1979 Book of Common Prayer, Holy Eucharist, Rite II

I spent many Sundays as a child going through this particular Rite at Church of the Apostles in Fairfax, Virginia (led by Rennie Scott and Rick Lord) and Truro (also in Fairfax). 

We sang the Nicene Creed and the song of praise and other elements -- at Truro often led by the radiant, white-haired, vibralto tenor, Joe Kitts. 

The Confession of sin can serve as a guide for personal confession in private devotion.

The beautiful and true words of Rite II are a poignant example of God using flawed men and women to worship him with words, and the words are so deeply part of my early spiritual memories. 

Sisters, each time you eat the bread and drink the wine, "Feed on Him in your hearts by faith with Thanksgiving"

Link to Rite II online

The Word of God

A hymn, psalm, or anthem may be sung.
The people standing, the Celebrant says                Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
People        And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever.
                Amen.
In place of the above, from Easter Day through the Day of Pentecost

Celebrant     Alleluia. Christ is risen.
People         The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.

In Lent and on other penitential occasions

Celebrant     Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins;
People         His mercy endures for ever.
The Celebrant may say
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known,
and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our
hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may
perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

When appointed, the following hymn or some other song of praise is
sung or said, all standing
Glory to God in the highest,
    and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
    we worship you, we give you thanks,
    we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
    have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
    receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
    Jesus Christ,
    with the Holy Spirit,
    in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

On other occasions the following is used

Lord, have mercy.		Kyrie eleison.
Christ, have mercy.	or	Christe eleison.
Lord have mercy.		Kyrie eleison.

or this

Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.

The Collect of the Day
The Celebrant says to the people
              The Lord be with you.
People      And also with you.
Celebrant  Let us pray.

The Celebrant says the Collect.
People      Amen.

The Lessons

The people sit. One or two Lessons, as appointed, are read,
the Reader first saying
A Reading (Lesson) from                                       .
A citation giving chapter and verse may be added.
After each Reading, the Reader may say
                The Word of the Lord.
People        Thanks be to God.
or the Reader may say    Here ends the Reading (Epistle).
Silence may follow
A Psalm, hymn, or anthem may follow each Reading.
Then, all standing, the Deacon or a Priest reads the Gospel, first saying
                The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
                according to                             .
People          Glory to you, Lord Christ.

After the Gospel, the Reader says
                The Gospel of the Lord.
People         Praise to you, Lord Christ.

The Sermon


On Sundays and other Major Feasts there follows, all standing

The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
    the Father, the Almighty,
    maker of heaven and earth,
    of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
    the only Son of God,
    eternally begotten of the Father,
    God from God, Light from Light,
    true God from true God,
    begotten, not made,
    of one Being with the Father.
    Through him all things were made.
    For us and for our salvation
        he came down from heaven:
    by the power of the Holy Spirit
        he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
        and was made man.
    For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
        he suffered death and was buried.
        On the third day he rose again
            in accordance with the Scriptures;
        he ascended into heaven
            and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

    He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
        and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
    who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
    With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
    He has spoken through the Prophets.
    We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
    We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
    We look for the resurrection of the dead,
        and the life of the world to come. Amen.


The Prayers of the People
Prayer is offered with intercession for

The Universal Church, its members, and its mission
The Nation and all in authority
The welfare of the world
The concerns of the local community
Those who suffer and those in any trouble
The departed (with commemoration of a saint when appropriate)Confession of Sin
A Confession of Sin is said here if it has not been said earlier. On
occasion, the Confession may be omitted.

One of the sentences from the Penitential Order on page 351 may be said.

The Deacon or Celebrant says
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence may be kept.

Minister and People
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.

The Bishop, when present, or the Priest, stands and says
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins
through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all
goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in
eternal life. Amen.


The Peace
All stand. The Celebrant says to the people
                The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People        And also with you.

Then the Ministers and People may greet one another in the
name of the Lord.

The Holy Communion
The Celebrant may begin the Offertory with one of the sentences on
page 376, or with some other sentence of Scripture.

During the Offertory, a hymn, psalm, or anthem may be sung.

Representatives of the congregation bring the people's offerings of bread
and wine, and money or other gifts, to the deacon or celebrant.  The
people stand while the offerings are presented and placed on the Altar.

The Great Thanksgiving

Alternative forms will be found on page 367 and following.

Eucharistic Prayer A

The people remain standing. The Celebrant, whether bishop or priest,
faces them and sings or says
                The Lord be with you.
People        And also with you.
Celebrant    Lift up your hearts.
People        We lift them to the Lord.
Celebrant    Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People        It is right to give him thanks and praise.

Then, facing the Holy Table, the Celebrant proceeds

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and every-
where to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of
heaven and earth.

Here a Proper Preface is sung or said on all Sundays, and on other
occasions as appointed.

Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and
Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever
sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:

Celebrant and People
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
    Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    Hosanna in the highest.

The people stand or kneel.

Then the Celebrant continues
Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us
for yourself, and, when we had fallen into sin and become
subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus
Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human
nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the
God and Father of all.

He stretched out his arms upon the cross, and offered himself,
in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole
world.

At the following words concerning the bread, the Celebrant is to hold it,
or to lay a hand upon it; and at the words concerning the cup, to hold or
place a hand upon the cup and any other vessel containing wine to be
consecrated.
On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our
Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks
to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, "Take,
eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the
remembrance of me."

After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given
thanks, he gave it to them, and said, "Drink this, all of you:
This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you
and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink
it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:

Celebrant and PeopleChrist has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

The Celebrant continuesWe celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in
this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Recalling his death,
resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts.

Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the
Body and Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new
and unending life in him. Sanctify us also that we may faithfully
receive this holy Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy,
and peace; and at the last day bring us with all your saints
into the joy of your eternal kingdom.

All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ: By him, and
with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor
and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,

As our Savior Christ has taught us, we now pray,

People and Celebrant

Our Father, who art in heaven,     hallowed be thy Name,     thy kingdom come,     thy will be done,         on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses,     as we forgive those         who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation,     but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom,     and the power, and the glory,     for ever and ever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven,     hallowed be your Name,     your kingdom come,     your will be done,         on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins     as we forgive those         who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial,     and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power,     and the glory are yours,     now and for ever. Amen.

The Breaking of the Bread
The Celebrant breaks the consecrated Bread.

A period of silence is kept.

Then may be sung or said
[Alleluia.] Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast. [Alleluia.]

In Lent, Alleluia is omitted, and may be omitted at other times except
during Easter Season.

In place of, or in addition to, the preceding, some other suitable
anthem may be used.

Facing the people, the Celebrant says the following InvitationThe Gifts of God for the People of God.

and may add   Take them in remembrance that Christ died for
                   you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith,
                   with thanksgiving.
The ministers receive the Sacrament in both kinds, and then immediately
deliver it to the people.

The Bread and the Cup are given to the communicants with these words
The Body (Blood) of our Lord Jesus Christ keep you in
everlasting life. [Amen.]

or with these words

The Body of Christ, the bread of heaven. [Amen.]
The Blood of Christ, the cup of salvation. [Amen.]

During the ministration of Communion, hymns, psalms, or anthems may
be sung.

When necessary, the Celebrant consecrates additional bread and wine,
using the form on page 408.

After Communion, the Celebrant says
Let us pray.

Celebrant and People
Eternal God, heavenly Father,
you have graciously accepted us as living members
of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ,
and you have fed us with spiritual food
in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood.
Send us now into the world in peace,
and grant us strength and courage
to love and serve you
with gladness and singleness of heart;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

or the following

Almighty and everliving God,
we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food
of the most precious Body and Blood
of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ;
and for assuring us in these holy mysteries
that we are living members of the Body of your Son,
and heirs of your eternal kingdom.
And now, Father, send us out
to do the work you have given us to do,
to love and serve you
as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord.
To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

The Bishop, when present, or the Priest, may bless the people.

The Deacon, or the Celebrant, dismisses them with these words
                 Let us go forth in the name of Christ.
People         Thanks be to God.
or thisDeacon      Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
People        Thanks be to God.
or this
Deacon      Let us go forth into the world,
               rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
People       Thanks be to God.
or this
Deacon       Let us bless the Lord.
People        Thanks be to God.
From the Easter Vigil through the Day of Pentecost "Alleluia, alleluia"
may be added to any of the dismissals.
The People respond     Thanks be to God. Alleluia, Alleluia.