Explanation

The Book of Occasional Services is a collection of liturgical and catechetical resources in support of the fundamental liturgical life of The Episcopal Church. These resources contain liturgical materials for public worship, not materials primarily for private devotion. In many congregations, these resources have been used over the years to the greater enrichment of the worshipping life of the church. The Subcommittee continues to endorse the purpose and criteria for the BOS stated by the SCLM in the past triennium. The process of revision of the Book of Occasional Services 2003 continued in the past triennium as a response to Resolution 2012-A056, which called on the SCLM to continue its work on the comprehensive revision of the Book of Occasional Services. Additionally, Resolutions 2015-A058, 2015-D036, 2015-D046 each called for resources that would be included in the BOS. The need for revision expressed at that time noted that “a variety of considerations indicate that a revision of the Book of Occasional Services is both desirable and necessary.” Noteworthy among these considerations were the pastoral exigency for additional resources, the availability of new liturgical resources being used in the Church, and concerns regarding the use of archaic language. Additionally, there is a recognized need for new resources for use in the cycle of the liturgical year appropriate for the diverse membership of the Episcopal Church. The BOS Subcommittee has continued the work from the past triennium, and now presents a revised Book of Occasional Services, which is part of the report of the Subcommittee on Revision of The Book of Occasional Services, within the report to the 79th General Convention of the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music. The Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music's report, known as a "blue book" report, is available on the General Convention website (www.generalconvention.org).