Just what are these?
These altar service cards are intended to serve a mnemonic aids—crib sheet, if you will—for the portions a priest or deacon would use when he is facing the people in a traditional ad orientem celebration, including the exhortation to communion.
With these and a Holy Gospel book, one would not need to pick up the altar book/missal or carry an extra prayer book at the altar. This is especially helpful if one is using a loose-leaf or spiral bound Altar Book, neither of which carry well.
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One of the cards includes a woodcut from Percy Dearmer’s The English Liturgy, which is intended look aesthetically pleasing on the altar (if cards are not laid flat), and can be held as a decent cover to the cards when facing the people.
The service card set consists of 4 double-sided cards, which include prayers for four Prayer Books with page references: 1928, 2019, 2019-Traditional Language Edition, and the new 1662: International Edition. The 1928 card is also suitable for 1979 BCP Rite I/Anglican Service Book excluding the “Word of God” phrase in the Comfortable Words; the 1979 exhortation is too different to account for...
For more information, and to obtain a set, please go to the liturgies page:
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