The Roman Breviary
While the Guild of St. Peter ad Vincula seeks firstly to encourage the recitation of the Church's Official Prayer, the Divine Office contained in the Roman Breviary, we understand the demands of daily life to which our Oblates are subject, and permit for that reason the recitation of other shorter forms of liturgical prayer. Chief among these is the Little Office of Our Lady, Others include the Office of the Dead, and the Offices of the Guild of St. Peter ad Vincula.
The Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is included in the Roman Breviary, and is an easily accessible form of liturgical prayer for the beginning, with very simple rubrics and few changes from day to day. Many religious orders require the recitation of the Little Office by its Oblates and Third Order Members, and the Guild of St. Peter ad Vincula highly encourages its use for those who are unable to tackle the lengthier and more complex Roman Office.
For those whose schedule does not permit the alternative offices contained in the Roman Breviary, the Guild of St. Peter ad Vincula has provided two more abbreviated forms of liturgical prayer for her Oblates. Both the Little Office of St. Peter ad Vincula and the even briefer Short Office of St. Peter ad Vincula are included in the Handbook for Oblates published by the Guild and available at our online bookstore.
The
plight of the Holy Souls in Purgatory is far too often ignored, and it
is the purpose of this booklet to provide a simple means of fulfilling
our most sacred duties towards the departed members of the Mystical
Body. These Faithful Departed are an integral part of our Church, and
they rely on those yet living in this vale of tears for comfort and
assistance. They are unable to help themselves, and surely, it is one of
our most consoling inspirations, when we lose a loved one, that we still
have a role to play in helping them endure and hasten their path to
final glory.
In publishing the Office of the Dead, we
hope that it may be of use in such times of sorrowful bereavement. Not
only does it alleviate the sufferings of our departed loved ones, but
provides a positive means for us to show our love for them, comforting
them spiritually now that we can no longer physically do so.
The prayers and services contained in this
booklet can equally be of help in fulfilling our duties towards the Holy
Souls in the month of November. This special time, set aside by the
Church to remember those who have gone before us, can be a source of
untold graces both for them and ourselves. Indulgenced prayers for the
dead are particularly beneficial, and many of them can be said not only
in November, but at any time of the year, to bring solace to the Church
Suffering.
Finally, this booklet may serve as a
prayerbook for members of the Guild of All Souls or Purgatorial Society.
Many of the prayers are suitable for gatherings of such guilds, and may
be used as common prayer as well as privately. We shall be publishing
another volume that will contain the Requiem Mass and other parts of the
Funeral Service, and hope eventually to add a third volume to this
series that will include other prayers, novenas and chaplets for the
dead, thus providing a definitive collection of the Church’s official
and devotional prayers for the departed.
Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine, et lux
perpétua lúceat eis. Requiéscant in pace. Amen.
Eternal rest
grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May
they rest in peace. Amen.
The Guild of St. Peter ad Vincula includes the Office of the Dead as one of its subscription accounts for the Roman Breviary Online. To subscribe to the Office of the Dead Online, click on the link below and follow the instructions.
The Roman Breviary
Copyright 2018. Guild of St. Peter ad Vincula, Inc. All Rights Reserved.