A perfect companion with the Book of Common Prayer!
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