Roman Breviary 1962

[rben20]

Hello Catholics,

I’m interested in learning to pray the breviary according to the 1962 books but I was wondering if there is a podcast or something that I can follow along or pray with? I’m waiting for the Baronius Press to publish their version but until then I’d like to at least have a resource to lead me in prayer when I finally do get my hands on a breviary. Thank you!

 

[diggerdomer]

Hello Catholics,

I’m interested in learning to pray the breviary according to the 1962 books but I was wondering if there is a podcast or something that I can follow along or pray with? I’m waiting for the Baronius Press to publish their version but until then I’d like to at least have a resource to lead me in prayer when I finally do get my hands on a breviary. Thank you!

The Liturgy of the Hours is a prayer of the Church. Why do you want to pray according to some past practice rather than in communion with the Church?

 

[JReducation]

I would suggest that you wait before your purchase the 1962 breviary. The form will probably remain the same. However, the Holy Father seems to want to unify the liturgical calendar of the Roman Church so that the mass and breviary in both forms are celebrating the same seasons and the same feast days at the same time.

However, if you’re going to purchase one of the Order breviaries: Benedictine, Franciscans, Carmelites, Dominicans, Salesians or Jesuit, I have only heard that the Franciscans are going to change their liturgical calendar. If that’s the case, that’s the only one of these breviaries that would change.

Every so often, I’m not sure how often that is . . . there does not seem to be a pattern, the liturgical calendars are updated to include the new saints of these religious orders. I’m a Franciscan and I know that our own calendar has not changed since 1970. I know that we want to add Padre Pio, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Bl. Mother Teresa, Bl. John XXIII and 10 Secular Franciscans that have been canonized since 1970. We also need to change the missal and lectionary, not just the breviary.

If you want to pray the Divine Office and save a little money, you may want to wait. Breviaries are not cheap. The number of publishing houses are less; therefore, they have less competition, which is a bummer for those of us who have to pay their high prices.

As for a podcast, you may want to contact one of the Benedictine or Cistercian houses. They would know. But they don’t use the Roman Breviary either. They use the Benedictine Breviary.

They’re all similar to the Roman, except on those days when their is a particular saint or feast of the order, then the Roman feast or saint is eliminated. Then they have some little details of their own. For example, some religious orders have their own Feast of All Saints and Feast of All Souls. Among Franciscans, we have two All Saints and two All Souls. We have All Saints and All Franciscan Saints. We have All Souls and All Franciscan Souls. The Roman Breviary has St. Francis on Oct 4 and we have him from Oct 2 - 4, three days. For us it’s a solemnity with proper psalms, collects, and readings. The Bennies do the same for their own breviary, even those that use the form of 1962.

But the Bennies are your best bet, because they have more houses that use the old form. Try them to see if they have something online. I’m sure they do. They’re pretty big. If you read Spanish, Spain has put out the new 1962 breviary in Spanish. It’s the same form, only in Spanish with the current liturgical calendar.

Good luck to you!

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[agnes_therese]

This website has several different older forms of the Divine Office. While I don’t see 1962 specifically listed, you could start getting a “feel” for the flow of the older versions.

To diggerdomer: many people feel that the older versions are more beautiful and more reverent. It has nothing to do with not wanting to pray in communion with the Church.

 

[agnes_therese]

Well. I guess it would help if I included the link to the website:

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

 

[laszlo]

I learned to pray the Breviary over 50 years ago with the one minute instruction: "Until you are familiar with the how to, read carefully the red print too. " We received the (pre 1960 copy of the Breviary, and less than an hour later we had to leave the Seminary, the communis government of Hungary did not liked us).

Here is three website with the text of the daily offices:

officiumdivinum.org/ (Latin only, Diurnal)

breviary.net/ (1955 version bilingual)

divinumofficium.com/cgi-bin/horas/officium.pl (variety of versions bilingual)

Here is also a downloadable pdf for the 1960 diurnal:

stores.lulu.com/breviary (bilingual)

(diurnal is the full text without the Matutinum, the night prayer)

 

[OraLabora]

The Liturgy of the Hours is a prayer of the Church. Why do you want to pray according to some past practice rather than in communion with the Church?

I would instead recommend to the OP that he pray the current Benedictine schema “A”, if he wants pre-Vatican II continuity. But it is longer than the 1962 Roman Breviary. This is a fully approved office for current liturgical use.

The Benedictine schema is the same psalmody as that prescribed by Saint Benedict 1500 years ago, but the rest of the Office will be in synch with the modern Liturgy of the Hours. For the Day hours, in Latin, you can buy the Antiphonale Monasticum from Solesmes in 3 volumes (with a 4th smaller volume for the propers for the Solesmes congregation). The 4th main volume, for the night office, is expected “soon” (which in Benedictine time can be a long time!). This is of course for Latin.

For English the Monastic Diurnal could be used but combined with Christian Prayer. You would take the psalmody from the Diurnal, everything else from Christian Prayer. There remains the issue of the Night Office, which would be a major challenge as the Benedictine Night Office is very long, with 12 psalms in two nocturnes, with a third nocturne of 3 canticles on Sundays and feasts.

 

[giuseppeTO]

TraditionalCatholicRadio.org streams Prime, Sext, and Compline daily at various times according to the 1962 books. If you would like to listen and follow, check out the schedule.

 

[vladimir998]

Incredibly, you wrote:

The Liturgy of the Hours is a prayer of the Church. Why do you want to pray according to some past practice rather than in communion with the Church?

If you are suggesting that someone using the 1962 Breviary is out of communion with the Church, the pope would flat out tell you that you are wrong. There are entire religious orders who use ONLY the 1962 Breviary and they are in communion with the Church.

Also, many traditional minded Catholics are adopting the older usages because they go better with the EF of the liturgy. The simple fact is that the modern usages are often banal, dull, and suffer from a loss of tradition.

I eagerly await - like so many people I know - the publication of Baronius Press’ new edition of the 1962 Breviary. It will have the whole text in both Latin and English - and in both languages it will be superior to the Liturgy of the Hours used today. The fact that new editions of the 1962 Breviary are being published today shows it is not a past practice but a living tradition in the Church.

And it’s growing. Gee, I hope you can stand it.

 

[vladimir998]

Hello Catholics,

I’m interested in learning to pray the breviary according to the 1962 books but I was wondering if there is a podcast or something that I can follow along or pray with? I’m waiting for the Baronius Press to publish their version but until then I’d like to at least have a resource to lead me in prayer when I finally do get my hands on a breviary. Thank you!

My recommendation to you is to work at it with a guide book for now, but also look for the new Breviary from Baronius Press when it comes out. I suspect that several thousand people will be eagerly looking for ways to learn that breviary! You’ll see websites and podcasts pop up about it. Believe me!

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

I would suggest that you wait before your purchase the 1962 breviary. The form will probably remain the same. However, the Holy Father seems to want to unify the liturgical calendar of the Roman Church so that the mass and breviary in both forms are celebrating the same seasons and the same feast days at the same time.

However, if you’re going to purchase one of the Order breviaries: Benedictine, Franciscans, Carmelites, Dominicans, Salesians or Jesuit, I have only heard that the Franciscans are going to change their liturgical calendar. If that’s the case, that’s the only one of these breviaries that would change.

Every so often, I’m not sure how often that is . . . there does not seem to be a pattern, the liturgical calendars are updated to include the new saints of these religious orders. I’m a Franciscan and I know that our own calendar has not changed since 1970. I know that we want to add Padre Pio, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Bl. Mother Teresa, Bl. John XXIII and 10 Secular Franciscans that have been canonized since 1970. We also need to change the missal and lectionary, not just the breviary.

If you want to pray the Divine Office and save a little money, you may want to wait. Breviaries are not cheap. The number of publishing houses are less; therefore, they have less competition, which is a bummer for those of us who have to pay their high prices.

As for a podcast, you may want to contact one of the Benedictine or Cistercian houses. They would know. But they don’t use the Roman Breviary either. They use the Benedictine Breviary.

They’re all similar to the Roman, except on those days when their is a particular saint or feast of the order, then the Roman feast or saint is eliminated. Then they have some little details of their own. For example, some religious orders have their own Feast of All Saints and Feast of All Souls. Among Franciscans, we have two All Saints and two All Souls. We have All Saints and All Franciscan Saints. We have All Souls and All Franciscan Souls. The Roman Breviary has St. Francis on Oct 4 and we have him from Oct 2 - 4, three days. For us it’s a solemnity with proper psalms, collects, and readings. The Bennies do the same for their own breviary, even those that use the form of 1962.

But the Bennies are your best bet, because they have more houses that use the old form. Try them to see if they have something online. I’m sure they do. They’re pretty big. If you read Spanish, Spain has put out the new 1962 breviary in Spanish. It’s the same form, only in Spanish with the current liturgical calendar.

Good luck to you!

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

Our (Carmelite) Calendar changed in 2009 but Rome would not approve a new Carmelite Proper for the LoTH as they are awaiting to approve the Psalm translation so we put out a companion with the new Saints and Blesseds.

 

[JReducation]

Our (Carmelite) Calendar changed in 2009 but Rome would not approve a new Carmelite Proper for the LoTH as they are awaiting to approve the Psalm translation so we put out a companion with the new Saints and Blesseds.

That’s always an issue when you’re trying to get a breviary, missal or lectionary written for an order. They’re all under review, even the Benedictine books are being revised.

I know that the Franciscan proper was approved in Latin and for some language groups. For the first time in forever, the English language group was approved without revisions. The translations are very well done.

The calendar is another issue. If I’m not mistaken, I believe that we may be the only religious family, of the big five, where the male religious do not have authority over the other branches. I think that the Carmelties, for example, the friars of the O’Carm and the OCD decide on the calendar and it is binding on the Carmelite nuns and Secular Carmelites. The same goes for the Dominicans, Augustinians, and Benedictines.

It does not work for Franciscans. The Friars Minor have three votes in the matter. The Poor Clares have about 200 votes, the Third Order Regular has one vote, and the Secular Franciscans have one vote. Every branch of the Order is autonomous and males may never speak over females. St. Clare made sure of that. She wrote the men right out of the rule, after St. Francis had written it for her. Who said women did not have power in the Church?

Anyway, if someone likes a particular school of spirituality, it would be prudent to make sure that they are not changing their breviary, before investing in a very expensive purchase. I know that the four volume Franciscan Breviary costs $250.00. There is only one publishing house in the English-speaking world that puts it out. There is the original Latin edition, from which the English was taken, but it’s rarely used in public. It requires the vote of a house chapter. I wouldn’t even know where you can buy one.

The Monastic Diurnal is being revised. But as someone so cleverly put it, “soon” in Benedictine time is not the same as “soon” in our time.

You can use the four volume Roman Breviary, which the secular clergy uses. It’s the one that the Holy Father uses. I actually got a close look at it once and recognized it. That one comes in many languages.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[giuseppeTO]

The Liturgy of the Hours is a prayer of the Church. Why do you want to pray according to some past practice rather than in communion with the Church?

If you attend the TLM, the 1962 breviary follows the readings according to the 1962 calendar.

 

[JReducation]

If you attend the TLM, the 1962 breviary follows the readings according to the 1962 calendar.

That’s why Pope Benedict XVI has suggested that the two calendars be brought into harmony, so that both forms of the mass, EF and OF are in sync.

When that happens, only God knows. The Curia is not known for its speed.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

That’s always an issue when you’re trying to get a breviary, missal or lectionary written for an order. They’re all under review, even the Benedictine books are being revised.

I know that the Franciscan proper was approved in Latin and for some language groups. For the first time in forever, the English language group was approved without revisions. The translations are very well done.

The calendar is another issue. If I’m not mistaken, I believe that we may be the only religious family, of the big five, where the male religious do not have authority over the other branches. I think that the Carmelties, for example, the friars of the O’Carm and the OCD decide on the calendar and it is binding on the Carmelite nuns and Secular Carmelites. The same goes for the Dominicans, Augustinians, and Benedictines.

It does not work for Franciscans. The Friars Minor have three votes in the matter. The Poor Clares have about 200 votes, the Third Order Regular has one vote, and the Secular Franciscans have one vote. Every branch of the Order is autonomous and males may never speak over females. St. Clare made sure of that. She wrote the men right out of the rule, after St. Francis had written it for her. Who said women did not have power in the Church?

Anyway, if someone likes a particular school of spirituality, it would be prudent to make sure that they are not changing their breviary, before investing in a very expensive purchase. I know that the four volume Franciscan Breviary costs $250.00. There is only one publishing house in the English-speaking world that puts it out. There is the original Latin edition, from which the English was taken, but it’s rarely used in public. It requires the vote of a house chapter. I wouldn’t even know where you can buy one.

The Monastic Diurnal is being revised. But as someone so cleverly put it, “soon” in Benedictine time is not the same as “soon” in our time.

You can use the four volume Roman Breviary, which the secular clergy uses. It’s the one that the Holy Father uses. I actually got a close look at it once and recognized it. That one comes in many languages.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

You are correct, in the O.Carm. the prior general is not only the superior of the men but also the sisters/nuns and the T.O.Carm. (Third Order Carmelites). For the O.C.D., the superior general has the same role.

But having said that, there are two votes on the Carmelite Calendar as the O.Carm. and the O.C.D. produce it together. Now what might be a Memorial for one maybe be an Optional Memorial for the other or a Solemnity for one might be a Feast for another. Also the propers might be different as there might be one set of antiphones for the O.Carm. and another set for the O.C.D. but we produce one Ordo and one Carmelite Proper of the LoTH.

Our Carmelite Proper of the LoTH is an additional book, a supplement to either the 4 volume LoTH or to the one volume Christian Prayer.

 

[JReducation]

You are correct, in the O.Carm. the prior general is not only the superior of the men but also the sisters/nuns and the T.O.Carm. (Third Order Carmelites). For the O.C.D., the superior general has the same role.

But having said that, there are two votes on the Carmelite Calendar as the O.Carm. and the O.C.D. produce it together. Now what might be a Memorial for one maybe be an Optional Memorial for the other or a Solemnity for one might be a Feast for another. Also the propers might be different as there might be one set of antiphones for the O.Carm. and another set for the O.C.D. but we produce one Ordo and one Carmelite Proper of the LoTH.
Our Carmelite Proper of the LoTH is an additional book, a supplement to either the 4 volume LoTH or to the one volume Christian Prayer.

There is a difference. But I believe the reason for the difference has to do with the difference in charisms between the Carmelite and the Franciscan families. The Franciscan family is predicated on brotherhood. It was founded for one purpose, to live as brothers. Later, when Clare came along, the fraternity was extended.

Therefore, to us it is very important that the entire family celebrates the exact same liturgy, the same memorials, feasts, solemnities, etc etc. It’s a sign of our oneness as a family within the larger family called Church. There are only a few times during the year when we have a difference.

We don’t have the little addendum that you guys have. We have a four-volume Franciscan Breviary that the entire family uses, with one ordo for everyone, one sacramentary and one lectionary.

Where we do have differences is in national holy days. For example, when I was in Ecuador, the feast of St. James the Greater is a solemnity there, because he’s the patron saint of the southern half of the country and St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of the northern half of the country. St. Francis was never a problem for us, because he’s a solemnity on our calendar. When you don’t have the solemnity in your breviary, you don’t have the propers for the day. We always did St. James from the Common of the Apostles. The local clergy had a breviary and missal with propers for St. James.

These problems also occur even with the 1962 breviary. When you move from one diocese to another or one country to another, the feasts are added, deleted, upgraded or downgraded. Then you have new saints that have to be included in some regions of the world, even the 1962 breviary is not exempt from them.

I’m trying to remember, but I believe that in India, Sept 5 is celebrated in every diocese, not just Calcutta, because it’s the feast of Bl. Mother Teresa. Even if you’re using the 1962 breviary, you have to celebrate that one. I know for a fact that she’s not in the Roman Ordo.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Mark1970]

The Liturgy of the Hours is a prayer of the Church. Why do you want to pray according to some past practice rather than in communion with the Church?

In Summorum Pontificum, published by Pope Benedict in 2007 under his own authority, the Pope explicitly allows those in Holy Orders to use the 1962 Roman Breviary as an alternative to the modern Liturgy of the Hours. Also, as someone else has said, the traditional orders of priests approved by the Pole only use the 1962 Breviary, with Papal permission. So using the '62 Breviary is actually current practice approved by the Pope, and is in full communion with the Church. So rben20 isn’t doing anything worng.

 

[bjcsfo]

There is a difference. But I believe the reason for the difference has to do with the difference in charisms between the Carmelite and the Franciscan families. The Franciscan family is predicated on brotherhood. It was founded for one purpose, to live as brothers. Later, when Clare came along, the fraternity was extended.

Therefore, to us it is very important that the entire family celebrates the exact same liturgy, the same memorials, feasts, solemnities, etc etc. It’s a sign of our oneness as a family within the larger family called Church. There are only a few times during the year when we have a difference.

We don’t have the little addendum that you guys have. We have a four-volume Franciscan Breviary that the entire family uses, with one ordo for everyone, one sacramentary and one lectionary.

Where we do have differences is in national holy days. For example, when I was in Ecuador, the feast of St. James the Greater is a solemnity there, because he’s the patron saint of the southern half of the country and St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of the northern half of the country. St. Francis was never a problem for us, because he’s a solemnity on our calendar. When you don’t have the solemnity in your breviary, you don’t have the propers for the day. We always did St. James from the Common of the Apostles. The local clergy had a breviary and missal with propers for St. James.

These problems also occur even with the 1962 breviary. When you move from one diocese to another or one country to another, the feasts are added, deleted, upgraded or downgraded. Then you have new saints that have to be included in some regions of the world, even the 1962 breviary is not exempt from them.

I’m trying to remember, but I believe that in India, Sept 5 is celebrated in every diocese, not just Calcutta, because it’s the feast of Bl. Mother Teresa. Even if you’re using the 1962 breviary, you have to celebrate that one. I know for a fact that she’s not in the Roman Ordo.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

Br JR:
I’m a Secular Franciscan, can you tell me about the Franciscan LoTH? I have been using the LoTH with a small supplemental book with the Franciscan Saints. Most of the Friars in my area are also doing the same thing. I wasn’t aware that there was a 4 vol Franciscan set with out the supplemental books available and all under a single book. Where does one get the set? Thanks

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

If you are suggesting that someone using the 1962 Breviary is out of communion with the Church, the pope would flat out tell you that you are wrong. There are entire religious orders who use ONLY the 1962 Breviary and they are in communion with the Church.

Quite right, he could even use the Anglician Berivary and still be in communion with the Church. I believe the issue that was brought up was that he would not be praying with the Church as the Church uses a certain approved text.

But as the next post shows…

In Summorum Pontificum, published by Pope Benedict in 2007 under his own authority, the Pope explicitly allows those in Holy Orders to use the 1962 Roman Breviary as an alternative to the modern Liturgy of the Hours.

That would be only for the secular clergy. Those in religious orders/communities would have to follow their rule/constitutions/superiors in this matter.

Also those in secular third orders may have to pray a certain office (use certain books) out of obligation.

Those who are free though can really pray any form and from any book they wish but if they wish to pray as the Church does then they should chose those books approved for their region. I believe, as you state, that the 1962 Office is approved for all regions (as it is in Latin so there are not different editions for each region as the vernacular office has).

 

[JReducation]

Br JR:
I’m a Secular Franciscan, can you tell me about the Franciscan LoTH? I have been using the LoTH with a small supplemental book with the Franciscan Saints. Most of the Friars in my area are also doing the same thing. I wasn’t aware that there was a 4 vol Franciscan set with out the supplemental books available and all under a single book. Where does one get the set? Thanks

Try calling Franciscan Resources. They carry it and when they don’t have it in stock, they know where to get it. It’s called the Roman-Franciscan Liturgy of the Hours, IV Vol. Set.

It has all of the hours for each day of the year and has been approved by all of the Generals and the Poor Clares. It was a tad expensive. Back when we got it, it was over $150.00. I guess it’s more today.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF