I want to purchase a copy. Amazon has 2 different copies. One is 2012 and the other is 2014, but more expensive I'm guessing because it is a revised edition. So my question is this .... which one would be the best one to buy? Is the 2014 revised copy worth the extra cash, or would the 2012 be fine? Thanks in advance!
I have the 2012 version. Overall, it is a good book, but too Anglo-Catholic for me since I don't pray to the Virgin Mary or saints in general. The Anglican Parishes Association (Anglican Catholic Church site) offers an even older edition: https://anglican-parishes-associati...ayer-books/products/st-augustines-prayer-book This is the newer one, in PDF, which I have: https://www.forwardmovement.org/Content/Site170/FilesSamples/151277StAugusti_00000077574.pdf Apparently, the original, 1967 version, conforms more to the BCP. All the subsequent editions are closer to the missal (erg, even more Anglo-Catholic).
Could you explain what this Missal thing is? My parish is Anglo-Catholic and I've never heard of it, but it seems to be a big deal online.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Missal What it amounts to, is that some Anglo-Catholics feel the Book of Common Prayer is not adequate, and therefore, they have replaced it with some version of missal that is more akin to Roman Catholic worship forms.
That may be true for some. But my main purpose is to use it 'along with' the BCP in my personal prayer/devotional life during the Lenten Season as not only am I 'taking away' but also 'adding to' with extra study, prayer and devotions. I LOVE the BCP. I use it all the time. I won't be using all the devotions in the St. Augustine Prayer Book for sure ... but there are quite a few I really like and think I will incorporate into my Lenten practice. It's not a big deal in my parish either (that I know of anyway). I was talking to a fellow parishioner about Lent and he told me about it when I was asking about various other prayer books.
I understand the position of those who use the missals, but at least for me, it is just another nail in the coffin of classical Anglicanism. The distinguishing marks of Anglicanism, the Via Media, the 39 Articles, and the BCP, are all-too-often tossed aside or relegated to a secondary position.
I actually just wrote a brief review of the 2014 version of St Augustine's Prayer Book. https://saint-aelfric-customary.org/2019/06/08/book-review-saint-augustines-prayer-book/ Hope it contributes to your investigation and decision making!
I enjoyed your review, Father, and will probably comment more later; I'm putting my kids to bed. But, I have the 2014 and I enjoy it. Some parts rarely (the more RC leaning side, like Marian devotions), others very frequently. I love a lot of the occasional prayers, and family prayers. I even recently completed the Novena to the Holy Spirit, as a focus of repentance and also petition. I use it as a "jumping off point" for a lot of my own devotions, and it's size makes it easy to carry everywhere. My wife is a Byzantine rite Catholic (former Latin rite), so I'm sure that influences me.