The Anglican Contribution to Spanish Liturgical Life: Spanish Translations of the Book of Common Prayer and the liturgy of the Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church

Abstract

Spanish translations of the Book of Common Prayer in the 17th and 18th century and their use by various groups of Spanish Protestant exiles are a testimony to early interactions between the Anglican Church and Spain. Given this history, the creation in the late 19th century of the Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church, the small Spanish branch of the Anglican Communion, is not as odd as may first appear. In its prayer book, the Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church has fused the liturgical tradition represented by the Book of Common Prayer with the Mozarabic rite, the ancient liturgy of Spanish Christians. It thereby seeks to provide a door to Spain’s own indigenous liturgical heritage, which has virtually been forgotten in Spanish Roman Catholic practice. The Spanish, national identity of Anglicans in Spain is thus affirmed and celebrated.