Commontide
The Holy Eucharist — the Bishop or Priest stands and says
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who in his great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins to all those who sincerely repent and with true faith turn to him, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and bring you to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This prayer appears in more than one place in the 2019 Book of Common Prayer.
Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.
This declaration of forgiveness has been spoken by a priest over penitent communicants since Cranmer's first authorized English communion rite, the 1548 Order of the Communion. It passed into the 1549 prayer book a year later and has remained unchanged in substance for nearly five centuries.