The English translation of the Holy Communion
To the People in the Parishes of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai
The Liturgical Commission have completed the English translation of the Holy Communion and its accompanying texts such as collects in the 1990 Nippon Sei Ko Kai Prayer Book. In the 222nd (regular) synod of Bishops, the translation was approved for a trial use.
The Commission appreciate all efforts that have been paid to celebrate the Holy Communion in English, using English prayer books of other provinces such as Book of Common Prayer of the US-Based Episcopal Church or Common Worship of the Church of England.
The Commission strongly recommend to use these new texts for the Holy Communion celebrated in English in the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, expecting the celebration of the Holy Communion become more communal regardless of the language used.
Please see the following notes to use the translated English texts.
The Rev. John Masato Yoshida
Chair, The Liturgical Commission, Nippon Sei Ko Kai
Please download from here:
http://nskk.org/province/liturgy/
Notes:
１．This translation was created under a policy to make it faithful to the original Japanese Prayer Book of the NSKK as much as possible. Therefore, the translation may seem to be not smooth or different from ordinary English texts in English prayer books. If such makes this translation difficult for practical use, minor changes may be made with the consultation of the diocesan bishop.
２． Some liturgical texts, such as the creeds and the Lord’s Prayer, are taken from Praying Together of the English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC), an ecumenical body which discusses common English liturgical texts among denominations. Please note that these texts are not the translation of the original Japanese texts. Some texts that the ELLC does not provide are mainly taken from the Book of Common Prayer of the US-based Episcopal Church, mainly because their texts have been declared as in public domain.
* Much of these liturgical texts are formatted by split lines and indentations as in their original format, and this may bring difficulties to make side-by-side service booklets in both Japanese and English. Because of the reasons above, however, please respect the original format.
３．With regard to spellings and wordings, they are modeled after "the contemporary standard English" that is mentioned in the Curriculum Guideline of the Ministry of Education.
４． In general, the lectionary should follow that of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai issued by the Provincial Office. Please consult with diocesan bishops regarding the difference of chapters and verses between Japanese lectionary and English bibles such as New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).
