Eucharistic Prayers A–H
Eight of them. Most parishes use two, and could not say why those two.
Common Worship Order One provides eight eucharistic prayers, lettered A to H. They are not interchangeable in tone or length, and choosing between them deliberately is one of the cheapest ways to give a parish’s year some shape.
| Prayer | Character | Often used for |
|---|---|---|
| A | The default. Moderate length, familiar, with seasonal proper prefaces | Ordinary Sundays; the safe choice |
| B | Slightly fuller, strong on the Spirit | Pentecost, confirmations, ordinations |
| C | Traditional in cadence, closest to the BCP | Parishes of a more traditional temper; Prayer Book congregations |
| D | Short, responsive, repeated refrain | All-age and family eucharists |
| E | The shortest of them | Weekdays; services under time pressure |
| F | Extended, responsive, Eastern in shape | Festivals; parishes that like a sung dialogue |
| G | Rich imagery, strong creation theme | Harvest, creation seasons, Trinity |
| H | Fully responsive throughout, very short | All-age; small midweek congregations |
How to choose
- By season. The commonest workable pattern: one prayer for Ordinary Time, one for festivals, one for all-age. Three, rotated by the calendar rather than by mood.
- By length. D, E and H are markedly shorter. If a service is running long, this is a more honest place to save four minutes than cutting a hymn.
- By congregational involvement. D, F and H are responsive — the congregation has lines. That is either the point or the problem, depending on your parish.
The printing consequence
The eucharistic prayer is the longest single text in the booklet, so which one you use largely determines your page count — and therefore whether you land on twelve pages or sixteen. See why the page count must divide by four.
A responsive prayer also needs more careful setting: the congregation’s lines in bold, and no page turn in the middle of a dialogue. A turn between The Lord is here and His Spirit is with us will produce exactly the silence you would expect.
Questions
How many eucharistic prayers are there in Common Worship Order One?
Eight, lettered A to H. They differ in length, tone and how much the congregation says.
Which eucharistic prayer is the shortest?
Prayer E is the shortest, with H close behind. Both are widely used for weekday services and where time is tight.
Which eucharistic prayer is best for an all-age service?
D and H are the usual choices: both are short and fully responsive, so the congregation has lines throughout rather than listening to a long single voice.