What is the Breviary Online?
The Official Prayer of the Church
Next to the Holy Mass, the Divine Office (or
Breviary) is the most important prayer offered to God.
It is offered by the Church and in the name of the Church,
conferring multifold graces and blessings on those who recite it
worthily, attentively, and devoutly. Normally the domain of
priests and religious, the Church has continued to recommend her
official prayer to the faithful. However, until now, the
complexity of the rubrics and a lack of suitable translations have
deterred many.
Now Accessible to the Layman
With the help of modern technology, it has
become easier to overcome the problems of complexity and
accessibility. The result is the Roman Breviary published
online in Latin and English by the Guild of St. Peter ad Vincula.
No knowledge of the liturgy is required. All you have to do is
click on the feastday, and then on the Canonical Hour you want to
say. The rest is just like reading a book—everything is laid
out for you in order according to the rubrics of the day. No
more flicking through the ribboned sections of a weighty volume.
No more apprehension that you are forgetting some obscure rubric.
Every Hour of the Office is laid out in its entirety, in order, every day.
Learn More About the Breviary
If you want to deepen your knowledge of the Breviary
and
would like to make the Church's official prayer a part of your own
daily prayer life, this website is intended to provide you with all
the help you need to get started. Here you will find
a short history of the Breviary, instructions on when to recite which Hours, a
brief commentary on the psalms, and much more. And for those who would
really like to understand the rubrics in greater depth, we provide in our
bookstore a detailed electronic manual entitled How to
Say the Breviary. We hope to expand this website regularly with
more information, so check back frequently. And may God reward
your prayers by bestowing on you all those spiritual favours that come from a
devout reading of the Church's Divine Office.
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