Breviary - Office of the Dead

[grandeorgue]

I am somewhat a new beginner to the Liturgy of the Hours and I seek guidance on this particular inquiry … I will be attending the funeral of a Catholic priest tomorrow morning and would like to pray the Office of the Dead (privately) in commemoration of that particular priest. Would it be acceptable and liturgically correct to pray only part of the Office of the Dead - e.g. Morning Prayer and Mid-morning prayer from the Office of the Dead and the others hours from the Proper of the Day?

I wasn’t sure if the Office of the Dead could be partially prayed like this, or if it is like an “all or nothing” kind of thing …

Also, can the Office of the Dead be prayed anytime, according to the personal preference of the person praying the office - anniversary of death, day of funeral, etc.?

Thank you.

 

[OraLabora]

I had to dig a bit for this one. The Office of the Dead is the proper Office for All Soul’s Day (Nov. 2).

At other times, the rules that apply are those of a votive Office:

1. For a public cause or out of devotion, except on solemnities, the Sundays of the seasons of Advent, Lent, and Easter, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, the octave of Easter, and 2 November, a votive office may be celebrated, in whole or in part: for example, on the occasion of a pilgrimage, a local feast, or the external solemnity of a saint.

(GILH)

Therefore you can use the Office of the Dead in whole or in part subject to the above restrictions, for a dead loved one, member of your community, etc., either on the day of death, funeral, anniversary of death, etc.

So yes it would be appropriate to use Lauds and mid-day prayer for the departed priest.