Sunflower:
Metropolitan Cantor Institute (Ruthenian Catholic Metropolia of Pittsburgh)
[link] has the various Ruthenian service books in English on their website.
The term
Reader’s means doing them as adapted for being lead by a layperson, rather than a cleric; **Deacon’s ** means adapted to be lead by a deacon;
Hierarchical means lead by the Bishop. Unprefaced, for any of the liturgical or paraliturgical services, presumes lead by a priest.
From MCI’s daily cycle page:
* Vespers is the solemn evening prayer of the Church which begins the liturgical day. We thank God for the blessing of creation, especially for the gift of light both corporal and spiritual, and ask for pardon for our sins and offenses, and protection throughout the night.
* Compline is a communal prayer before bedtime.
* The Midnight Office is a nocturnal vigil, in which we meditate upon the unexpected coming of Christ.
* Matins is the solemn morning prayer of the Church, an office of supplication, repentence and praise.
* The First Hour, celebrated after Matins, is the the first of the four daytime Hours; it is followed by:
* The Third Hour, celebrated at mid-morning.
* The Sixth Hour, celebrated at noon.
* The Ninth Hour, celebrated between mid-afternoon and Vespers of the new day.
The latin church’s hour names names are similar:
- Vespers
- Compline
- Matins
- Lauds
- Prime
- Tierce
- Sext
- None (from which we get noon, despite None being properly celebrated about 3pm…)
In both cases, monastics take all the hours, usually at or near the appointed times.
Secular clerics are supposed to take them all if they can, but at least keep morning and evening.
In the Byzantine tradition, all are encouraged to take Vespers, Compline, and Matins when they can, with a preference for doing to in groups.
Find a dominican or franciscan run parish, and ask if they do the hours publicly… some do at least vespers and matins publicly.
The various uses of the Chotki and Prayer rope are generally tied to the office of hours; in cases where one is alone, can’t take one’s books, or can not read, the chotki is permitted to substitute for the hours except vespers and matins.
