Divine Worship: Cultivating Literacy in Holiness And In Love

Divine Worship: The Missal—the liturgical book proper to the Personal Ordinariates erected under Anglicanorum Coetibus—embodies a distinctive fusion of the Roman Rite with the English liturgical patrimony that shaped centuries of worship in the British Isles. Its purpose is not antiquarian but evangelical: to preserve those elements of Anglican liturgical life that have nourished holiness and now enrich the Catholic Church. The result is a form of the Mass that is fully Roman in doctrine and sacramental structure, yet marked by a reverent, hieratic, and deeply scriptural idiom.

Divine Worship fosters love of God by immersing worshippers in a reverent, beauty‑filled liturgical tradition that lifts the heart toward the sacred. Its poetic language, ordered ritual, and rich musical heritage cultivate interior devotion, helping the faithful encounter God with awe and gratitude. Through this contemplative rhythm of prayer, Divine Worship forms the soul in adoration, deepens reverence, and strengthens daily discipleship.

Excepting the placement of the Penitential Rite—in the middle of the Mass before the Offertory—the Ordinariate liturgy follows the Roman Rite’s order of Mass. Its unique character emerges through several features. The most immediately recognizable is its sacral English, drawing on the linguistic register of the Book of Common Prayer and the English Missals. This elevated diction—“with this oblation,” “vouchsafe to hear us,” “meet and right so to do”—creates a sense of solemnity and continuity with the long tradition of English Christian worship. The language is not merely aesthetic; it forms a theological atmosphere where worshippers encounter the mystery of God through beauty and precision.

Sacral English and contemporary liturgical English differ not only in vocabulary and grammar but in the theological and spiritual atmosphere they create. Both aim to serve worship, yet they embody distinct philosophies of how language mediates the sacred.

The core difference is that sacral English intentionally marks itself as set apart. It uses archaic pronouns (“thee,” “thou,” “thy”), formal verb endings (“dost,” “hath”), and elevated diction (“vouchsafe,” “beseech,” “abide”). This register signals that liturgical speech is not ordinary conversation but a sacred act addressed to God. Contemporary liturgical English, by contrast, seeks accessibility and clarity, using everyday vocabulary and modern syntax to ensure immediate comprehension.

Sacral English is shaped by Cranmerian prose, with its rhythmic balance, parallelism, and poetic cadence. Phrases such as “meet and right so to do” or “we humbly beseech thee” carry a musicality that invites contemplation. Contemporary liturgical English tends toward functional directness: “It is right and just” or “We ask this through Christ our Lord.” The former evokes solemnity through sound; the latter emphasizes clarity through simplicity.

Another distinction lies in biblical resonance. Sacral English draws heavily on the vocabulary of the King James Bible, embedding scriptural echoes throughout the liturgy. Words like “gracious,” “mercy,” “steadfast,” and “lovingkindness” carry centuries of theological weight. Contemporary liturgical English often uses more neutral or explanatory terms—“kind,” “love,” “faithful”—which are clear but less textured.

Sacral English also fosters continuity with tradition. It preserves the linguistic heritage of English-speaking Christianity and signals that worship participates in a long, living tradition. Contemporary liturgical English emphasizes immediacy and universality, aiming to be understood by all without specialized vocabulary.

The trade‑off is not between “better” and “worse” but between mystery and accessibility. Sacral English slows the pace of prayer, inviting reverence and awe. Contemporary liturgical English encourages direct engagement and inclusivity. It could be said that Divine Worship leaves much room for the imagination, which is guided by a rich tapestry of biblical and patristic sources.

Another distinctive element is the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, restored from the older Roman tradition and harmonized with Anglican forms of confession. The collects, often drawn directly from Cranmer’s masterful translations, retain their terse elegance and biblical density. The Comfortable Words, a series of scriptural assurances of divine mercy, may follow the absolution—an Anglican inheritance that places the Word of God at the heart of reconciliation.

The Offertory is notably richer than in the post‑conciliar Roman Rite, incorporating traditional prayers such as “Receive, O Holy Father” and “Blessed art Thou, Lord God of all creation,” alongside Anglican devotional texts. The Last Gospel, usually St John 1:1–14, may be read at the end of Mass, preserving a beloved custom that frames the Eucharistic mystery within the cosmic proclamation of the Incarnation.

Musically, Divine Worship encourages English and Latin plainchant, Anglican chant, metrical hymnody, and choral traditions that shaped Anglican spirituality. Ceremonially, it often features eastward orientation, processions, and solemn ritual gestures that emphasize continuity with the broader Western liturgical heritage.

* Eastward orientation—often called ad orientem—is the ancient Christian practice in which priest and people face the same direction during the Eucharistic sacrifice, traditionally toward the liturgical East. It is not primarily about geography but about symbolic orientation toward Christ, the “Sun of Righteousness” who will come again in glory. In the Ordinariate’s Divine Worship liturgy, this orientation is common and deeply expressive of its theological and aesthetic heritage.

At its heart, eastward orientation emphasizes that the Mass is God‑ward, not conversational. Priest and people stand together before the Lord, united in a single act of worship. The priest does not “turn his back” on the congregation; rather, he stands at their head, leading them in prayer as the shepherd of the flock. This posture visually expresses the nature of the priesthood: he offers sacrifice on behalf of the people, facing the same direction as they do.

Eastward orientation also reflects the eschatological character of the liturgy. From the earliest centuries, Christians prayed facing East, the direction of the rising sun, symbolizing the Resurrection and the anticipated return of Christ. Churches were often built with the sanctuary at the East end, and even when this was not possible, the “liturgical East” was maintained symbolically. This orientation reminds worshippers that every Mass is celebrated in the presence of the coming Lord.

In the Ordinariate tradition, eastward orientation harmonizes with the sacral English and ritual solemnity of Divine Worship. The posture complements the hieratic language, the rich Offertory prayers, and the ceremonial continuity with the Western tradition. It creates a unified visual and linguistic environment in which reverence, silence, and contemplation naturally flourish.

Contemporary liturgical practice often favors versus populum celebration, facing the people. This posture highlights the communal dimension of the Eucharist and the visibility of ritual actions. Yet eastward orientation preserves a sense of mystery, transcendence, and shared direction—qualities especially cherished in Ordinariate communities.

Divine Worship offers the Catholic faithful a liturgy that is unmistakably Roman yet enriched by the noble English tradition—an embodiment of unity without uniformity, and a living witness to the Church’s capacity to gather diverse gifts into one Eucharistic offering.

Divine Worship is fully Roman in substance but distinct in form: more hieratic, more scriptural in tone, and more ceremonial.

National Shrine, Washington, DC | Divine Worship

* References for Ad Orientem Worship

Church Documents

1. Anglicanorum Coetibus (2009) — Establishes the Personal Ordinariates and affirms the value of Anglican liturgical patrimony, including traditional ceremonial such as eastward orientation.
2. Divine Worship: The Missal (2015) — The official liturgical book of the Ordinariates; its rubrics and ceremonial norms implicitly support eastward celebration.

Scholarly and Theological Works

1. Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), The Spirit of the Liturgy — A foundational theological treatment of liturgical orientation; Cardinal Ratzinger argues that facing East expresses the eschatological nature of Christian worship.
2. Uwe Michael Lang, Turning Towards the Lord: Orientation in Liturgical Prayer — The most comprehensive modern study of the history, theology, and symbolism of eastward orientation.
3. Klaus Gamber, The Reform of the Roman Liturgy — Discusses the historical norm of eastward celebration and critiques the assumption that versus populum was ancient practice.

Ordinariate‑Specific Resources

• Fr. Christopher Smith, The Liturgical Orientation of Divine Worship — A theological reflection on why Ordinariate communities frequently celebrate ad orientem.

Historical and Patristic Sources

1. St. Basil the Great, On the Holy Spirit — eastward direction of prayer as an ancient Christian custom.
2. St. John of Damascus, On the Orthodox Faith — symbolism of praying toward the East.
3. Early church architecture studies (e.g., Richard Krautheimer) — eastward orientation of basilicas and liturgical spaces.