Litany and Suffrages for Ordinations (1928 BCP)

Litany and Suffrages for Ordinations (1928 BCP) is the special litany material appointed for ordinations in the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer. It belongs to the Ordinal and gives the Church a public form of intercession before deacons, priests, or bishops are admitted to their ministry by prayer and the laying on of hands.

The office is not an ornamental preface to ordination. It teaches that ministry is received in the praying Church, under Scripture, for the edifying of Christ's body. The congregation asks God to bless the candidates, purify their calling, strengthen the ministers of the Church, and order the ministry toward the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Place in the Ordinal

In the 1928 Ordinal, the Litany or its ordination form is said after the candidates have been presented, examined as to public impediment, and commended to the prayers of the congregation. For deacons and priests the bishop, with clergy and people, says the Litany before the Communion propers and the examination of candidates.

Then the Bishop (commending such as shall be found meet to be Ordered, to the Prayers of the congregation) shall, with the Clergy and People present, say the Litany.

The same pattern appears in the ordering of priests. The candidate's calling is not treated as private enthusiasm. It is tested by presentation, public objection, common prayer, Scripture, examination, and episcopal laying on of hands. The Litany therefore belongs to the Church's discernment of ministry as much as to the candidate's devotion.

The Ordination Suffrages

The ordinary form uses The Litany (1928 BCP) with an added suffrage after the petition for bishops and ministers. The rubric identifies the location precisely:

After the Suffrage, That it may please thee to illuminate all Bishops, etc., shall be said the following Suffrage.

For deacons, the suffrage asks for grace to execute the office for the edification of the Church. This keeps the diaconate's service, teaching, and assistance at Holy Communion under the same logic as the rest of the Ordinal: ministry is given by God for his Church, not possessed as private status.

That it may please thee to bless these thy servants, now to be admitted to the Order of Deacons, and to pour thy grace upon them; that they may duly execute their Office, to the edifying of thy Church, and the glory of thy holy Name.

For priests, the wording is almost identical, but the office named is priesthood. The continuity matters. Deacon, priest, and bishop are distinct orders, yet each is prayed for in terms of grace, faithful execution of office, the Church's edification, and God's glory.

That it may please thee to bless these thy servants, now to be admitted to the Order of Priests, and to pour thy grace upon them; that they may duly exercise their Office, to the edifying of thy Church, and the glory of thy holy Name.

For bishops, the Presiding Bishop first summons the congregation to prayer by citing Christ's night of prayer before choosing the Twelve and the apostles' prayer before Matthias was numbered with them. The bishop-elect is then commended to God before consecration.

Let us, therefore, following the example of our Saviour Christ, and his Apostles, offer up our prayers to Almighty God, before we admit and send forth this person presented unto us, to the work whereunto we trust the Holy Ghost hath called him.

That it may please thee to bless this our Brother elected, and to send thy grace upon him, that he may duly execute the Office whereunto he is called, to the edifying of thy Church, and to the honour, praise, and glory of thy Name.

The Litany for Ordinations

The 1928 Ordinal also permits a distinct "Litany and Suffrages for Ordinations" in place of the ordinary Litany. This shorter form begins with Trinitarian mercy, then moves directly to the peace of the world, the sanctification of the Church, and the ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons.

That it may please thee to inspire all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, with love of thee and of thy truth; We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to endue all Ministers of thy Church with devotion to thy glory and to the salvation of souls; We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

The optional litany is broader than the immediate candidate. It prays for those already in ministry, those being called, the increase of ministers, the preaching of the Gospel to all people, the unity of the Church, and final communion with the saints in God's kingdom.

That it may please thee to guide by thy indwelling Spirit those whom thou dost call to the Ministry of thy Church; that they may go forward with courage, and persevere unto the end.

The concluding collect gathers the whole office into a theology of stewardship. Ministers are not proprietors of grace; they are stewards of Christ's mysteries, called to serve by word, sacrament, discipline, and example.

Raise up therein, through thy Spirit, good and faithful stewards of the mysteries of Christ, that by their ministry and example thy people may abide in thy favour and be guided in the way of truth.

Scripture and Liturgical Logic

The bishop's exhortation before an episcopal consecration explicitly points to Luke 6:12-13, where Christ spends the night in prayer before choosing the Twelve, and Acts 1:24-26, where the apostles pray before Matthias is numbered with them. These texts explain why the Ordinal pauses for common prayer before the laying on of hands. The Church does not manufacture ministry by ceremony; it asks God to confirm and bless those whom he calls.

The priestly propers reinforce the same pattern. Ephesians 4:7-13 teaches that the ascended Christ gives pastors and teachers "for the perfecting of the saints" and "for the edifying of the body of Christ." Matthew 9:36-38 names the scattered sheep and commands prayer to the Lord of the harvest for labourers. The Litany's language about edifying the Church, saving souls, and increasing ministers is therefore not generic piety; it is an ordered response to the appointed Scriptures.

The final collect's "stewards of the mysteries of Christ" recalls 1 Corinthians 4:1, while the versicle "Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness" echoes Psalm 132:9. The office thus holds together apostolic ministry, psalmic prayer, pastoral mission, and dependence upon the Holy Ghost.

Anglican Theological Use

For classical Anglican and Reformed Episcopal theology, these suffrages show ordered ministry under grace. Bishops, priests, and deacons are not self-authorized religious specialists. They are called, examined, prayed for, and set apart to serve the Word of God, the sacraments, discipline, and pastoral care within the Church.

For High Church and traditional Anglican Catholic use, the same prayers emphasize visible catholic order. Ordination takes place in the Church's public worship, with episcopal ministry, common intercession, and continuity with apostolic practice. The form remains characteristically Prayer Book in restraint: it asks for grace to execute office faithfully, not for ministerial power detached from Scripture, holiness, and the edification of the body.

The Litany and Suffrages should therefore be read with the Ordinal (1928 BCP), Ordination of Deacons (1928 BCP), Ordination of Priests (1928 BCP), Consecration of Bishops (1928 BCP), and The Litany (1928 BCP). Together they show Anglican ministry as evangelical in doctrine, catholic in order, intercessory in form, and pastoral in purpose.

See Also

• Book of Common Prayer (1928)
• Ordinal (1928 BCP)
• Ordination of Deacons (1928 BCP)
• Ordination of Priests (1928 BCP)
• Consecration of Bishops (1928 BCP)
• The Litany (1928 BCP)

External Links

• The Ordinal in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer at Justus Anglican
• 1928 Book of Common Prayer at Justus Anglican