In five Roman Catholic churches around the U.S., the priests and the congregations recite this prayer at Mass before the consecrated bread and wine are distributed: "We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table . . ." The words, unfamiliar to Roman Catholics, come from the Book of Common Prayer, cherished by Anglicans since the first edition of 1549. The passage now forms part of a Vatican-approved hybrid Mass...
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