This is the Liturgy of the Hours for December 31. Your local date is .
Dear Community,
In text below, which belongs to Adoremus.org website you will find useful information on the progress that has been made concerning the next round of translations for the next English-language edition of the Liturgy of the Hours: “Liturgy of the Hours: Proper of Time.”
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops met in Fort Lauderdale, FL, June 13-14. Among their agenda items were two liturgical entries: first on texts relative to liturgical celebrations for St. Mary Magdalene, St. John XXIII, and St. John Paul II, and, second, on the next round of translations for the next English-language edition of the Liturgy of the Hours. Archbishop Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta and Chair of the Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship, presented the items to the body of bishops on June 13. A transcript of the presentation and discussion about the Liturgy of the Hours, minimally edited for clarity, follows. The entire discussion can be viewed on-demand at the USCCB website, www.usccb.org.
Archbishop Wilton Gregory: Dear brothers, you have before you an action item from the Committee on Divine Worship, the “Liturgy of the Hours: Proper of Time.” As you know, in 2012 we approved a scope of work that outlined a plan for producing a new edition of the Breviary. That plan is starting to come to fruition. We’ve already approved components of that book, namely, new translations of the Psalter and the Canticles that are at the heart of the Liturgy of the Hours. Meanwhile, ICEL [International Commission on English in the Liturgy] has been busy working on new translations of the non-scriptural parts of the Breviary, and we have the chance to review and comment on the early drafts of this material. ICEL has now finalized several groups of texts for a new edition of the Breviary, and the Committee on Divine Worship is bringing them forward for the vote of the full body of bishops.
Your documentation contains translations of most of the Benedictus and Magnificat antiphons and the intercessions for the seasons of the liturgical year. Future votes will focus on other material, such as the hymns, the Proper of Saints, and the Commons. We anticipate that all the voting might be completed by 2020 at the earliest. The bishops of the Committee on Divine Worship feel that the translations are more precise than the texts we are currently using, and also that ICEL has done a very fine job of making them conducive to recitation and chanting. The action item is amendable and approval of this text requires an affirmative vote by two-thirds of the members of the Latin Church members of the USCCB and subsequent confirmatio of the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
Archbishop Gregory then took questions about the action item from the floor.
Bishop Donald Trautman (retired Bishop of Erie, PA): I do not rise to question any of the translations, but I was wondering if the committee will take up a more basic question, the present format of the Breviary. I contend that the present format of our Breviary is intended for monks, for monasteries, and that parish priests are unable to carry out this format. Parish priests need a prayer book, but the present texts do not help them in their spiritual life. We should have a rewriting, I think, of the book of readings. So, I’m asking a more basic question: will the committee take up the present format of the breviary and give parish priests a Breviary they can use?
Archbishop Gregory: Your Excellency, I think this touches on one of the [main] issues, namely, that the Holy See asks us to issue books that conform to the Latin editio typica. It’s certainly possible that, after we have approved the official texts, we or another agency could put together, based on the approved texts, a more parish priest friendly edition [of the Breviary]. But I think right now we’re obliged to translate and put things in the order that the Roman editio typica has laid out. We can modify, and sometimes that has happened, those texts once they are officially recognized.
Bishop Robert Baker (Bishop of Birmingham, AL): Just following Bishop Trautman’s comments, I think there is a validity to what he asks. My question would be on the hymns. I know you’re going to revise those, and I just wonder if there is possible input on that ahead of time. In other words, what are we going to put in place of those [present] hymns? I think that might be problematic for diocesan priests.
Archbishop Gregory: Bishop, we will be sending in a future transmission the hymnody that has been laid out. We are also working on an appendix of hymns that might be available at the back of the Breviary. But we committed ourselves to using the hymns that are in the Latin texts [i.e., in the Latin typical edition], but we are also looking at additional hymns that we could use as part of an appendix.
The Latin Church members of the USCCB would vote the next day 175-6-2 in favor of the ICEL Gray Book translation of the Liturgy of the Hours: Proper of Time for use in the dioceses of the United States.[1]
[1] Source: Adoremus.org
For those who are interested in the progress of the Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition, the USCCB has provided an update page on its website tracking its progress. Besides providing the progress of translation of its many parts, it lists the parts that have been confirmed by the Holy See so far. The update page is at:
https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgy-of-the-hours/liturgy-of-the-hours-second-edition
PLEASE keep the Divine Office Divine! It is beautiful and enlightening.
I love this ministry and the divine office app. I mostly use the audio on my iPhone along with the one volume book. I have noticed that the text on the app and website is sometimes different than the one volume Christian Prayer book cc1976. Is there a difference between the 4 volume and the 1 volume LotH books? I have delayed buying the 4 volume because I read that new books are coming out. I’m 75 and not going to live forever. Any idea when new up to date 4 volume set is be available. Thanks
Thank you for the app.
Ever since I discovered the best-kept secret in the Catholic church — the Divine Office — my mind made a leap of faith, for it was once again when the Lord displayed the Splendor of his Truth regarding Thessalonians (?) “Praying without Ceasing, ” Logos became beyond Logos — that is to say, more substantial, more tangible, more significant, and overall, more meaningful. My concern at this time is if BISHOPS change the Divine Office only to please the seminarians and diocese priests who might not pray anyway. Only enamored with Logos. Scarlett
Hi, I am looking for the reading in the green book volume 4. Can anyone tell me how to get these on line??. Many thanks
I am a convert to Christianity married for nearly 46 years to one initiated from birth. We learned how to pray from Christian Prayer in 2000. Now, I know myself to be a spiritual descendant of the woman at the well, and like my distinguished predecessor, I have to tell everyone immediately and spread this devotional whenever I encounter the man who reveals everything about myself.
The Office of Readings for the Day came to light through the Liturgy of the Hours website, Divine Office while living in our car still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. After a year we were rescued into transitional housing by the local diocese charitable affiliate. After spending late nights in the parking lot to download prayers over Wi-Fi, I allowed an associate to assist me in receiving the ultimate weapon against ignorance of Christ, the entire four(4) volume set of the Liturgy of the Hours. Serving up Morning Prayer while our comrades at arms ate breakfast, satisfied hunger as well as thirst. At the noon meal, the Office of Readings kindled a spiritual fire to know God, and to love God, and to serve God; and our desire to learn how to catechize in order to teach the beloved the ultimate provider of the only meal that satisfies, for His Flesh is real food and His Blood is real drink.
In our first year living inside unassisted, our diocese matched over half of our registration fee and tuition allowing us to take online courses toward a Certificate of Catechesis with the [email protected] through the Institute of Pastoral Initiatives. A call to ride the rails, evangelize while praying the rosary, and reconnect with relatives after a year has stalled out studies. Before starting, we collected every text for each course to complete our certificate; are committed to read and review all of them; and continue our studies, not only in Catechesis but any certificate in which the diocese offers assistance and called by God to complete. Thanks Be to God. We love you, bye bye.
To the side of the Divine Office webpages, adverts exist for print versions of the Divine Office (and the incomplete Christian Prayer Book). These have a price with a line through it, and in red ‘SPECIAL PRICE’.
I note that these very soon to be out of date versions are MORE Expensive than the lined through price, PLUS NO SPECIAL PRICE EXISTS!
For a publication version soon to be superseded, the price is wholly ridiculous.
Simply highlighting this internationally tax avoiding company, bloated with greed; Hence new international taxes are planned to wipe their greedy smile away. *This of course won’t happen because as the ICIJ global news reporting and insider leaked info suggests – profits are hidden under various company names; Amounts to many hundreds of millions at the very least. Amazon, Google, Apple all charge hyper amounts for what costs them usually 10-15% max of the sold at price.
IF THERE IS A REAL DISCOUNTED PRICE, it should be 75% off, and they’ll still make money.
PLEASE NOTE > If the price is more than lined through amount (checked and it is as at Feb 2020), and there’s no discount, REMOVE this ‘unintentional put up by you advert’ is a lying advert, it’s deception. Amazon should issue a formal apology and sell these soon out of date volumes at 75% off..
Monica,
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