Anglo-Catholic Liturgy

At the time of the Tractarians, young priests graduating from Oxford sought forms of worship that would be expressive of the Movement's sacramental theology. The liturgy in the Church of England at this time was comprised of a very plain service of Morning Prayer and the Litany said by priests who wore no vestments. Communion was celebrated four times a year by the priest in white vestments and black scarf, and involved very little ceremony. The focal point of churches was the pulpit, not the altar.

The early Anglo-Catholics re-discovered liturgies used in the medieval Churches prior to the Reformation. They advocated the construction of large gothic-style buildings that were richly decorated. The altar was placed in the dominant position to emphasize the central part the Eucharist was to have in the services. These altars were adorned with crosses and flowers, candles and frontals.

Anglo-catholic priests started to wear chasubles and colourful robes. The Eucharist was celebrated weekly, if not daily. Processions, incense, bells and holy water came back into use. The Blessed Sacrament was reserved for the sick and shut-in, and the practice of confession was revived. Prayers for the dead and invocation of the Saints were restored and included in public worship.

Naturally, all these changes did not come about without controversy and opposition. Rioting mobs disrupted services, bishops tried to curb the "popish" excesses and, in the 1870's, some priests were successfully prosecuted and jailed for alleged violations of the rubrics of the Book of Common Prayer. However, by the beginning of the 20th century, Anglo-catholic worship had gained a small but secure place in the life of the Anglican Church.

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