Commontide
The Consecration and Dedication of a Place of Worship — said before entering the church
O Eternal God, mighty in power, of majesty incomprehensible, whom the heavens cannot contain, much less the walls of temples made with hands: You have graciously promised your holy presence wherever two or three of your faithful servants gather together in the Name of your Son. Be present with us who now come with humility and gratitude to consecrate this place to the honor of your great Name. We dedicate it to the work of your kingdom, separating it from all profane use: for reading your most holy Word, for celebrating your holy Sacraments, for offering to your glorious majesty the sacrifice of prayer and thanksgiving, for the blessing of your people, and for the mission of your Church. Accept, O Lord, this service at our hands, and fill this place with your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.
This is the prayer a bishop says just before entering a church building for the first time to consecrate it, asking God, who is far too great to be contained by any building, to be present in this particular place anyway. Its wording goes back nearly 300 years, to an unofficial 18th-century English form built on a pioneering rite composed by Bishop Lancelot Andrewes in the 1620s.