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The three dioceses I've served in all do it during Holy Week. The oil for the sick, and chrism, gets used well enough, but I do sometimes wonder why they bother with the oil for catechumens; I'm sure almost no one uses it.
I guess in theory we could, but it's always done by the bishop, and I've only ever used that oil rather than bless my own. Why do you say that we should?
Yeah, I apologize. I took a myopic American view of the question. In our 1979 BCP and the approved supplements since, the only place the blessing of healing oil is mentioned, it's blessed by the priest in the action of the ministration to the sick (whether that be a public service of healing or a private ministration in a home or medical facility). According to the definitive commentary on our BCP, that's because the drafters envisioned it being done at time of use. In other words, it's visibly blessed in the midst of the people who will receive it -- a connection I quite like since part of the power of the ritual action is that the priest is bringing the person's local community with them, at least symbolically. In fact, for me, it's almost the opposite of the connection that chrism at baptism is trying to make, where it's the bishop being symbolically present.
Ah, that's interesting.
I've been told to return it to earth, also. (I've never seen an oil burning presence lamp, either).
So can I ask...do you turn to unofficial resources for those things that aren't in the prayer book? That is fairly common here when that happens, although it seems it probably happens less for us than for you. The blessing of holy water (outside of baptism) is probably the most common one for us. There's a mix of (a) just say whatever prayer comes to mind, (b) whatever prayer your mentor taught you, and (c) a prayer from some outside book that mostly copies Rome.
Yes, it would be, which is why I usually bless fresh oil about once a year in a public healing Eucharist and then use that for a while. Ministry with the sick is one of those rites where figuring out what part is the central thing is tough. There's praying, hand-laying, anointing, Eucharist, occasionally confession. Certainly not uncluttered!
Those cotton balls burn wonderfully in my fireplace. Just like dried palm brances.
Yes, that sounds about right. Your book of Occasional Services, Michno's Handbook, and various bits and pieces from Common Worship would be common go-tos, at least on the more catholic side of things. The evangelicals probably do most things extempore, if they do them at all, from what I've seen.
I'm not Anglican, but I own that book and enjoyed it immensely! It's the liturgical nerd in me! Even though I'm a layman
Rev, would most Australian Anglicans be low-Church or broad Church and not necessarily Anglo-Catholic? Or are Anglo-Catholics not very common in your neck of the woods? Just curious
Generally it's to be reverently consumed; that might include taking it to the sick, or those not able to attend church.
It depends where you are. Different parts of the Australian Anglican church were originally pioneered by different mission agencies or the like; where those mission agencies were more evangelical (like Sydney) the resulting church has retained that flavour; in other parts of Australia, like the rural dioceses of Ballarat and Wangaratta, there was more catholic influence.Rev, would most Australian Anglicans be low-Church or broad Church and not necessarily Anglo-Catholic? Or are Anglo-Catholics not very common in your neck of the woods? Just curious
