18/05/2009 Prayer Books to Africa
HUNDREDS of copies of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer have been shipped across the globe to meet a growing demand for traditional church services in Africa.
The Prayer Book Society, which campaigns for the continued use of Cranmer’s liturgy, stepped in to help when a cathedral in Uganda made an appeal for help. The majority of Anglican services in Uganda are from the traditional book, and the Church is growing so rapidly that it cannot easily keep up with the demand for Prayer Books.
The shipment of 700 copies of the BCP is now in use at St John’s in Fort Portal after something of a tortuous journey. “They have been en route for several months”, explains Peter Bolton from the Prayer Book Society. “In fact, so long was the journey that Bishop Patrick Kyaligonza, who collected them from the docks, was merely the dean when the books left England.”
Surviving unscheduled trans-shipment, getting past the pirates, suffering a long delay in the port at Mombasa, the container of prayer books was monitored by Pat Morris who is in charge of the Friends of Teso which organised the shipment. Once they had landed safely in Soroti, the books were quickly retrieved by The Rev'd Boniface Esomu for the last leg of their journey.
The prayer books have been most warmly welcomed. “We are so appreciative of this gift and are looking forward to using the prayer books to enhance the ability of the congregation to participate actively in worship”, says Rt. Rev. Patrick Kyaligonza the Bishop of Ruwenzori. “Thank you so much for this contribution to our times of worship in the English services in our diocese.”
Generous members of the Prayer Book Society donated thousands of pounds to enable the books to be bought and sent to Uganda. “And it is refreshing to know that there are far more copies of the Book of Common Prayer in daily and weekly use now than there were in the first hundred years of the book’s life”, says Prayer Book Society Chairman Prudence Dailey.
The Society is aware of a big demand for prayer books from Anglicans around the world who cannot so easily afford to buy copies. It has therefore established a special fund to meet future requests. -end—
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