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Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (New York: Church Publishing, 2010) 785 pp., $35.00.
The first American Book of Common Prayer (BCP) of 1789 listed no minor holy days or optional memorials on its calendar. The same was also true of the 1892 and 1928 editions. In 1964, however, the Episcopal Church sanctioned around a hundred new commemorations to be included in its official liturgical calendar. Every three years thereafter, subsequent to the General Convention, the Church has published a volume entitled Lesser Feasts and Fasts (LFF), the last edition being in 2006. Following the 2009 Convention, the present work, with the more descriptive and contemporary title Holy Women, Holy Men (HWHM), was approved for publication and trial usage until the 2012 General Convention. No prior commemoration has been omitted, and around a hundred new entries have been proposed. By means of an online opinion-gathering survey, the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) has invited worshippers-at-large to offer their input for further revision. The data will be collated, evaluated and presented for ratification or emendation by the 2012 General Convention.
Up to the publication of LFF 2006, the material has been reedited piecemeal every three years. Subsequent editions included new "saints" as well as those from prior editions. This current revision, including over a hundred new entries, is a worthy parallel to its pioneering predecessor, the very first Lesser Feasts and Fasts, published 46 years ago.
To understand the Episcopal liturgical calendar, certain distinctions are necessary. For the most part, the calendar has retained most of the historic catholic feasts and saints. However, when it comes to including new saints, a much less formal canonization process than that required by Roman Catholic canon law is involved. Contemporary persons whom the Episcopal Church recognizes as having led holy, heroic and exemplary lives are eventually proposed to the triennial General Convention. For Episcopalians, this is the ultimate canonical legislative body.
The vetting process for proposing persons for inclusion in the calendar involves considerable research and teamwork by the SCLM. A slate of names is presented to General Convention, which discusses, deliberates, and...