Something very special has been gifted to St. Bart’s. St. Bart’s is the recipient of a presentation copy of the 1892 edition of The Book of Common Prayer And Administration of the Sacraments And other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church According to the use of The Protestant Episcopal Church In the United States of America together with The Psalter or Psalms of David. This edition was the first revision of the American prayer book since 1789.
This presentation copy is significant to our parish because Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, who would later become the architect of St. Bartholomew’s Church, designed the book’s borders and cover. The committee overseeing the preparation of the book gave a copy to Goodhue in recognition of his work, and this book was handed down from generation to generation in the Goodhue family. In 2022, Nicholas Goodhue, grandson of Bertram, lovingly gifted the volume to St. Bartholomew’s Church. His generosity to the parish is very much appreciated.
St. Bart's Archivist Percy Preston with Nicholas Goodhue, grandson of Bertram Goodhue
The presentation edition of the Prayer Book was printed on American hand-made paper by the De Vinne Press of New York and bound in vellum. In 1893, two hundred and fifty copies of the presentation edition were made and distributed to parishes and libraries around the country. The cost of the presentation edition was borne by J. Pierpont Morgan, a prominent Episcopalian and member of St. George’s Church in Manhattan. Morgan was the founder of J. P. Morgan & Co. (today part of JP Morgan Chase Bank) and of the Morgan Library & Museum.
The Book of Common Prayer is used by millions of people around the world. Second only to the King James Bible in religious readership, the prayer book influenced the development of the English language itself. According to historian Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Book of Common Prayer is “one of a handful of texts to have decided the future of a world language.” The Book of Common Prayer has been a transforming influence within Anglicanism (and beyond) since the creation of the original prayer book in the 1500s.
Not only is The Book of Common Prayer widely used throughout the English-speaking world, but it appears in more than 50 different countries and in more than 150 different languages. Because of its widespread use, the words of the prayer book have become a familiar part of the English language, and after the Bible, it’s the most frequently cited book in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.
As we say, “Everybody needs a place.” This house of worship holds space for the ancient, unique, and new, and we are honored to be home to this new addition. Plans to display this generous gift are underway.
1892 Prayer Book
