Need help choosing a breviary

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Hi everyone,

I’m new here so forgive me if this is the wrong place for this question. So long story short, I had a breviary but I gave it away a couple years ago, now I want one again.

I would appreciate the full divine office, but I can work with morning, evening night prayers.

My questions:
  1. Is anyone here familiar with the books “Christian Prayer”, “Morning and Evening prayer” and “Shorter morning and evening prayer”?
  2. How different is “Morning and Evening prayer” from "Shorter morning and evening prayer?
  3. Due to current budget, I’m thinking of the “shorter” one as it is the cheapest. Can someone tell me more about it? Does it have full Lauds, Vespers and Compline, or are the services in it shortened?
hope to get some answers,
thanks!
 
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Have you considered using an app or website, and praying on your phone or computer, until you can save up adequate funds to purchase the full volume or the full set?
 
IBreviary Is the app I have, it is free too.
Dominus vobiscum
 
Yes, thing is I don’t have a smartphone and I’m trying to reduce my computer computer usage. This is why I want a book.
 
Well, that is laudable and understandable. We were just trying to work out a solution that would not cost you an arm and a leg.

The “shorter” editions are greatly abbreviated. The way it works is this: each day in the psalter, each week and each proper has a few antiphons, psalms, readings and prayers associated with it. The abridged editions attempt to make do with “seasonal” selections that do not change by the day.

When you pray LOTH with an abridged edition, you are not praying the liturgy of the Church. If you were clergy or religious, it would not fulfill your obligation to pray LOTH, and it would not be possible to pray in unison with a community unless they all used the same abridged edition.

I cut my teeth on the 1-volume large-type Christian Prayer. Its only abridgements are the lack of Office of Readings, and some of the Daytime Prayer bits. I believe this volume is the perfect size for a layman who wants to pray with the Church. Also, it is only about $35.00.

Keep in mind as well that the Church’s gears are grinding away at a new LOTH translation. We don’t know exactly when it will see the light of day, but we won’t have our 1970 books forever.
 
I have a book called Daily prayers - from divine office . It’s all Morning prayer, evening prayers and night prayer as well as noon and Midday prayers so all you are missing is Office of reading which it does contain for Christmas. So it sounds perfect for you all in one book. I am in England though so it’s not compatible for US. See if theres a similar one. Its inexpensive for what you get £30. You can get a very small one for just morning and evening I believe and I’ve seen just night prayer in retreat houses. If you are in England let me know and I’ll give you better details
God bless
 
Thanks everyone. I understand that a smaller book will not be in tune with the services. What I really want is something to pray every day, morning evening and night is good but more than that is fine too.

Does the the book “Shorter morning and evening prayer” book have all the psalms? O just some psalms? While I would like a more complete book, I’m looking towards this one as it’s cheaper. I live in Europe too, so it’s much more expensive and rare here due to language.
 
I’m in Europe, so closer to the UK than USA. What I want is an english version, which is rare here. What are the average prices in UK? Also, do you know if the “shorter morning and evening prayer” or mayber the “Morning and Evening prayer” has all the psalms? That can work it it does.
 
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I’ve been looking at this book too. Thanks for the information.
You can get a very small one for just morning and evening I believe and I’ve seen just night prayer in retreat houses.
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Can you tell me the names, if you know?
 
Anesti33 said:
the 1-volume large-type Christian Prayer .
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I know plenty of clergy and religious who only use this ^. It’s my preference, but it lacks a complete daytime prayer, night prayer, or Office of Readings. That said, it’s sufficient.

Perhaps a happy medium between a more expensive book and your attempt at less screentime would be Universalis, where you can create your own booklets for a reasonable fee (you’d just have to print them, which isn’t so eco-friendly, but…).
 
kierond said:
I’m in Europe, so closer to the UK than USA. What I want is an english version, which is rare here. What are the average prices in UK? Also, do you know if the “shorter morning and evening prayer” or mayber the “Morning and Evening prayer” has all the psalms? That can work it it does.
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If you are going to get the UK version, then you should buy the “Morning and Evening Prayer” instead of the “Shorter Morning and Evening Prayer”

But I would recommend the “Daily Prayer” version, which has all the hours except the Office of Readings.


OR you could purchase “The Prayer of the Church” from the African version of the breviary (which is everything except the Office of Readings)


(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
 
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kierond said:
Due to current budget, I’m thinking of the “shorter” one as it is the cheapest. Can someone tell me more about it? Does it have full Lauds, Vespers and Compline, or are the services in it shortened?
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I own “A Shorter Morning and Evening Prayer” published by Collins in 1983, ISBN 0005997348 . It does have full Lauds, Vespers and Compline. It is not as though it has shorter versions of these prayers.

I think the main thing you miss out on is the celebrations of the Saints. On page 465 it begins the section “Saints of the General Calendar”. Here it has the antiphon and concluding prayer for the following dates: 2 February, 19 March, 25 March, 24 June, 29 June, 6 August, 15 August, 14 September, 1 November, 2 November, 9 November and 8 December. So with just this book the only named saints you have are Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint John the Baptist, and Saints Peter and Paul. So for lots of feast days you are not able to celebrate the correct ceremony with just this book.
 
Cor_ad_Cor said:
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Anesti33:
the 1-volume large-type Christian Prayer .
Click to expand...
I know plenty of clergy and religious who only use this ^. It’s my preference, but it lacks a complete daytime prayer, night prayer, or Office of Readings. That said, it’s sufficient.
Click to expand...
What is missing from night prayer (Compline)?
 
My apologies; night prayer is OK. I was thinking it was abbreviated, but I just checked - I was mistaken. (Shows I don’t pray that office regularly!)
 
Sorry I don’t know. I will try find out someone in my order has one but it may well be very old.
 
Thanks! I mainly looking at morning and evening prayers for now, so this could do it. Other hours would be a bonus, but let’s see how my budget goes first.
 
Sorry I don’t know. I will try find out someone in my order has one but it may well be very old.
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Thanks If you do let me know. I don’t mind if it old, once it’s still possible to get.
 
@ phil19034. Thanks this is very helpful. I’ll probably try to get a UK version. It’s the easiest to source and ship where I am.
 
Just check it is valid for your country… ie England uses a different one to France etc. One approved for use in England covers ‘Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand and Scotland’ only. It is not approved for use in Europe. I’ve no idea why that is I’m just copying it out of the front if mine (where its approved for). If you aren’t bothered then go ahead I just wouldn’t want you to buy something and then discover it doesn’t list your country. Mine is the Collins one in the picture above. Also a little PS. you can get it new on other sites for much less than that …ie world of books.
 
It gets complicated if one lives, say, in France but has difficulty praying in French. There is no approved English breviary for France. The AEFL breviary approved for France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Canada has the benefit of including saints from the calendars of those countries, but no English breviary will. The IECL English version for the US and Canada will include US and Canadian saints only.

I guess this is where Latin comes in handy, but the Editio Typica in Latin only has the General Roman Calendar, it doesn’t include saints for particular countries.

I would say to the OP if you’re anglophone but not living currently in an anglophone country, use the breviary of your native country (US/Canada, UK, etc.).
 
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