Praying the EF Breviary

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Hello,

To pray the EF Roman Breviary, it must be prayed in Latin. Correct? If one does not speak Latin, can one still pray the Brevarium Romanum?

Nobody recommend the Baronius Breviary. If they would hurry up and print it I wouldn’t be here asking this question.
 
If you’re praying it liturgically, yes it must be prayed in Latin; there is no official vernacular translation. The translation in any pre-Vatican II breviary is there to assist in understanding only.
 
If you intend to pray it as a public prayer and/or as part of an obligation then it must be in Latin. If it’s just for devotion then as you like! If you can’t speak Latin but can pronounce the words then of course you can pray it!
 
Only those bound to the office, According to the pre-vatican II regulations, and those of the EF communites, one is bound to the Office if they are a Sub-deacon, Deacon, priest or bishop, a Choir monk in temporary or solemn vows, a Nun in temporary or solemn vows who is attached to choir in a cloistered convent or monastary (a Lay Sister,even though most sisters in active religous communites are erroniously referred to as nuns, and are not bound to the office>, are bound to the Office by obligation) Otherwise you may pray the Office in any tounge you speak.

Clergy and religious in secular or religious houses that do not follow the EF on a regular basis may use the older Breviary, however as the office of sub-deacon is rarely found there, it would apply to deacons, priests and bishops in those groups.
 
The Divine Office, whether prayed privately, publicly, or in choir, is the public prayer of the Church.

If one not bound wishes to pray it as a private devotion one can pray it in whatever one language one wishes. If one not bound wishes to join the public prayer of the Church whether alone at home or with any gathering, then the rubrics need to be followed. For the EF form that means Latin. For the current LOTH it means an approved translation, or Latin.

Note that it was not the norm for the laity to pray the LOTH before 1970, except perhaps for some attached to third orders, or oblates. However for the current LOTH, lay participation is specifically encouraged by the Church as spelled out in the General Instructions. Therefore if one wants to participate in public prayer it needs to be as per the rubrics.

For Benedictine houses, the abbot retains the authority to decide what Office to use for his community. While it is possible, it would be uncommon for an abbey to use an EF Mass and a post-Vatican II breviary. The Monastic Breviary has been adapted to post-Vatican II usage so that there is a pre- and post-Vatican II version in addition to 3 other published breviaries; that said some houses and congregations come up with their own breviaries.
 
I’m sure with a little practice, you’ll do just fine praying it in Latin, while following the English translation to aid your conprehension.

Last year I talked to an older gent from Chicago. He says in the 1950s he and his boyhood friends were invited to pray sung vespers at the parish every Sunday evening, and led by the parish priest who trained them to chant the Latin together. They really liked going every week until it was shut down after Vatican II.

If a bunch of 8 y/os could do it, we can.
 
If it was shut down by Vatican II it was really a misinterpretation of Vatican II. Nothing prevents a parish from having sung Vespers (or any other part of the LOTH) in a parish. Our schola has, at the invitation of the archbishop, been providing sung Vespers in Latin according to the modern Liturgy of the Hours at the cathedral for one Sunday each in Advent, Lent and Eastertide, as well as sung Lauds on Holy Saturday.
 
OraLabora said:
If it was shut down by Vatican II it was really a misinterpretation of Vatican II. Nothing prevents a parish from having sung Vespers (or any other part of the LOTH) in a parish. Our schola has, at the invitation of the archbishop, been providing sung Vespers in Latin according to the modern Liturgy of the Hours at the cathedral for one Sunday each in Advent, Lent and Eastertide, as well as sung Lauds on Holy Saturday.
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Quite the opposite, actually. Lumen Gentum states that such practices are to be encouraged in parishes.
 
Deo_Gratias42 said:
Quite the opposite, actually. Lumen Gentum states that such practices are to be encouraged in parishes.
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Indeed. Whomever quashed sung vespers because of Vatican II was being highly inventive. Another “spirit of Vatican II” type :rolleyes:
 
OraLabora said:
Indeed. Whomever quashed sung vespers because of Vatican II was being highly inventive. Another “spirit of Vatican II” type :rolleyes:
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God, I’d love to have sung Vespers in Latin on a regular basis.
 
YoungTradCath said:
God, I’d love to have sung Vespers in Latin on a regular basis.
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Our schola is doing it for the 4th Sunday of Easter, but unfortunately I won’t be able to participate due to other commitments. However I do chant Vespers in Latin myself almost every day 😃
 
Ideally, one could hope for this in a church but reality says “not available for most”. so I use " The Chant of Le Barroux" on the internet. They have 6 of the hours every day with text in latin and english. 👍
 
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