Canonical hours are ancient divisions of time, developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed prayers of the daily round. A Book of Hours contains such a set of prayers. Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on Jesus of Nazareth, and on his life and teachings as presented in the New Testament. ... A church building (or simply church) is a building used in Christian worship. ... Maria Magdalene in prayer. ... A illuminated page from the Très Riches Heures showing the day for exchanging gifts from the month of January A Book of Hours is the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript. ...

In the West, canonical hours may also be called offices, since they refer to the official set of prayer of the Roman Catholic Church that is known variously as the Divine Office (from the Latin officium divinum meaning "divine service" or "divine duty"), and the Opus Dei (meaning in Latin, "Work of God"). The current official version of the hours in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church is called the Liturgy of the hours (Latin: Liturgia horarum). Such divisions are reflected in prayer books of other traditions, notably the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, in which the liturgy is referred to as the daily offices. In the Eastern Orthodox Church the Book of Hours is called Orologion (Greek: Ωρολόγιον). Catholic Church redirects here. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language. ... Latin Rite, in the singular and accompanied, in English, by the definite article (the Latin Rite), designates the particular Church, within the Catholic Church, which developed in western Europe and northern Africa, when Latin was the language of education and culture, and so also of the liturgy. ... The Liturgy of the Hours is usually recited in full in monastic communities. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... 1979 ECUSABCP The Book of Common Prayer[1] is foundational prayer book of the Church of England and also the name for similar books used in other churches in the Anglican Communion. ... The Eastern Orthodox Church is a Christian body that encompasses national jurisdictions such as the Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox and other Churches (see Eastern Orthodox Church organization). ...

The practice of daily prayers grew from the Jewish practice of reciting prayers at set times of the day: for example, in the book of Acts, Peter and John visit the temple for the afternoon prayers (Acts 3:1). Psalm 119:164 states: "Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws." The Acts of the Apostles (Greek Praxeis Apostolon) is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. ... The Acts of the Apostles (Greek Praxeis Apostolon) is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. ...

Though this practice is believed to have been passed down through the centuries from the Apostles, it was in 525 that St. Benedict wrote the first official manual for praying the Hours. With the Cluniac reforms of the 11th century there was a new emphasis on liturgy and the canonical hours in the reformed Benedictine priories with the Abbey of Cluny at their head. The Holy See did not issue an official Roman breviary until the 11th century, as part of the reforms that were designed to bring all the variant usages of Christian churches in the West into conformity. Events Bernicia settled by the Angles Ethiopia conquers Yemen The Daisan river, a tributary of the Euphrates, floods Edessa and within a couple of hours fills the entire city except for the highest parts. ... This article is about Saint Benedict of Nursia, for other uses of the name Benedict see Benedict (disambiguation) Saint Benedict of Nursia (c. ... Cluny nowadays The town of Cluny or Clugny lies in the modern-day département of Saône-et-Loire in the région of France, near Mâcon. ... A Benedictine is a person who follows the Rule of St Benedict. ... The abbey today The Abbey of Cluny (or Cluni, or Clugny) was founded on 2 September 909 by the Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Auvergne, William I, who placed it under the immediate authority of Pope Sergius III. The Abbey and its constellation of dependencies soon came to exemplify... A breviary (from Latin brevis, short or concise) is a liturgical book containing the public or canonical prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notations for everyday use, especially for priests, in the Divine Office (i. ... The term Western world or the West can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ...

Already well-established by the ninth century, these canonical offices consisted of eight daily prayer events and three (or four) nightly divisions (called "nocturns", "watches," or "vigils"). Building on the recitation of psalms and canticles from Scripture, the Church has added (and, at times, subtracted) hymns, hagiographical readings, and other prayers. Nocturns (Latin: Nocturni or Nocturna) are an ancient form of Christian night prayer. ... Vigils is a term for night prayer in ancient Christianity. ... Psalms (Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh. ... A canticle is a hymn (strictly excluding the Psalms) taken from the Bible. ... Many religions and spiritual movements hold certain written texts (or series of spoken legends not traditionally written down) to be sacred. ... A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a god or other religiously significant figure. ... Hagiography is the study of saints. ...

The practice of observing canonical hours is maintained by many Churches, including the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, and the Anglican communion. The remainder of this article is divided into three sections: the Catholic usage, the Anglican usage, and the Orthodox usage. ... The term Anglican (from medieval Latin ecclesia Anglicana meaning the English church) is used to describe the people, institutions, and churches that adhere to the religious traditions developed by the established Church of England, the Anglican Communion and the Continuing Anglican Churches, a loosely affiliated group of independent churches which...

Development of the offices

Judaism and the Early Church

As is noted above, the canonical hours stemmed from Jewish prayer. In the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelite priests to offer sacrifices of animals in the morning and evening (Exodus 29:38-29). Eventually, these sacrifices soon moved from the Tabernacle to the Temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem. During the Babylonian Exile, when the Temple was no longer in use, the first synagogues were established, and the services (at fixed hours of the day) of Torah readings, psalms, and hymns began to evolve. This "sacrifice of praise" began to be substituted for the bloody sacrifices of animals. Maria Magdalene in prayer. ... NOTE: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh, but not Old Testament, because it does not recognize the New Testament as a continuation or completion of the Jewish bible. ... Exodus is the second book of the Torah (the Pentateuch) and also the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), and the Christian Old Testament. ... The Tabernacle is known in Hebrew as the Mishkan ( משכן Place of [Divine] dwelling). It was to be a portable central place of worship for the Hebrews from the time they left ancient Egypt following the Exodus, through the time of the Book of Judges when they were engaged in conquering... The Temple in Jerusalem or the Holy Temple (Hebrew: בית המקדש, transliterated Bet HaMikdash) was built in ancient Jerusalem in c. ... Artists depiction of Solomons court (Ingobertus, c. ... Jerusalem (Hebrew: , Yerushaláyim or Yerushalaim; Greek: Ιεροσόλυμα, Ierosólyma or Ιερουσαλήμ, IerousalÄ“m; Latin: Hierosolyma; Arabic: , al-Quds; official Arabic in Israel: أورشليم القدس, Urshalim-Al-Quds) is the largest city of Israel. ... The Babylonian captivity, or Babylonian exile, is the name generally given to the deportation and exile of the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. ... Lesko synagogue, Poland A synagogue (Hebrew: בית כנסת ; beit knesset, house of assembly; Yiddish: שול, shul) is a Jewish place of religious worship. ... Torah () is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or law. It is the central and most important document of Judaism revered by Jews through the ages. ... Psalms (Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh. ...

After the people returned to Judea, the prayer services were incorporated into Temple worship as well. As time passed, the Jews began to be scattered across the Greco-Roman world in what is known as the Diaspora. By the time of the Roman Empire, the Jews (and eventually early Christians) began to follow the Roman system of conducting the business day in scheduling their times for prayer. In Roman cities, the bell in the forum rang the beginning of the business day at about six o'clock in the morning (prime, the "first hour"), noted the day's progress by striking again at about nine o'clock in the morning (terce, the "third hour"), tolled for the lunch break at noon (sext, the "sixth hour"), called the people back to work again at about three o'clock in the afternoon (none, the "ninth hour"), and rang the close of the business day at about six o'clock in the evening (the time for evening prayer). Judea or Judaea (יהודה Praise, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew ) (Greek: Ιουδαία) is a term used for the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel (Hebrew: ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael), an area now divided between Israel and the West Bank, and, in a few geographical definitions of Judea, Jordan. ... The Jewish diaspora (Hebrew: Tefutzah, scattered, or Galut, exile) is the dispersion of the Jewish people throughout the world. ... The Roman Empire was a phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by an autocratic form of government. ... A bell is a simple sound-making device. ... The Forum of Jerash, in Jordan. ...

The first miracle of the apostles, the healing of the crippled man on the temple steps, occurred because Peter and John went to the Temple to pray (Acts 3:1). Also, one of the defining moments of the early Church, the decision to include Gentiles among the community of believers, arose from a vision Peter had while praying at noontime (Acts 10:9-49). Look up Peter, peter in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... // Look up John, john in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Acts of the Apostles (Greek Praxeis Apostolon) is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. ... A Gentile refers to a non-Israelite; the word is derived from the Latin term gens (meaning clan or a group of families) and is often employed in the plural. ... Look up Peter, peter in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

As Christianity began to separate from Judaism, the practice of praying at fixed times continued. The early church was known to pray the Psalms (Acts 4:23-30), which has remained a part of the canonical hours and all Christian prayer since. By 60 AD, the Didache, the first manual for Christians, recommended disciples to pray the Lord's Prayer three times a day; this practice found its way into the canonical hours as well. Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on Jesus of Nazareth, and on his life and teachings as presented in the New Testament. ... This article describes the Jewish religion; for a consideration of ethnic, historic, and cultural aspects of the Jewish identity refer to the article Jew. ... The Didache (, Koine Greek for Teaching[1]) is the common name of a brief early Christian treatise ( 70–160), containing instructions for Christian communities. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Lords Prayer The Lords Prayer, sometimes also known amongst English speakers as the Paternoster, a term derived from the first two words in Latin versions, is probably the best-known prayer in Christianity. ...

By the second and third centuries, such Church Fathers as Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Tertullian wrote of the practice of Morning and Evening Prayer, and of the prayers at terce, sext, and none. The prayers could be prayed individually or in groups. By the third century, the Desert Fathers (the earliest monks), began to live out St. Paul's command to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) by having one groups of monks pray one fixed-hour prayer while having another group pray the next prayer. The (Early) Church Fathers or Fathers of the Church are the early and influential theologians and writers in the Christian Church, particularly those of the first five centuries of Christian history. ... Clement of Alexandria (Titus Flavius Clemens), was the first member of the Church of Alexandria to be more than a name, and one of its most distinguished teachers. ... Origen (ca. ... Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicized as Tertullian, (ca. ... (Redirected from 1 Thessalonians) The Epistles to the Thessalonians, also known as the Letters to the Thessalonians, are two books from the New Testament of the Christian Bible. ...

Middle Ages

As the format of unbroken fixed-hour prayer developed in the Christian monastic communities in the East and West, longer prayers soon grew, but the cycle of prayer became the norm in daily life in monasteries. By the fourth century, the characteristics of the canonical hours more or less took their present shape. For secular (non-monastic) clergymen and lay people, the fixed-hour prayers were by necessity much shorter. In many churches and basilicas staffed by monks, the form of the fixed-hour prayers was a hybrid of secular and monastic practice. St. Benedict in his famous Rule modeled his guidelines for the prayers on the customs of the basilicas of Rome. It was he who formulated the concept in Christian prayer of the inseperability of the spiritual life from the physical life. St. Benedict was known to have said "Orare est laborare, laborare est orare" ("To pray is to work, to work is to pray"). Thus, the fixed-hour prayers came to be known as the "Divine Office" (office coming from the Latin word for work). The Benedictines began to call the prayers the Opus Dei or "Work of God." Monastery of St. ... This article is about Saint Benedict of Nursia, for other uses of the name Benedict see Benedict (disambiguation) Saint Benedict of Nursia (c. ... St Benedict of Nursia The Rule of St Benedict by Benedict of Nursia (fl. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) coordinates: 41°54′N 12°29′E Time Zone: UTC+1 Administration Subdivisions 19 municipi Province Rome Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni ( The Union ) Characteristics Area 1,285 km² Population 2,547,677 (2005 estimate) Density 1983... The longest lasting of the western Catholic monastic orders, the Benedictine Order traces its origins to the adoption of the monastic life by St. ...

As the Divine Office grew more important in the life of the Church, the rituals became more elaborate. Soon, praying the Office began to require various books, such as a Psalter for the psalms, a lectionary to find the assigned Scripture reading for the day, a Bible to proclaim the reading, a hymnal for singing, etc. As parishes grew in the Middle Ages away from cathedrals and basilicas, a more concise way of arranging the hours was needed. So, a sort of list developed called the breviary, which gave the format of the daily office and the texts to be used. The spread of breviaries eventually reached Rome, where Pope Innocent III extended its use to the Roman Curia. The Franciscans sought a one-volume breviary for its friars to use during travels, so the order adopted the Breviarium Curiae, but substituting the Gallican (French) Psalter for the Roman. The Franciscans gradually spread this breviary throughout Europe. Pope Nicholas III would then adopt the widely-used Franciscan breviary to be the breviary used in Rome. By the 14th century, the breviary contained the entire text of the canonical hours. An ornately decorated Lectionary A Lectionary is a book or listing that contains a collection of scripture readings for Christian worship. ... The Gutenberg Bible owned by the United States Library of Congress The Bible (Hebrew: תנ״ך tanakh, Greek: η Βίβλος hē biblos, the book) (sometimes The Holy Bible, Scripture, is the name used by Jews and Christians for their differing (and overlapping) canons of sacred texts. ... See also hymn - a program to decrypt iTunes music files. ... A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. ... A cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Anglican, Catholic and some Lutheran churches, which serves as the central church of a diocese, and thus as a bishops seat. ... A breviary (from Latin brevis, short or concise) is a liturgical book containing the public or canonical prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notations for everyday use, especially for priests, in the Divine Office (i. ... Innocent III, born Lotario de Conti di Segni (Gavignano, near Anagni, ca. ... The Roman Curia - usually (though inaccurately) called the Vatican - is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See, coordinating and providing the necessary organisation for the correct functioning of the Roman Catholic Church and the achievement of its goals. ... Franciscans is the common name used to designate a variety of mendicant religious orders of men or women tracing their origin to Francis of Assisi and following the Rule of St. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of Earth; the term continent here referring to a cultural and political distinction, rather than a physiographic one, thus leading to various perspectives about Europes precise borders. ... . Nicholas III, né Giovanni Gaetano Orsini (Rome, ca. ...

Post-Reformation Roman Rite

Council of Trent

The Council of Trent (begun in 1545) made the Roman Breviary the universal liturgical book for the Divine Office throughout the Catholic Church. It reaffirmed the obligation of clergy and religious to pray the entire Office daily in the name of the Church. Further revisions of the breviary (along with the missal) were left to the pope because the council ran short of time to complete the reform of the Breviary. The Council of Trent is the Nineteenth Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Events February 27 - Battle of Ancrum Moor - Scots victory over superior English forces December 13 - Official opening of the Council of Trent (closed 1563) Battle of Kawagoe - between two branches of Uesugi families and the late Hojo clan in Japan. ... Missal, in the Roman Catholic Church, is a liturgical book containing all instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Masses throughout the year. ...

Further reforms before the Second Vatican Council

Further periodic revisions of the Tridentine Breviary were made by the popes in the following years, the first one made by St. Pius V in 1568. Other editions were published by Popes Sixtus V, Clement VIII, Urban VIII, Clement XI, and others. A major revision of the breviary was published in 1911 during the papacy of St. Pius X. He restored the practice of praying all 150 psalms weekly, and much redundancy was eliminated from the Divine Office. Pope Pius XII also began reforming the breviary, allowing the use of a new translation of the Psalms to be used and established a special commission to study the breviary's revision. In 1955, all the Catholic bishops were questioned about the breviary's reform, and Pope John XXIII issued regulations for its revision in 1960. This paved the way for the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Saint Pius V, né Antonio Ghislieri, from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri (January 17, 1504 – May 1, 1572) was pope from 1566 to 1572 and is a saint of the Catholic Church. ... Events March 23 - Peace of Longjumeau ends the Second War of Religion in France. ... Sixtus V, né Felice Peretti (December 13, 1521 - August 27, 1590) was pope from 1585 to 1590. ... Clement, in the monument in Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, erected by his Borghese heirs Clement VIII, born Ippolito Aldobrandini (March 1536 - March 5, 1605) was pope from 1592 to 1605. ... Urban VIII, né Maffeo Barberini (April 1568 - July 29, 1644) was pope from 1623-1644. ... Clement XI, né Giovanni Francesco Albani (July 23, 1649 - March 19, 1721) was pope from 1700 to 1721. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... Pope Pius X (1903-1914), pictured in 1904, wearing the 1834 Triple Tiara of Pope Gregory XVI Saint Pius X, né Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, (2 June 1835 - 20 August 1914) was Pope from 1903 to 1914, succeeding Pope Leo XIII. He was the first pope since the Counter-Reformation Pope... The Venerable Pius XII, born Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Eugenio Pacelli (Rome, March 2, 1876 - October 9, 1958) served as the Pope from March 2, 1939 to 1958. ... Psalms (Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Blessed John XXIII wearing a Papal Tiara Angelo Roncalli was born in Sotto il Monte (province of Bergamo), Italy on November 25, 1881. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, (Vatican two) was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. ...

Reforms following the Second Vatican Council

Following the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church's Roman Rite simplified the observance of the canonical hours and sought to make them more accessible to the laity, hoping to restore their character as the prayer of the entire Church. The office of Prime was abolished, and the character of Matins changed so that it could be used at any time of the day as an office of Scriptural and hagiographical readings. Furthermore, the period over which the entire Psalter is recited has been expanded from one week to four. Clergy are still required by canon law to pray the entire Liturgy of the Hours each day, and the practice among religious communities of praying the canonical hours varies according to their rules and constitutions. The Second Vatican Council also exhorted the Christian laity to take up the practice, and as a result, many lay people have begun reciting portions of the Liturgy of the Hours. The council also encouraged the original practice of praying the Hours in groups; before, the canonical hours were often said individually by secular clergy. The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, (Vatican two) was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. ... Canon law is the term used for the internal ecclesiastical law which governs various churches, most notably the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Anglican Communion of churches. ... The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, (Vatican two) was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. ...

Formerly referred to popularly as "The Divine Office", and published in four volumes according to the meteorological seasons "Spring", "Summer", "Fall", and "Winter", the Church in the United States, as in most other countries, now publishes the related liturgical books under the title "The Liturgy of the Hours", and issues them in four volumes according to the liturgical season: "Advent and Christmas", "Lent and Easter", "Ordinary Time Vol. I (Weeks 1-17)", "Ordinary Time Vol. II (Weeks 18-34)." In Great Britain and Ireland it is published in three volumes under the title "The Divine Office" divided thus: "Advent, Christmas and Ordinary Time Weeks 1 to 9", "Lent and Easter", "Ordinary Time weeks 6 to 34". An abridged one-volume edition, "Christian Prayer" (USA) or "Daily Prayer" (UK & Ireland) is also published for those who wish not to purchase all four volumes. Canonical hours are ancient divisions of time (also called offices), developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between prayers. ...

Current Roman Catholic usage focuses on two major hours and from three to five minor hours:

• Invitatory (not an hour properly called, but the introduction to the first hour said on the current day, whatever it be the Office of Readings or Morning Prayer).
• Morning prayer (Lauds)
• Evening prayer (Vespers)
• the Office of Readings (formerly Matins)
• Daytime prayer, which can be one or all of
  • Midmorning prayer (Terce)
  • Midday prayer (Sext)
  • Midafternoon prayer (None)
• Night Prayer (Compline)

The Invitatory is a psalm, traditionally numbered 94 in the Septuagint or 95 in the Masoretic text , used to start Matins in the Divine Office. ... The Little Hours are the fixed daytime hours of prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church. ...

The major hours

The major hours consist of Morning (or Lauds) and Evening Prayer (or Vespers). The character of Morning Prayer is that of praise; of Evening Prayer, that of thanksgiving. Both follow the same format: Lauds is one of the two major hours in the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours. ... Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ...

• a hymn, composed by the Church
• two psalms, or one long psalm divided into two parts, and a scriptural canticle (taken from the Old Testament in the morning and the New Testament in the evening)
• a short passage from scripture
• a responsory, typically a verse of scripture, but sometimes liturgical poetry
• a canticle taken from the Gospel of Luke: the Canticle of Zechariah (Benedictus) for morning prayer, and the Canticle of Mary (Magnificat) for evening prayer
• intercessions, composed by the Church
• the Lord's Prayer
• the concluding prayer, composed by the Church
• a blessing given by the priest or deacon leading Morning or Evening Prayer, or in the absence of clergy and in individual recitation, a short conclusion

A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a god or other religiously significant figure. ... Psalms (Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh. ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... A canticle is a hymn (strictly excluding the Psalms) taken from the Bible. ... NOTE: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh, but not Old Testament, because it does not recognize the New Testament as a continuation or completion of the Jewish bible. ... John 21:1 Jesus Appears to His Disciples--Alessandro Mantovani: the Vatican, Rome. ... A responsory is a type of chant in Christian liturgies that involves one section singing a respond, answered by another section singing a verse, then the respond is sung again by the first section, followed by a different verse from the second, et al. ... The Gospel of Luke is the third of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament, which tell the story of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. ... The Benedictus, given in Luke 1:68-79, is one of the three great canticles in the opening chapters of this Gospel, the other two being the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis. ... Sandro Boticelli. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Lords Prayer The Lords Prayer, sometimes also known amongst English speakers as the Paternoster, a term derived from the first two words in Latin versions, is probably the best-known prayer in Christianity. ... Roman Catholic priests in traditional clerical clothing. ... Deacon is a role in the Christian Church which is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. ... Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ...

The minor hours

The daytime hours follow a simpler format: The Little Hours are the fixed daytime hours of prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church. ...

• a hymn
• three short psalms, or, three pieces of longer psalms; in the daytime hours it is usual to begin one part of the longest psalm, psalm 119
• a very short passage of scripture, followed by a responsorial verse
• the concluding prayer
• a short concluding verse (especially when prayed in groups)

The Office of Readings expands on the format of the daytime hours:

• a hymn
• one or two long psalms divided into three parts
• a long passage from scripture, usually arranged so that in any one week, all the readings come from the same text
• a long hagiographical passage, such as an account of a saint's martyrdom, or a theological treatise commenting on some aspect of the scriptural reading, or a passage from the documents of the Second Vatican Council
• on nights preceding Sundays and feast days, the office may be expanded to a vigil by inserting three Old Testament canticles and a reading from the gospels
• the hymn Te Deum (on Sundays, solemnities, and feasts, except in Lent)
• the concluding prayer
• a short concluding verse (especially when prayed in groups)

Night prayer has the character of preparing the soul for its passage to eternal life: A saint is a term to refer to someone who is a holy person. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, (Vatican two) was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. ... NOTE: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh, but not Old Testament, because it does not recognize the New Testament as a continuation or completion of the Jewish bible. ... For the genre of Christian-themed music, see gospel music. ... Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. ...

• an examination of conscience
• a hymn
• a psalm, or two short psalms, or simply Psalm 91
• a short reading from scripture
• the responsory In manus tuas, Domine (Into Your Hands, Lord)
• the Canticle of Simeon, Nunc dimittis, from the Gospel of Luke, framed by the antiphon Protect us, Lord
• a concluding prayer
• a short concluding blessing
• a hymn to Mary, the mother of Jesus

In each office, the psalms and canticle are framed by antiphons, and each concludes with the traditional Catholic doxology. Examination of conscience is a review of ones past thoughts, words and actions for the purpose of ascertaining their conformity with, or difformity from, the moral law. ... Nunc Dimittis is the Latin name of the passage in the second chapter of Luke that is commonly called the Canticle of Simeon. ... The Gospel of Luke is the third of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament, which tell the story of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. ... This article is about the musical term. ... Saint Mary and Saint Mary the Virgin both redirect here. ... This article is about the musical term. ... A doxology is a short hymn of praise to God in various Christian worship services, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns. ...

Liturgical variation

In addition to the basic four-week cycle of praying nearly the entire set of Psalms with each of the canonical hours, the Church also provides an alternate collection of hymns, readings, psalms, canticles and antiphons, for use in marking specific dates on the Roman Calendar, which sets out the order of celebrations for the liturgical year. These alternate selections are found in the 'Proper of Seasons' (selections for Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter), and the 'Proper of Saints' (selections for feast days of the Saints). A breviary is generally keyed to help the user navigate these overlays in the liturgy. The Roman calendar changed its form several times in the time between the foundation of Rome and the fall of the Roman Empire. ... The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in some Christian churches which determines when Feasts, Memorials, Commemorations, and Solemnities are to be observed and which portions of Scripture are to be read. ... Advent (from the Latin Adventus, sc. ... Christmas is a Christian holiday held on December 25 which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ... In Western Christianity, Lent is the period from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. ... This article is about the Christian festival. ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more saints, and referring to the day as the saints day of that saint. ... A breviary (from Latin brevis, short or concise) is a liturgical book containing the public or canonical prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notations for everyday use, especially for priests, in the Divine Office (i. ...

Orthodox usage

The Orthodox Book of Hours or Horologion (church Slavonic: Chasoslov) provides the Daily Cycle of services (Greek: akolouthies, ἀκολουθίες). The Daily Cycle starts with the Vespers service at sunset and follows the followıng pattern: Old Church Slavonic (also called Old Church Slavic or Old Bulgarian, incorrectly Old Slavic ) is the first literary Slavic language, developed from the Slavic dialect of Solun (Thessaloniki) by 9th century Byzantine missionaries, Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius. ...

In cathedrals and monasteries it is more common to find someone present at the church praying these prayers at each of these hours. In many churches, the Third and Sixth Hours are read prior to the Divine Liturgy. There is usually little or no pause between the end of one and the beginning of the next. Christian meditation is a form of quiet (but not necessarily silent) contemplation often associated with prayer or scripture study. ... This article uses excessive clichés and jargon associated with topic . ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Anglican, Catholic and some Lutheran churches, which serves as the central church of a diocese, and thus as a bishops seat. ... Monastery of St. ... The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. ...

Although the Midnight Prayers are not usually prayed either privately or in parishes, it comprises part of the Paschal Vigil and is read in parishes at that time. The Easter Vigil, also called the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in many Christian churches as the first official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. ...

Before great feasts and Sundays in some traditions, Vespers, Matins, and the First Hour are served in an aggregation called the All-night Vigil. In other traditions it is more common for Vespers to be served by itself the evening before, and for Matins to be served in the morning before the Liturgy. In Vigils for feasts where a Vesperal Divine Liturgy is prescribed for the eve, Great Compline is substituted for Vespers.

In addition to these prayers, there are also canons to be prayed in preparation for receiving the Eucharist, and also akathist prayers regarding specific subjects, and which may be addressed directly to God or to a saint, asking that saint to convey the petitions to God. These canons and akathist prayers may be inserted at specific points in the prayers of the hours. A canon is a structured hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services. ... The Eucharist or Communion or The Lords Supper, is the rite that Christians perform in fulfillment of Jesus instruction, recorded in the New Testament,[1] to do in memory of him what he did at his Last Supper. ... The Akathist (Ακαθιστος Υμνος, unseated hymn) is an Eastern Orthodox hymn dedicated to a saint, holy event, or one of the persons of the Holy Trinity. ...

Anglican usage (the Book of Common Prayer)

The Book of Common Prayer constitutes the basis of the liturgy for Anglicans. This contains Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. In many Anglican formularies, these offices are supplemented by mid-day prayer (Terce and Sext) and Compline. This is the case in the Canadian Book of Common Prayer. 1979 ECUSABCP The Book of Common Prayer[1] is foundational prayer book of the Church of England and also the name for similar books used in other churches in the Anglican Communion. ... Morning Prayer, in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, also known as Mattins or Matins, was, until the last quarter of the 20th century, the main Sunday morning service most Sundays in all but the most high church Anglican parishes, with Holy Communion being the main Sunday morning service once... ... Terce is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of the almost all the Christian liturgies. ... Sext is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Compline or Complin is the final church service (or office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. ... Anglican Church of Canada The Anglican Church of Canada (the ACC) is the Canadian branch of the Anglican Communion. ...

In the United States, the 1979 BCP has four offices:

• Morning Prayer, corresponding to Matins and Lauds
• Noonday, roughly corresponding to the combination of Terce and Sext
• Evening Prayer, corresponding to Vespers
• Order of Worship for the Evening, a prelude to or an abbreviated form of Evening Prayer, also partly taken from a Jewish Lucernaria service
• Compline

In addition, there is a section of "Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families". For the Anglican service of Mattins see Morning Prayer Matins is the early morning prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... Lauds is one of the two major hours in the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours. ... Terce is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of the almost all the Christian liturgies. ... Sext is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ...

Noonday and Compline are the result of a gradual liturgical revival in the ECUSA beginning about 1913. They were originally part of a supplemental liturgical book called A Book of Offices, published after 1914. Eventually these services were incorporated into the Book of Common Prayer in 1979.

Some Anglican monastic communities have a Daily Office based on that of the Book of Common Prayer but with additional antiphons, canticles, etc., for specific days of the week, specific Psalms, etc. See, for example, Order of the Holy Cross [1] and Order of St. Helena, editors, A Monastic Breviary (Wilton, Conn.: Morehouse-Barlow, 1976). The All Saints Sisters of the Poor [2], with convents in Catonsville, Md., and elsewhere, also use an elaborated version of the Anglican Daily Office.

Some Anglo-Catholic groups use the Anglican Breviary, which is an adaptation of the Pre-Vatican II Roman Rite and Sarum Rite, along with supplemental material from cognate western sources, to provide such things as a common of Octaves, a common of Holy Women, and other additional material. It contains all eight historic offices in one volume, rather than the traditional four, but does not contain the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was bound along with many editions of the Brevarium Romanum. ... Categories: ... The Little Office of Our Lady or Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a liturgical devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, in imitation of, and in addition to, the Divine Office in the Roman Catholic Church. ...

Muslim prayers

Muslims still use a modified definition of canonical hours when they pray five times a day. Their prayer (salah) times are Salat al-Fajr, Salat al-Zuhr, Salat al-Asr, Salat al-Maghrib and Salat al-Isha. For other uses, including people named Islam, see Islam (disambiguation). ... Salah (also known as salat, solat, solah and several other spellings) (Arabic: صلاة, Quranic Arabic: صلوة) refers to the five daily ritual prayers that Muslims offer to Allah (God). ... The Fajr prayer is the dawn daily prayer recited by practicing Muslims. ... The Dhuhr prayer (dh pronounced as th in Thou, or simplified to zo) is the mid-day or noon daily prayer recited by practising Muslims. ... The Asr prayer is the afternoon prayer recited by practising Muslims. ... Maghrib is an Arabic term for of the setting (sun); from the root ghuroob (to set; to be hidden). It is also used in a manner similar to the metaphorical use of to be eclipsed, which is used in the English language. ... The Isha prayer is the night-time daily prayer recited by practising Muslims. ...

See also

• Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Liturgy of the Hours

The Little Office of Our Lady or Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a liturgical devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, in imitation of, and in addition to, the Divine Office in the Roman Catholic Church. ... The Liturgy of the Hours is usually recited in full in monastic communities. ...

External links

• An online copy of the Horologion, the Orthodox "Book of the Hours"
• Orthodox hours (first, third, sixth, and ninth), designed for personal use
• The Hypertext Book of Hours - Online edition of Medieval Daily Office.
• A Traditional Catholic site promoting the Divine Office
• The Liturgy of the Hours presented by Universalis.com
• The Liturgy of the Hours Apostolate
• Agpeya: Coptic Book of Hours - for the Coptic Orthodox Church
• The Daily Office Online
• The Daily Office Online - Rite II Morning and Evening Prayers from BCP