The Proposed Ordinariate Liturgy

This is a summary of Aidan Nichols' discussion of the proposed Ordinariate Liturgy, pending approval by Rome:

Sacraments

Baptism, Confirmation, Ordination

The Ordinariate will observe the usages of the Roman rite.

Eucharist

The Eucharistic rite of the Ordinariate will represent a Catholicization of "the English Prayer Book tradition" "by reference to its own principal ancient source -- the Use of Sarum," also "taking into account" contemporary worship forms, "whether from the Roman Missal of 1969 ... or from modern Church of England best practice." The following description implies that the Sarum Use will serve as its base: "substantial elements of the English Liturgy of the pre-Reformation period... married with those features of the Prayer Book that still held the affection of many [e.g., Nichols' entire discussion suggests the Prayer of Humble Access as an example], together with the best products of Roman rite revision and its Church of England counterpart."

Marriage

The Anglican usage presents no significant "difficulties," suggesting their general retention.

Office

Matins

The Anglican usage presents no significant "difficulties," being a "successful [adaptation] to congregational worship of the ancient [Office]." However, "following contemporary Church of England precedent, the second reading at Mattins could be drawn from post-biblical sources." Beside the possibility of using "the Roman rite Office of Readings [as] an obvious source for these," "the book drafted for the English Ordinariate contains an alternative cycle for Sundays and feasts taken from insular [e.g., British] sources. A number of these are taken from patristic writers (Bede, Aldhelm), mediaeval sources (John of Ford, Mother Julian, Nicholas Love), and English Catholic martyrs (Fisher, More, Campion), but the larger number derive from the Anglican patrimony (the Caroline divines and their Restoration successors, the Tractarians with particular reference to Newman, and a selection of later Anglo-Catholic writers)."

Evensong

The Anglican usage presents no significant "difficulties," suggesting its general retention.

Compline, & "a Day Hour"

Added, "following the example of the 1928 proposed Prayer Book."

Other Services

Funeral rites 

The rites will include an "explicit prayer for the departed (and not simply for the bereaved)... strengthened by the addition of the Sarum rites for the commendation of the dead person which followed on the Requiem Mass."

Litany

The Anglican usage presents no significant "difficulties."

Lectionary 

The Anglican Lectionary "for Office and Mass" presents no significant "difficulties," suggesting their general retention.


Calendar

The proposed calendar is (1) "the current seasonal calendar of the Church of England, itself of Sarum origin," (2) "together with the cycle of festivals as found in the 1970 General Calendar of the Roman rite," and (3) "a number of English or British commemorations, in excess of those in the National Calendar for England and Wales.