Monastic Diurnal vs Devine Office

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I have prayed the modern LOTH for many years but recently purchased the Monastic Diurnal for the Latin and the older english. I got the Farnborough edition and I find it very complicated to use due to the way it is set up, I can’t follow the logic of the way they have things. I have gone to websites that have ordos and still have trouble with it. Has anyone used an older version of the Roman Breviary that Baronius Press will soon come out with? Is it easier to use and figure out? If it is I would buy the set and use that instead of the Diurnal. I also notice that Lulu Press has a 1963 version of Lauds, Vespers and Compline in a two vol set in latin and english, anyone with experience with these? Thanks in advance
 
I have that bookmarked but I find that site sometimes confusing too
 
The structural difference between the Monastic and Roman pre 1970 books is only how the Psalter is set up:
  • In the Roman breviary the the psalter goes from Sunday to Saturday and each day from the Matins (this is not in the diurnal) Lauds to the Compline
  • in the Monastic breviary you need six ribbons or markers for the Psalter
    ++ for the weekday Primes (Monday to Saturday)
    ++ for the Lauds (Sunday to Saturday)
    ++ for the Sunday Prime and minor hours
    ++ for the weekday minor hours (Sunday, Monday, other days)
    ++ for the Vespers (Sunday to Saturday)
    ++ for the Compline (only one set for all days)
After you get familiar how to use the Psalter, with minor differences the structure (not the content) of the Monastic and Roman Breviary is the same: you must compose the office from the Psalter, Proper of Season, Proper of Saints, Common of Saints. This composition is somewhat harder than for the Liturgy of the Hours but learnable.

The coming Baronius Breviary will be three volume (due to the Matins which is not in the diurnal) and will be certainly significantly more expensive than the Diurnal*
 
If simple is preferred then stay with the Liturgy of the Hours…hopefully the revised edition will be available by Advent’11
 
laszlo said:
The structural difference between the Monastic and Roman pre 1970 books is only how the Psalter is set up:
  • In the Roman breviary the the psalter goes from Sunday to Saturday and each day from the Matins (this is not in the diurnal) Lauds to the Compline
  • in the Monastic breviary you need six ribbons or markers for the Psalter
    ++ for the weekday Primes (Monday to Saturday)
    ++ for the Lauds (Sunday to Saturday)
    ++ for the Sunday Prime and minor hours
    ++ for the weekday minor hours (Sunday, Monday, other days)
    ++ for the Vespers (Sunday to Saturday)
    ++ for the Compline (only one set for all days)
At least in my post-1970 Monastic psalter (in Latin-French), Prime for weekdays is gathered together at the beginning of the psalter. This is your fist ribbon

Then Matins and Lauds from Sunday through Saturday are grouped together so that you start with Sunday Matins then Sunday Lauds, then Monday Matins, then Monday Lauds, and so forth. This is your second ribbon.

Prime for Sunday starts the sequence of reciting Psalm 118 which starts at Sunday Prime and is read through all the little hours of Sunday, then all the little hours of Monday (when Prime starts a different sequence starting at Ps. 1). The little hours then shift on Tuesday to Ps. 119-127 which are then recited every day for the remaining days of the week (so they could be learned from memory, and recited by monks working in the fields during the day). This is the third ribbon.

Then Vespers for each day of the week are gathered together, the fourth ribbon.

Lastly Compline which in the Monastic breviary is Ps. 4, 90 and 133 every day, would be the fifth.

Perhaps in the diurnal Sunday Prime & Little hours are in a separate section compared to weekday little hours necessitating a 6th ribbon. In the Monastic psalter (current post-Vatican II version), the little hours sequence starts with Sunday Prime (Prime is still observed in some monasteries that use the current post-Vatican II version of the Monastic Office), then goes on in sequence to the Sunday and weekday little hours.

Of course having two more ribbons helps: for the proper and common of the saints… I find that no matter how many ribbons you have, one always seems to need more…
Jakub;7439682:
If simple is preferred then stay with the Liturgy of the Hours…hopefully the revised edition will be available by Advent’11
Click to expand...
It won’t. The LOTH new English translation won’t happen any time soon. No new translation in the works for French (my first language).

On the other hand, finally the official version of the new Roman Antiphonary has been released so that you now have an official book to chant, in Gregorian chant and in Latin, Vespers for Sundays throughout the year as well as all feasts and solemnities.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the replies. Has anyone dealt with LuLu.com? Their two vol set of Lauds, Vespers and Compline looks interesting but I know nothing about this outfit and whether or not they are good to deal with. Any info on them?
 
I know the Monastic Diurnal is a bit difficult to get use to, but once you do its worth it. I bought mine around August of last year and was terribly confused. However Saints Shall Arise (the blog mentioned above) really helped me out.
 
Hi all, I run the Saints will arise and Trad Ben group.

To answer the question about the Order of the psalter in the Diurnal, it more or less follows the sequence of psalms said at the various hours - Prime covers Psalms 1-19 (skipping over a couple) in the Monastic Office so it goes first, Lauds’ variable psalms start at 5, etc.

In terms of difficulties in following the site, please don’t hesitate to send me an email, make a comment on the blog or join the group - I’m happy to answer questions, and am working to make the notes easier to follow, so feedback is very useful!

That said, the traditional Office, whether monastic or Roman is fairly complex, particularly if you aren’t familiar with the traditional liturgical seasons and feasts. Apart from the LOH, another fully liturgical option might be the Little Office of Our Lady - there is a nice edition put out by Baronius.
 
I like this Divine Office site www.divinumofficium.com

They have everything laid out for every day and for every Hour, and you can even choose which version, in history, of the Divine Office you want to pray!

Alex
 
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