The pre-Vatican II Breviary is available in a two-volume, hardback set. The hours prayed late at night have been removed. Morning started with Prime at 6am, Terce at 9am, Sext at noon, None at 3pm, Vespers at 6pm, Matins was divided into three parts prayed at 9pm, midnight and 3am and Lauds was prayed at dawn.Ĭurrently the Hours are divided into the Invititory, the Office of Readings, Morning Prayer, Midmorning, Midday, Midafternoon, Evening Prayer and Night Prayer. Prior to Vatican II, the Breviary was divided into sections that were to be prayed about every three hours throughout the day and night. Before the revision following Vatican II there were many more hours including ones in the middle of the night that have since been dropped. The Breviary is meant to be prayed at specific times during the day. The Breviary contains a collection of Psalms, Scripture readings, writings of the Church Fathers and other prayers.

This version eventually spread throughout Europe and during the pontificate of Nicholas III (1277-1280) was officially adopted in Rome and eventually by the whole Church. When the Franciscan Order was founded, they had need of a compact book containing the daily prayers so they created a shorter version of the Breviary that they could take on their travels.

During the pontificate of Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) the use of the Breviary spread beyond the Benedictines to the Roman Papal court. The hours are an ancient tradition that can be traced back to early Benedictan monastics who took seriously the biblical command to “pray without ceasing”. If you get requests like this from customers, it's a good idea to have a little knowledge on your side so you can help them make the right purchase.įirst of all, the Divine Office, Breviary and Liturgy of the Hours all refer to the same thing – a book containing prayers that are meant to be said at specific times throughout the day. They really aren't sure what the book is called because it has several names. We frequently receive calls from customers looking for the Divine Office or maybe it's the Breviary or possibly the Liturgy of the Hours.

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