Anglican in The Books Store

Read the Bldg Blog interview with Mary Beard about the Wonders of the World series (Part I and Part II)

Westminster Abbey is the most complex church in existence. National cathedral, coronation church, royal mausoleum, burial place of poets, resting place of the great and of the Unknown Warrior, former home of parliament, backdrop to the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales--this rich and extraordinary building unites many functions.

Westminster Abbey is both an appreciation of an architectural masterpiece and an exploration of the building's shifting meanings. We hear the voices of those who have described its forms, moods, and ceremonies, from Shakespeare and Voltaire to Dickens and Henry James; we see how rulers have made use of it, from medieval kings to modern prime ministers. In a highly original book, classicist and cultural historian Richard Jenkyns teaches us to look at this microcosm of history with new eyes.

* Subtle use of updated and inclusive language in the prayers.

* Additional rites for the reception of the body at the church.

* Expanded rites for a vigil with the body in church the night before the funeral.

* Many new prayers for use in the Eucharist, at the grave, etc.

* Rite for the Burial of a Child from Enriching Our Worship 2 included for the convenience of the presider.

These newly authorized rites are intended to be a supplement to the burial services in the Book of Common Prayer, adding a rich variety of new material from many sources, including prayers for one who has died in military service, for one of unknown faith, for an unbeliever, and for a member of an inter-faith family. All of the major pastoral issues of the Prayer Book rites are addressed-from the reception of the body to the consecration of the grave and the interment-but with a freshness of language in new texts that the speak to contemporary sensibilities.

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