Days of Observance

Discussion in 'Faith, Devotion & Formation' started by PDL, May 9, 2019.

  1. PDL

    PDL Well-Known Member Anglican

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    I once read in a book some time ago, and the book was old then, of a list of days called 'Days of Observance'. It was a list of days which the clergy were mandated to observe by celebrating Mass. But, they were not days on which the laity should go to Mass. Obviously, it was some concept of Anglo-Catholicism because I do not think the Church of England has any days on which celebration of the Eucharist is compulsory for clergy or laity. Has anybody else ever encountered these days of obligation? If you have do you know which days are on the list?
     
  2. Symphorian

    Symphorian Well-Known Member

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    BCP 1662 days of observance listed on linked page below. All days listed have a Collect, Epistle and Gospel in the Prayer Book so presumably ++Cranmer and the English reformers would've envisaged a celebration of Holy Communion on those days.

    https://www.eskimo.com/~lhowell/bcp1662/info/tables/rules.html
     
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  3. PDL

    PDL Well-Known Member Anglican

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    Thank you for that information and the link. That was not, however, what I had previously read. I really do wish I could recall what it was. First, it had given a list of what it called 'days of obligation', which it stated were days when priests were to say Mass and the laity were to go to Mass. The other list, the one I enquired about, 'days of observance', said priests had to offer Mass but the laity did not have to go to Mass. It was obviously grounded in Anglo-Catholicism because, to the best of my knowledge, there are no days when the laity of the Church of England have an obligation to go to Mass or otherwise go to church.
     
  4. Symphorian

    Symphorian Well-Known Member

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    Perhaps it might be found in a book like 'Ritual Notes', 'Priest's Handbook' or 'The English Missal'. I have copies of the latter two somewhere so I'll dig them out and have a look.

    The 1662 BCP says that parishioners should communicate a minimum of 3 times per year of which Easter should be one. The current CofE Canons echo this. (Canon B15).
     
    Last edited: May 10, 2019
  5. peter

    peter Active Member

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    It is a requirement in the CofE to receive Communion at least three times a year in order to appear on the electoral roll. Also a church building must normally celebrate Communion at least once a week.
     
  6. anglican74

    anglican74 Well-Known Member Anglican

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    A day of observance is different from your regular Sunday service, wouldn't we say?...

    I would think that apart from Sundays which re the regular 'days of observance', the real days of observance which the term was invented for are those days during the week which are feast days and the memorials of the saints... no?
     
  7. PDL

    PDL Well-Known Member Anglican

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    I do agree it would help if I were able to remember the source. Unfortunately, I cannot.

    It contained two lists. One was days of obligation and the second was day of observance. The former was a list of days when the laity were bound to go to Mass*. The latter was a list of days the laity didn't have to observe but clergy did, not just with the Office but by being required to offer a Mass*.

    *I do know there are no foundation for these in the BCP, but the source was Anglo-Catholic and described Anglo-Catholic practice.