#Divine office liturgy of the hours how to#

Priests are Required to pray it and it’s meant to be a Communal Prayer: So without further ado, here are five reasons why I feel that all parishes should pray the Divine Office before or during the Daily Mass:ġ. This post is based entirely on my personal opinion, and I stand corrected if what I write today is not in line with the teachings of the Church. I would however like to raise awareness on this form of prayer, which is perhaps one of the best-kept secrets of the Catholic Church. However, like all my liturgical musings, this post is not an attempt to push an agenda within our diocese, nor is it meant to be a critique of the practices in our parishes. I’m quite sure that this post is not going to sit well with some. Most were unsure when to make the sign of the cross. Many were unsure of when it was time for them to speak and when it was time for them to be silent, and allow themselves to be ministered to through listening. Many were unsure of the technicalities of the prayer. I’ve personally seen this, when the “ Circuit Breaker” lockdown was implemented in April and I started an online initiative within my community, where we gather on an online platform to pray the Morning and Evening Prayer together.

#Divine office liturgy of the hours how to#

In fact, the Divine Office is often unheard of among the laity, and even for those who would like to take up the habit of praying it, many are not even sure how to get started.

Not many parishes in our diocese pray the Office together on a daily basis. All members of the clergy are required to pray the Office on a daily basis, and lay people are strongly encouraged to do so as well.

Together with the celebration of the Eucharist, the Divine Office constitutes the official public prayer life of the Church. I wrote in February about the Divine Office, also known as the Liturgy of the Hours. Why I feel that all parishes should pray the Divine Office before or during the Daily Mass: