OST PEOPLE AGREE we need more awareness of the Divine Office. The treasure of the Liturgy of the Hours is spiritually nourishing for us here on earth as well as pleasing to Heaven.
Some parishes are reviving Vespers once a week or more. One parish has been praying the hours before and after the main Sunday Mass as well as Compline after evening Masses. The choir manages to finish practice before grabbing a drink of water and heading in for Terce at 10.15, just before Mass starts at 10.30. After Mass they wait a while before moving up to the front pews, ladies on the right, men on the left, and chant the hour of Sext.
After evening Mass the choir sits up the front (as for Sext) and chants the night prayer. They follow the Monastic Office, which has less variation for Compline than the regular Roman Office. The Monastic Office also echoes the Benedictine roots of the parish.
At first they sang straight from the Monastic Antiphonale, but it was cumbersome. There would be the odd mix up with the Liber Usualis, another impressive black tome. My mother made booklets, which were refined over the years until at last all the pieces have been assembled into one volume.
HERE is a preview of the first 16 pages, including the ordinary of the hour of Terce. You could try it out tomorrow, all you need is the collect, which you might find in your missal.
The complete 238 page book is available through Lulu in hardback, spiral bound and pdf
If you have any questions, or if you would like a set with a custom cover, ask my mother, Teresa.
(Happy feast of the Holy Cross today!)
