In this case the only difference is that after praying the first closing prayer, one omits the usual conclusion of the first office and the introductory verse and 'Glory be' of the second office, and commences with the hymn of the second office, which proceeds as normal.įinally, a seminarian from Malta inquired: 'Could you please tell me if it is necessary to say the verse in italics that is usually printed before each psalm during the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours? As I understood the General Order for the Liturgy of the Hours, in No. However there may be cases when time constraints require the celebration of one office immediately after another (for example, Morning Prayer and Midday Prayer). In principle, only the Office of Readings can be combined with another office. The error was due to a momentary 'lapsus' at the keyboard with no ulterior motives or hidden theological meanings.Īnother reader asked: 'Can one in praying the Office combine other hours as the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer? Such as doing Midday Prayer and Evening Prayer together?' ZE06042521įollow-up: Combining Office of Readings and Morning Prayer Ī reader rightly reprimanded me for substituting 'Lord open our lips' rather than the correct 'Lord open my lips' in our April 25 piece on combining the Office of Readings and Morning prayer. The most appropriate moment for a homily, if one is given, appears to be between the reading and short responsory of Morning Prayer. Te Deum (on Sundays except during Lent during the octaves of Christmas and Easter and on all solemnities and feasts) However, presuming that the hymn of Morning Prayer replaces that of the Office of Readings at a combined office, the proper order would be:

The hymn corresponding to the Office of Readings is sung at the beginning of that office while the hymn corresponding to Morning Prayer is sung immediately after the second responsory or Te Deum as the case may be. The clear sense of the norm is that the hymn of Morning Prayer, often specific to the feast or at least more in consonance with its general theme, may replace the hymn of the Office of Readings.Īll of the offices open with a hymn, and so there is no liturgical reason why there should be no hymn at the beginning of the Office of Readings.Īll the same, the norm says 'may,' not 'must,' and thus, while a hymn at the beginning of the Office of Readings may never be omitted, an individual or a community could also opt to sing both hymns. It would appear, as our questioner says, that the 'praeponi potest' (may be sung at the beginning) here is taken by some liturgists to allow the dropping of the Office of Readings hymn rather than its replacement by the Morning Prayer hymn. At the end of the Office of Readings the prayer and conclusion are omitted, and in the Hour following the introductory verse with the Glory to the Father is omitted.' 'If the Office of Readings is said immediately before another Hour of the Office, then the appropriate hymn for that Hour may be sung at the beginning of the Office of Readings.

99 of the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours:

What is the correct way to join these two offices? - A.T., Charlottesville, VirginiaĪ: Several readers, in fact, have sent in questions regarding the joining of these two offices. The hymn of Morning Prayer is then sung between the responsory of the last reading in the Office of Readings and the psalmody of Morning Prayer. In other houses, the Invitatory is sung and the psalmody of Office of Readings follows immediately without a hymn. In some houses, the hymn of Morning Prayer is sung immediately after the Invitatory, and then at the end of the Office of Readings the psalmody of Morning Prayer begins immediately. Q: In religious houses of my order in the United States there is no agreement on the position of the hymn when the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer are combined as a single office. Combining Office of Readings and Morning PrayerĪnswered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.

Morning prayer divine office