With regard to the readings (here, called Lessons), these are much longer than in the other version of the Hours. Because of this, since I am not used to such an older translation, I sometimes find myself focussed more on reading correctly than simply praying them. My only complaint is that the particular translation of the Psalms is especially antiquated both in the words used and in the way they are used. Also on the Psalms, the primary difference for this book is that unlike the normal version of the Hours, the Psalms are laid out in a monthly cycle, beginning at the first Psalm, ending with the last, and none are missed so, all of them are prayed every month. The Te Deum is included for Morning Prayer, prayed on feasts, though I have found it so beautiful that I prefer to pray it every morning. Another difference is that the Psalms of Morning Prayer are not antiphonal, as they are in the usual version – preceded and succeeded by a specific antiphons for each one. There is a slight difference in Evening Prayer, which in this version contains elements of Night Prayer, such as the inclusion of the ‘Nunc Dimitis’ – there is still, of course, a full version of Night Prayer ( Compline) in these Hours. As there, “the two main hinges” of the Hours are Morning Prayer (here, called Matins) and Evening Prayer (called Evensong). The essential layout of the Hours is much the same as in the usual Catholic version many of us are used to. When it comes to the actual content of the book – by far the most important part – I was thrilled. And so I sewed a replacement tape with seven ribbons and glued this into the spine of the book – I also used slightly wider and thicker ribbons, and chose the particular ribbon colours I wanted to include. Six ribbons are sewn into the book, but I quickly found I really needed seven, for the sections of the book I access most regularly. My one quibble with the book is the same as with the regular version of the Divine Office – there are not enough ribbons. Those rubrics provided particular direction and explanation when I was becoming acquainted with the book and I still refer to them often when I move outwith the regular days and offices, such as on specific feasts, seasons or particular offices. And the rubrics are printed in red, which is always beneficial. For ordinary Catholics subject to no such vow, this is not an issue.Īs I noted in my original piece, the actual book itself is beautiful it is very well bound, the pages are of good quality and are very readable, with clear fonts and type. But note that if one is bound by vow to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, this Book does not fulfil that obligation – the normal Hours must be used. And as a Catholic prayer book, any Catholic may use it in their prayers and devotions – there is nothing to prevent this. While the Book is intended primarily for the use of members of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, it is above all a Catholic prayer book – it is not an Anglican prayer book the relevant approbations from the Holy See are included at the start of the book. I watched all of them and found them very useful – I imagine they would be particularly beneficial for anyone not already used to praying the Hours in either format. The Ordinariate had, very helpfully, produced some videos (available on YouTube) to explain exactly how to use the book. I had heard about the Divine Worship Daily Office book prior to it’s publication and, having prayed the regular Catholic version of the Hours for many years, I was curious to purchase a copy and try praying with this alternative version. Along with Our Lady of Walsingham, the other patron of the Ordinariate is Saint John Henry Newman, who himself converted to Catholicism from the Anglican Church. While it is a fairly small group, it offers some hope of the possibility of a future re-union of the Church of England with the Catholic Church. All of this was made possible by Pope Benedict in 2011. The Ordinariate members are those former Anglicans who have embraced Catholicism, whilst still retaining some of the particular and distinctive elements from their Anglican patrimony. This book is the version of the Liturgy of the Hours prepared for the members of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, and fully approved by the Catholic Church. In the summer, I had written a short piece about a new daily Office (Liturgy of the Hours) book I had bought, called Divine Worship Daily Office (Commonwealth Edition), very beautifully published in a single volume by CTS (Catholic Truth Society).
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