Leading the Liturgy of the Hours

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Is it OK for a lay person to lead the congregation in the liturgy of the hours morning prayer or is that reserved for a priest or religious?
 
It is completely okay, however if a priest is present, he should lead. The rubrics allow for blessings and the like, which only a priest can give. 😉
 
CatholicSooner said:
Is it OK for a lay person to lead the congregation in the liturgy of the hours morning prayer or is that reserved for a priest or religious?
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A lay person can lead if there are no priests, deacons or religious.

However, a lay person should not lead when a priest, deacon is present (unless there is some unique reason he cannot / should not).

And I would personally argue that in an ideal world, if there is a religious sister or brother present (without a priest or deacon), the religious should lead since they are typically obligated to pray the hours.
 
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Yes it is OK and one uses the closing formula specified in the Ordinary for when a priest or deacon is not present.

I’ve lead the LOTH in Latin with French intercessions and collect, on a bus going to Monte Cassino from Rome. There was a priest present, but he declined to preside, as he was not familiar with the languages used (we were organized by linguistic group and my bus was the French one, but he was English speaking and ended up on our bus).
 
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I’ve led the Evening Office when a priest was present for the simple reason that he did not feel comfortable singing it. He did the parts as proper to a cleric and I did the rest.
 
AngelusDomini said:
I’ve led the Evening Office when a priest was present for the simple reason that he did not feel comfortable singing it. He did the parts as proper to a cleric and I did the rest.
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That’s fine… I really wouldn’t call that “leading,” more “assisting.”

I’ve seen this done many times, and it ok.
 
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I’ve lead Evening Prayer with a priest as my assistant simply because we were in a teaching environment and I was learning how to do it to take it back to my home parish.

I’ve lead it at home because our Pastor and those who shared the rectory with him were all OMI and they recited the LofH as a community. They left us to our own devices in the parish.
 
From the General Introduction to the Liturgy of the Hours:

“256 . It belongs to the priest or deacon, at the chair, to open the celebration with the introductory verse, begin the Lord’s Prayer, say the concluding prayer, greet the people, bless them, and dismiss them.

257 . Either the priest or a minister may lead the intercessions.

258 . In the absence of a priest or deacon, the one who presides at the office is only one among equals and does not enter the sanctuary or greet and bless the people.”

I would argue that if an instituted lector or an instituted acolyte is present he should lead the prayer (ahead of a religious). My basis for this is the Introduction to the Book of Blessings, n. 18. It outlines the role of bishop, then priest, then deacon. It the end of the part about deacons it has:

“But whenever a priest is present, it is more fitting that the office of presiding is assigned to him and that the deacon assist by carrying out those functions proper to the diaconate.

d. An acolyte or a reader who by formal institution has this special office in the Church is rightly preferred over another layperson as the minister designated at the discretion of the local Ordinary to impart certain blessings.

Other laymen and laywomen , in virtue of the universal priesthood, a dignity they possess because of their baptism and confirmation, may celebrate certain blessings, …”.

[Excerpt from the English translation of the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours © International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. Excerpt from the English translation of Book of Blessings © 1987 International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.]
 
JohnLilburne said:
I would argue that if an instituted lector or an instituted acolyte is present he should lead the prayer (ahead of a religious). My basis for this is the Introduction to the Book of Blessings, n. 18. It outlines the role of bishop, then priest, then deacon. It the end of the part about deacons it has:
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I can agree with this - esp since MOST are in the Seminary or serve as Sub-Deacons in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass
 
So if a lay person were to lead morning prayer, I would not do the greeting or final blessing?

I would just start with “God, come to my assistance”

And I would not say " May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil…"
 
CatholicSooner said:
So if a lay person were to lead morning prayer, I would not do the greeting or final blessing?

1: I would just start with “God, come to my assistance”

2: And I would not say " May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil…"
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1: What greeting are you thinking of? According to my copy of the LOTH, Morning prayer starts with “God, come to my assistance”, unless the hour was started with the Invitatory, in which case, that started with “Lord,open my lips”, and the “God, come to my assistance”, etc. is omitted.

2: If you are leading morning prayer, and a priest or deacon is present, you should let them handle the dismissal. If neither is present, or they would prefer not to handle the dismissal, then you actually would recite that text, as the rubric in the LOTH immediately preceding it reads:
In the absence of a priest or deacon and in individual recitation, Morning Prayer concludes:
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I guess i misunderstood a previous post. I thought it was saying that only a priest can do certain greetings and blessings.
 
CatholicSooner said:
So if a lay person were to lead morning prayer, I would not do the greeting or final blessing?

I would just start with “God, come to my assistance”

And I would not say " May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil…"
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That is EXACTLY what you say if you’re a layman leading.

What you do NOT say is, “The Lord be with you… etc. May almighty God bless you…”

“May the Lord bless us…” is what is said by a layman, even in common recitation and by everybody in individual recitation.

“God come to my assistance” is the opening to the Office and is said by anyone leading, clergy or lay.
 
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