The Diocesan Dialogue
Current Issue
May 2008

Historic BCP and Bible used in the Holy Eucharist service

Recognizing the heritage of the Diocese of Utah, past visits by Presiding Bishops, and the history of St. Mark's Cathedral, the collect and reading came from a treasured collection of diocesan history. The collect was read from the Book of Common Prayer presented to the then Missionary District of Utah and Nevada 116 years ago. That BCP was personally signed by the Presiding Bishop of the time, the Most Rev. John Williams. It was especially fitting for the service with the current Presiding Bishop, as she had been the Bishop of Nevada, which has a common past with the Diocese of Utah.

The selected reading for the service came from the Book of Revelation. Bishop Tuttle's Bible was used for that Word of the Lord. The Bible was printed in 1829, and was given to Utah's first Bishop (and later Presiding Bishop) in 1871 by St. George's Church on New York's Long Island.

Bishop Tuttle's Book of Common Prayer was also on display at the Cathedral during the service. It is one of the oldest American BCP in existence, having been printed in 1795. It was given to Bishop Tuttle by St. George's Church at the same time he received the Bible. Both were well used in his Utah ministry. The Bible shows signs of coal heat in earlier times as it has carbon stained black deposits on page margins.

Return to current issue Table of Contents
or Dialogue main page »