Liturgy of the Hours Psalter Cycle

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Currently, the Liturgy of the Hours goes through the Psalter once every four weeks. In times past and in various settings, the cycle was shorter.

For a current Latin rite Catholic, is there any proscribed way if one wants to pray more psalms in the Office - say going through the Psalter every week or maybe even once every day (perhaps on a retreat)?
 
JMJ_coder said:
Currently, the Liturgy of the Hours goes through the Psalter once every four weeks. In times past and in various settings, the cycle was shorter.

For a current Latin rite Catholic, is there any proscribed way if one wants to pray more psalms in the Office - say going through the Psalter every week or maybe even once every day (perhaps on a retreat)?
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There is neither a prescribed nor a proscribed way for individuals to pray the psalms apart from the Liturgy of the Hours.
 
Those who are bound to pray the Liturgy of the Hours (priests, religious) are bound to pray it in the way prescribed for them by the Church, by their religious order, etc.

Laity who are not bound to pray the Liturgy of the Hours can, as always, pray in the way the Holy Spirit leads them.
 
JMJ_coder said:
Currently, the Liturgy of the Hours goes through the Psalter once every four weeks. In times past and in various settings, the cycle was shorter.
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If you’re curious, take a look at these links. They show the Psalm cycles for the Roman Breviary before the current Liturgy of the Hours.

From roughly the Council of Trent up to 1911:
Pre-Pius X Psalter (Pre-1911)

From Pius X to the modern Liturgy of the Hours:
Pius X Psalter (1911-1971)

A comparison of the length of those two cycles for the Divine Office calculated by the number of psalm verses for each hour:
Length of Office Comparison
 
Does the recent Motu Proprio also extend to the older Office? Are all Latin rite Catholics free to use the older Office in lieu of the current Office?
 
You can always use one of the Benedictine versions of the office:

Schema A, the traditional schema of St. Benedict, reciting 255 psalms a week (obviously many repetitions, for example Ps. 3, 66, 50, 148, 149 and 150 every day)

Schema B, the entire psalter in 1 week or optionally in 2 weeks

Schema C and D, the psalter on a 2 week cycle.
 
JMJ_coder said:
Does the recent Motu Proprio also extend to the older Office? Are all Latin rite Catholics free to use the older Office in lieu of the current Office?
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Latin Catholics can pray whatever form of the office they want unless they are bound to recite a specific form of it. The motu proprio Summorum Pontificum allows priests to use the office in force in 1962.
 
Couldn’t you just open your Bible and start reading Psalms?
 
Harrison said:
Latin Catholics can pray whatever form of the office they want unless they are bound to recite a specific form of it. The motu proprio Summorum Pontificum allows priests to use the office in force in 1962.
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I do not see this in Summorum Pontificum, can you tell me where to find it?

Canon Law states the following, “priests, and deacons aspiring to the priesthood, are obliged to carry out the liturgy of the hours daily, in accordance with their own approved liturgical books”.
 
ByzCath said:
I do not see this in Summorum Pontificum, can you tell me where to find it?

Canon Law states the following, “priests, and deacons aspiring to the priesthood, are obliged to carry out the liturgy of the hours daily, in accordance with their own approved liturgical books”.
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Art. 9
§ 3 Clerics ordained “in sacris constitutis” may use the Roman Breviary promulgated by Bl. John XXIII in 1962.

I understand that “in sacris constitutis” means clerics in major orders.
 
Harrison said:
Art. 9
§ 3 Clerics ordained “in sacris constitutis” may use the Roman Breviary promulgated by Bl. John XXIII in 1962.

I understand that “in sacris constitutis” means clerics in major orders.
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Thanks for the reference.

I do not know what “in sacris constitutis” means. It would be nice to know for sure but for now I will take your word on it.
 
Tepeyac said:
If you’re curious, take a look at these links. They show the Psalm cycles for the Roman Breviary before the current Liturgy of the Hours.

From roughly the Council of Trent up to 1911:
Pre-Pius X Psalter (Pre-1911)

From Pius X to the modern Liturgy of the Hours:
Pius X Psalter (1911-1971)

A comparison of the length of those two cycles for the Divine Office calculated by the number of psalm verses for each hour:
Length of Office Comparison
Click to expand...
Those links were very interesting. It appears that there wasn’t much variety in the different psalms used; a lot of repetition of the same ones. It’s nice that the 4-week Psalter gives a wider exposure to the different psalms.

One question, though, what was Lauds II? I have not heard of that.
 
Beachcomber said:
Those links were very interesting. It appears that there wasn’t much variety in the different psalms used; a lot of repetition of the same ones. It’s nice that the 4-week Psalter gives a wider exposure to the different psalms.

One question, though, what was Lauds II? I have not heard of that.
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A second schema for Lauds on days with a penitential character.
 
Beachcomber said:
Those links were very interesting. It appears that there wasn’t much variety in the different psalms used; a lot of repetition of the same ones. It’s nice that the 4-week Psalter gives a wider exposure to the different psalms.
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:confused: Even the 4 week psalter is repeating the same ones *, just over a longer period.
  • (or almost all since the “curse” psalms and verses are removed)
 
I celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours in the proper time designated for every Canonical Hour to sanctify the time and activity of the liturgical day. I have been doing this since April 1963 when I was ordained a Subdeacon.

Aeerestain
 
aeerestain said:
I celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours in the proper time designated for every Canonical Hour to sanctify the time and activity of the liturgical day. I have been doing this since April 1963 when I was ordained a Subdeacon.

Aeerestain
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I do the same thing; I am a benedictine secular oblate.

I generally don’t do Tierce and None as they are optional outside of choir and it’s hard because of work, but I do the others. Sometimes if it’s a quiet day at work, I will do Tierce or None.

I also chant Lauds, Sexte, and Vespers, and often Compline, in Latin Gregorian chant. The Office of Readings I chant in French, recto-tono. Sometimes after a particularly tiring day I will recite Compline in bed before going to sleep.

I am lucky that my office is in my home, and I have built a small oratory in my office, which I call “my cell”. Once a week I do have to go into our city office, so I generally don’t chant in cube-world…

For those interested in Gregorian chant for the Liturgy of the Hours: Les Heures Grégoriennes
 
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