Thanksgiving (Prayer)
The Catechism identifies thanksgiving as one of the seven principal kinds of prayer (BCP, p. 856). We offer thanksgiving to God “for all the blessings of this life, for our redemption, and for whatever draws us closer to God” (p. 857). The eucharistic prayer, from the Sursum corda through the people's Amen, is known as the Great Thanksgiving (see BCP, p. 361). The BCP provides a variety of thanksgivings, including general thanksgivings, and thanksgivings for the church, national life, the social order, the natural order, and for family and personal life (pp. 836-841).
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.