Monastic Diurnal

Meet the coolest book in our market’s library collection - and the one that traveled the farthest to reach you.  

The Divine Office (also  known as the Liturgy of the Hours) is the Church’s public and communal prayer that accompanies the Divine Liturgy, or the Mass.  It draws its roots from Biblical exhortations and practices of praying at specific times throughout the day, as found in the Psalms, the book of Daniel, 1 Thessalonians, and the Acts of the Apostles.  Seven prayers a day comprise the Office, first recorded in Apostolic Tradition (ca. AD 230) -  Matins & Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline.  The reforms of Vatican II gave these prayers more prosaic titles, such as Office of Readings, Morning Prayer, Mid-Morning Prayer, and so forth.  

While the Divine Office is obligatory only for priests and consecrated religious, everyone is encouraged to participate, in groups or alone, for as many prayers as practicable.  Participating in the Divine Office is an incredible way to join in the unceasing prayer of the Church that extends back to Apostolic times.  

This Diurnal, or Daily Prayerbook, comes from the Benedictine tradition of the Divine Office.  It is a faithful reproduction of the 1963 edition and contains all hours except Matins (daily readings)  in both Latin and English.  It is intended for use by religious who must travel outside the monastery, and thus it makes a perfect travel companion for anyone who wants to pray the Divine Office without having to resort to the three manual, 6,000+ page Roman Breviary.  It also happens to work perfectly well when phone batteries are dead or during plane takeoff and landing - precisely when many of us want to pray the most!

The Monastic Diurnal is beautifully constructed of Moroccan leather with gilt edges and an embossed Saint Benedict’s medal on the front and back covers. It comes with an instructional pamphlet to assist with learning how to pray the Office in its traditional form.  Built to last many lifetimes, this gorgeous work can be a treasured source of peace and conversation with our Creator for many years to come.

Manufactured at a monastery in Great Britain and shipped with care and love. 

1472 pages

6x4x1