Commontide
Almighty God, who in the place of Judas chose your faithful servant Matthias to be numbered among the Twelve: Grant that your Church, being delivered from false apostles, may always be guided and governed by faithful and true pastors; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
BCP 2019, p. 627
Preface of Apostles
Through the great shepherd of your flock, Jesus Christ our Lord, who after his resurrection sent forth his apostles to preach the Gospel and to teach all nations, and promised to be with them always, even to the end of the ages.
Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.
This prayer for the feast of Saint Matthias has been prayed by English-speaking Christians since the first Book of Common Prayer in 1549. It is one of Thomas Cranmer's own compositions, written to mark the apostle chosen to fill the vacancy left by Judas, and it turns that singular election into a continuing prayer for the Church's protection from false teachers and its guidance by trustworthy pastors.