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I was wondering if there is a more tradition accepted edition of the Liturgy of the Hours. I love my Christian Prayer edition, but I would like to look into more traditional versions. (Such as Thee, Thou etc.) Are there any versions that are accepted for use by the Holy See?
 
If you’re really interested in doing the pre-Vatican II breviary, you can go to this website:

breviary.net/

This has all 7 hours to recite each day, along with audio. It has both the Latin and English. Here is an example:

V. O Lord, + open thou my lips.
R. And my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

V. O God, † make speed to save me.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia.

And from Matins today:

Psalm 34. i. Judica, Domine

Judge thou, O Lord, them that wrong me, * and fight thou against them that fight against me.
2 Lay hand upon the shield and buckler, * and rise up to help me.
3 Bring forth the sword, and stop the way against them that persecute me: * say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
4 Let them be confounded, and put to shame, * that seek after my soul.
5 Let them be turned back, and brought to confusion, * that devise mischief for me.
6 Let them be as the dust before the wind, * and let the Angel of the Lord straiten them.

You have to register for the site, and there might be a small fee ($2 per month, or something like that). But it is really beautiful. It follows the pre-Vatican II calendar.
 
Beautiful! Is this approved for use by the Holy See? Also is it possible to purchase this in book format in case I cannot access a computer?
 
Well, there’s a lot of information to share for this question. First, you might want to check out this web site:

divinumofficium.com/cgi-bin/horas/officium.pl#

It has different versions of the Office pre-1962. Great resource.

Secondly, consider picking up a copy of the Monastic Diurnale from St. Abbey Press. It contains all of the Hours except Matins in the Benedictine tradition. More info here:

farnboroughabbey.org/press/dirunal.php

Thoroughly Catholic. Great prayer book.

Also, you might start with the full 4 volume Liturgy of the Hours, as opposed to the single volume of Christian Prayer:

amazon.com/Liturgy-Hours-Catholic-Book-Publishing/dp/0899424090/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279665709&sr=1-5

This is not the traditional office pre-1962 Office, but rather the modern Liturgy of the Hours.

If you speak and read Latin, and want the pre-1962 Office, go here:

breviariumromanum.com/home_en.html

If you don’t speak Latin, and want an English-Latin version, you may have to wait for Baronius Press. Go here:

baroniuspress.com/forthcoming_books.htm

You can also check E-Bay for used copies of the Office. Just type in Divine Office, or Breviarium Romanum, or Breviary in the E-Bay search engine. Usually quite pricey.

If you can get your hands on a copy of the Marquess De Bute’s Divine Office, it is a historical treasure - Latin and English, though dated. You can find the first volume online here in PDF format:

archive.org/details/theromanbreviary01unknuoft
 
Thank you for all the information and websites. It’s amazing to see what the Liturgy of the Hours looked like before. Do you have any idea how long it will be before the Baronius Press edition is released and at what cost? It seems to be what I’m looking for:
A traditional way to pray the Hours with traditional language
Proper of Saints
Approved by the Holy See -(Is it approved for use by the Holy See?)
 
Well, the Baronius Press edition has been on the back burner for a few years now. Many traditionalist Catholics have been waiting for a long, long time. They keep pushing back the release date, so don’t hold your breath.

I am not sure on the price, but my guess is that for all four volumes it will probably be in the $250-$350 range. Don’t quote me. I know that they were waiting on official approval from the appropriate Church authorities (read the web site for more info), too, so when it is finally published, it should have all the “official” sanctions needed.

Personally, I really like the Monastic Diurnale. If you are looking for a traditional office, easy to read, and small enough to carry most anywhere, it can’t be beat. And it’s relatively cheap - about $60 or so. It’s about as traditional as you can get. Since it doesn’t contain Matins, you can read Matins daily on the first web site I posted, which has different versions of traditionalist Matins depending on your preferences and time period chosen, etc.

The thing that is very frustrating is that the Church throughout the years has tinkered with the order of the Psalter. They’ve shortened the time it takes to say the Office, to the point where now you can say the Liturgy of the Hours in less than an hour and a half. It used to take 4 hours or more to say the Office. It’s good in some ways, because who today has that kind of time to devote to saying the Office? Very few people, unless you are a monk. It’s good in the sense that more Catholics including the laity can say the Office now. But it’s bad in the sense that the Liturgy of the Hours is pretty watered down. So, it’s a double edged sword.
 
The Dinurale is catching my eye as of now. Question though, would they ship this to the US? I see the price is in euros. Also, is this what the Benedictines pray today? There is a Benedictine Monastery down the road from where I live and am wondering if they use the same book.
 
Two other things to consider. First, there is a book called Benedictine Daily Prayer that may offer a more traditional approach. Also, the British version of the Liturgy of the Hours is a more traditional translation.
 
Prior to Vatican II, the Divine Office/Liturgy of the Hours was prayed in Latin. In addition, the laity was not encouraged to pray it. Only after V II did vernacular versions become available and the laity was invited to a greater participation in this prayer of the whole Church.
 
The Dinurale is catching my eye as of now. Question though, would they ship this to the US? I see the price is in euros. Also, is this what the Benedictines pray today?
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Yes, they do ship to the U.S. - I got my copy directly from England. You might be able to find a copy on Amazon, but I don’t know for sure.

This Monastic Diurnale is the traditional Benedictine Office pre-Vatican II, and follows the older Calendar. If you were in a traditional Benedictine monastery, I would assume you would pray the traditional Benedictine Office. I guess it would depend on the monastery – They might just elect to pray the Liturgy of the Hours.
 
GerardMajella said:
Yes, they do ship to the U.S. - I got my copy directly from England. You might be able to find a copy on Amazon, but I don’t know for sure.

This Monastic Diurnale is the traditional Benedictine Office pre-Vatican II, and follows the older Calendar. If you were in a traditional Benedictine monastery, I would assume you would pray the traditional Benedictine Office. I guess it would depend on the monastery – They might just elect to pray the Liturgy of the Hours.
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Very few pray the Liturgy of the Hours, because the Rule of St. Benedict says Benedictines should pray the entire psalter in a week. Some monasteries with extensive external apostolates do use the LOH, or a two-week version of one of the approved Benedictine schemas.

The two principal offices in use by the Benedictines today are Schema A, which is the traditional schema of St. Benedict (and that found in the Monastic Diurnal), and Schema B, a post-Vatican II schema but that does pray the entire psalter in 1 week (there are two week versions of Schema B, and also Schemas C and D which are two-week).

For those using Schema A or the “traditional” Benedictine Office, it isn’t necessarily “traditional” Benedictine monasteries that use it; most that use it also do the OF Mass, not the EF Mass, and apart from the psalm order, and saints and feasts proper to the Benedictines, the “traditional” Benedictine Office includes the same readings and prayers as the current Liturgy of the Hours and follows the modern calendar. I know of at least four abbeys that use it: Solesmes and St-Wandrille in France, Ste-Marie-des-Deux-Montagnes near Montreal (nuns) and Westfield in Vermont (nuns). My own abbey uses Schema B.

Incidentally the Roman Office was also extensively revised in the early 1900s Pius X, and in fact many “traditions” were lost in the process, in particular that of praying the Laudate psalms (148, 149 and 150) every day. Extensive revision of the Divine Office is not new to the post-Vatican II period.
 
OraLabora – If one were inclined to utilize the Monastic Diurnale, what would they use for traditional Benedictine Matins?
 
GerardMajella said:
OraLabora – If one were inclined to utilize the Monastic Diurnale, what would they use for traditional Benedictine Matins?
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You would have to find a Breviarum Monasticum. I am not sure where one could be found, I don’t know of one in print as it is only available second-hand and is in Latin only. You would need a lectionary for the readings. Theoretically you could use the readings from the 4-volume current Liturgy of the Hours, they are valid.

You could also get Psalterium Monasticum, also in Latin, available from Solesmes (and with antiphons in chant notation!). You will need a lectionary for that as well.

Otherwise you’ll have to equip yourself with the Rule of St. Benedict, an approved Bible, and a lectionary, and wing it, as I don’t know any good source in the vernacular.
 
So much great information! I scheduled a meeting with a Benedictine priest friend to see how they pray the Office.
 
I should add that Solesmes is on the verge of producing the final volume of the Antiphonale Monasticum, that is the traditional Benedictine Office but adapted for the post-Vatican II era. Last estimate I heard was in 2010, so that should be an additional source, although I heard that (gasp!) they are going to divide Vigils into a two-week cycle and there will no longer be a third nocturne for feasts that fall on weekdays.

I do have Brevarium Monasticum, very well used, a gift from my spiritual director and director of oblates.
 
Ok so I talked with a traditional-minded Benedictine Priest and he said that the Monastic Diurnal is a good buy. I’m looking into St. Michael’s abbey shop, but don’t know how much shipping will be/how long shipping will take since they are outside the USA. But I am willing to order from them. Anyone have any suggestions?
 
Jacob21 said:
Ok so I talked with a traditional-minded Benedictine Priest and he said that the Monastic Diurnal is a good buy. I’m looking into St. Michael’s abbey shop, but don’t know how much shipping will be/how long shipping will take since they are outside the USA. But I am willing to order from them. Anyone have any suggestions?
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Please tell me you can find a paper (or printable from computer) guide to the MD (similar to the St Joseph’s Guide to the LotH).

I have been looking for one for about 1 year:(

NB: I know that there are online guides put out by individuals, but (how to put this diplomatically?) what happens if the 1 person goes on to his/her eternal reward?

The MD is pricey, but I am very drawn to it. Help.
 
Ok so I talked with a traditional-minded Benedictine Priest and he said that the Monastic Diurnal is a good buy. I’m looking into St. Michael’s abbey shop, but don’t know how much shipping will be/how long shipping will take since they are outside the USA. But I am willing to order from them. Anyone have any suggestions?
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I think it took about a month or so to arrive, due to the distance. I am in the U.S., and they were shipping from England. You also might try Amazon or BookFinder.com.
Please tell me you can find a paper (or printable from computer) guide to the MD (similar to the St Joseph’s Guide to the LotH).
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I’m no expert, but when I have utilized the Monastic Diurnale, it has a traditional calendar in the Monastic Diurnale itself. If there is a feast day, the Diurnale tells you so from the calendar.

It’s actually pretty easy to use, though it probably helps to have a Benedictine monk that can guide you through how to use it properly. It could be confusing to a novice unfamiliar with the Office. I was able to pick it up pretty quickly, but I had read the Liturgy of the Hours for about a year prior, which helped me to follow the Diurnale pretty easily.

The whole purpose of the Monastic Diurnale is to have a small book that monks and priests could use when traveling to be able to say the Divine Office daily. Hence, a lot of abbreviations are utilized, and it’s a small book, easy to carry.
 
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