Press Releases24 Mar 04

New prayer book goes on sale

NEW PRAYER BOOK GOES ON SALE

The new Church of Ireland Book of Common Prayer is now on sale.

In marking this historic milestone in the development of the church?s liturgy, the Rt Revd Harold Miller, Bishop of Down and Dromore and chairman of the church?s Liturgical Advisory Committee today said: ?This is a very fine production by Columba Press and in my view the most beautiful Prayer Book we have ever seen in the Church of Ireland?.

He added: ?The editorial work for this book has been of the highest quality and has been carried out with great care and commitment. I am certain it will enrich the worship of the Church of Ireland for generations to come. It is a wonderful book that is of vital significance in our life and witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.?

Canon Brian Mayne, Editor of the new book said: ?The Book of Common Prayer expresses the mind of the Church on how we worship and in what we believe. It should hold the diverse congregations of the Church together, although not with a straitjacket of absolute uniformity.

?It seeks in the twenty-first century to make Sunday worship relevant to people living in changing situations. It also seeks to stimulate personal prayer and recover something of the way earlier generations were spiritually fed by using their prayer books. It is not just a book for the pew in church but for the bedside to enable personal daily encounter with the living God.?

While The Book of Common Prayer can be ordered from any bookshop, the major suppliers in the Republic of Ireland are the Sunday School Society and the Bible Society, and The Good Bookshop in Northern Ireland.

The 800pp book is printed in various editions including the Pew Edition, price £13.99 or 19.99 euro and the Presentation Pew Edition, price £19.99 or 29.99 euro.