CHRISTMINSTER PRESS
Western-Rite Orthodox Publications

Christminster Press
Christ the Saviour Monastery
P. O. Box 6332
Providence, RI 02940-6332
(401) 943-3990

Christminster Press is a mission and work of the western-rite Orthodox Monastery of Christ the Saviour, providing practical and high quality editions of materials needed for the proper celebration of the Western Orthodox Liturgy and for the propagation of Western Orthodoxy.

The Monastery of Christ the Saviour was established in 1993 with the blessing of Bishop Hilarion of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, to continue within the Synod the tradition and work of western-rite Orthodox monasticism and to promote Orthodoxy in the western-rite tradition.

Over the years, to facilitate and enhance its own worship and liturgical observance, the Monastery has edited and published numerous musical and liturgical materials. In every case the goal has been to provide clergy and all members of the worshipping community with clear and comprehensible texts and music that allow all to join fully, intelligently, and actively in the liturgical celebrations.

In every case, the language of these services is a traditional liturgical English, in most cases directly derived from texts translated in the Tudor period in England. Musically, the texts contain the authentic gregorian or ambrosian chants rendered into traditional English with traditional chant notation. Occasionally a text will be retained in Latin, reflecting the use of this Monastery and maintaining as a living tradition the ancient liturgical language of the west.

In addition to liturgical materials for sanctuary and congregational use, educational, promotional and apologetic items for missionary outreach are available. These may be ordered, at an extra charge, imprinted with the name and address of a particular church or parish, as desired, or left blank for your own imprinting or labeling. Please call or write for such special orders.

We are aware that the present state of western-rite Orthodoxy encompasses more than one western liturgical tradition. This is generally, in our opinion, a healthy thing, reflecting the liturgical variety and vitality of the first thousand years or more of Orthodox Christianity. While our texts have been designed for our own use at the Monastery, they will be found to accommodate almost every other western use presently employed in western-rite Orthodoxy. Naturally, any heretical or heterodox elements in the original western rites have been removed.

Christminster Press
Christ the Saviour Monastery
P. O. Box 6332
Providence, RI 02940-6332
(401) 943-3990
christminster@email.com

LITURGICAL MUSIC
(Pew Editions)

MASS ORDINARIES: These contain all the Ordinary chants of the Mass in English, including all responses, Asperges/Vidi Aquam, Kyrie*, Gloria, Creed, Sanctus, Our Father, Agnus Dei, and Dismissal. Some of these, marked with an asterisk, also contain the full text of the Ordinary and Canon of the Mass as used at Christminster, as well as prayers of preparation before Mass and thanksgiving after Mass, and the final seasonal hymns (in Latin) to the Mother of God. (*The Kyrie eleison in all our editions is retained in the original Greek.)

LB/010 Missa de Angelis: suitable for the seasons after Epiphany and Pentecost/Trinity, as are the following two Mass Ordinaries.

LB/011 Missa Dominicalis

LB/012 Missa Marialis

LB/013 Missa Penitentialis: suitable for Advent/Lent, ember days and vigils; contains no Gloria.

LB/014 Missa Paschalis: suitable for Eastertide, with Ambrosian Gloria, Easter sequence (“Christians to the Paschal Victim”), and western-chant setting of Christ is Risen, and the Regina Caeli.

HOLY WEEK SERVICES:
These contain all the required congregational chants and some hymns.

LB/070 Palm Sunday: contains all the proper and ordinary chants for the Blessing of Palms, Procession, and Mass.

LB/071 Maundy Thursday: contains all the proper and ordinary chants for the evening Mass, including the chants for the Washing of the Feet (Mandatum), the procession with the Blessed Sacrament, and the Stripping of the Altar.

LB/072 Good Friday (in preparation)

LB/073 The Great Vigil of Easter: contains all the congregational and choir chants (proper and ordinary) for the Vigil, Prophecies, Litany, and First Mass of Easter. This does not contain the celebrant’s or reader’s text or chant of the Exultet, or Prophecies, nor the Blessing of Baptismal Water & Rite of Baptism.

SACRAMENTAL RITES

LB/020 The Rite of Baptism: contains the complete rite of Baptism, with renunciation of heresy, exorcisms, anointings, blessing of the font, the baptism, and chrismation with communion.

LB/021 Holy Unction: the service of holy anointing as used in Holy Week or for any general service of anointing of the sick.

SEASONAL BLESSINGS & OBSERVANCES

LB/050 Solemn Blessing of Water on Epiphany: the service from the Rituale Romanum for the solemn blessing of water at Epiphany, including the Litany and the Te Deum (in English). Includes the Blessing of Chalk in honor of the Magi and the rite for inscribing their initials on the doors of houses.

LB/060 Ash Wednesday: the service for the blessing and imposition of ashes at the beginning of Lent.

LL/030 Blessing of an Advent Wreath

LL/031 Blessing of St. John’s Wine: the service of blessing and distributing wine on the feast of St. John the Apostle (27 December).

LL/032 Blessing of Roses: the blessing of roses on the fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday).

LL/033 Blessing of Candles & Throats: the service for blessing candles and throats on the feast of St. Blaine (3 February).

LL/051 Nativity Proclamation: the solemn proclamation of the Nativity from the Roman Martyrology, set to chant, and sung on Christmas Eve.

LL/052 Epiphany Proclamation: the solemn proclamation on Epiphany of all the dates of the forthcoming year’s major feasts and observances, set to chant. (Variable from year to year)

MONASTIC RITES & OBSERVANCES

ML/040 Blessing of the Cross or Medal of St. Benedict: the exorcism and blessing of the traditional medal of St. Benedict.

ML/041 Oblate Observances: the “rule” as observed by Oblates of Christminster.

ML/042 Reception of an Oblate-Novice: the service for receiving a man or woman as an oblate-novice.

PASTORAL & APOLOGETIC MATERIALS

PL/090 Faith of Your Fathers: a tri-fold leaflet giving a brief invitation to Christians disillusioned with their present denominations to return to the real “faith of their fathers” – holy Orthodoxy.

PL/091 Western Orthodox Christians: Who Are They? A four-fold leaflet giving a brief history of western-rite Orthodoxy and an invitation to westerners to return to their Orthodox origins.

PL/092 The Kalendar: the general calendar of feasts and observances of the Monastery of Christ the Saviour. (This is a general calendar and needs to be adjusted or adapted to fit any specific year.)

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