Lent 2026

Dear Cathedral Family,

When we began the first Sunday in Lent with The Great Litany (BCP 148), said with clergy and choir in procession, we were participating in a version of the very first rite of our Church published in English. It was crafted in 1544 by Thomas Cranmer as a special supplication when Henry VIII was at war with Scotland and France, to be used by the people in procession in church. It has been continually revised and included in all English and American editions of the Book of Common Prayer since then. Our present prayer book allows for it to be said or sung “kneeling, standing, or in procession” and stresses its appropriateness for Lent. So, when we pray this litany, we are beginning Lent in penitential communion with the whole Church, past and present.

It is called “Great” to distinguish it from other litanies (prayers with fixed responses following short biddings) in the Prayer Book. Another important litany we pray together is at the very beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, the Litany of Penitence (BCP 267). Jay Sidebotham, the author of the annual “Journey Through Lent” poster, suggests that daily reading of this litany could be a Lenten practice. Even if that does not work for you, praying it now might be a way to discover your Lenten discipline through paying attention to where you find yourself being addressed in the prayers.

Lent is a season for stretching, for working our muscles of prayer and daily discipline so that we stay able and active in following Jesus. One reason that we shift our worship to Rite One in Lent is in order to step outside the comfort of the familiar and pay attention to how we approach God, how we follow Christ, how we pray, how we live our faith. The unusual words, often unfamiliar to us, not only connect us with our history and tradition, but they also invite us to go deeper in exploring what God calls us to do and who we are called to be.

I hope that you have found a Lenten practice that is stretching you and that you are being drawn closer to Christ in this journey.

Faithfully,

Beverly+