So excited for new order of nuns coming to my parish: question on LOTH

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tstadheim

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Hi all,
Filae Laboris Mariae nuns are moving into our parish. I understand they typically pray at least Lauds and Vespers in public so parishioners can participate. I am very excited about this because I have been trying to pray Divine Office whenever possible. My question is: should I expect our priests will join in that ? Do priests and nuns typically do LOTH together?
Thanks
 
My guess is only occasionally. I see the sisters pray the pre-Vatican II Office, which is necessarily in Latin. Most parish priests would be using the Liturgy of the Hours in the vernacular.

I assume the sisters will have a priest celebrating Mass for them; he will have to be proficient in Latin as they seem to use the Extraordinary Form Mass. Is he a live-in chaplain or a priest who comes in just for Mass? If he’s live-in, he may join in but will not likely participate aloud if they chant the Office.

Many men find listening to chant a full octave higher difficult (I know I do!), and joining in with the singing, impossible, even for someone like me, a tenor proficient in Gregorian chant.
 
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Thanks for responding!
I should have clarified this is an FSSP parish, so priests are already doing most things in Latin. They already do a public Sunday Vespers and an occasional weeknight Compline.
 
Years ago, when I was on retreat, the priests & staff invited us to pray Compline with them. I still know 1) Salva nos, Domine, 2) In manuas tuas, Domine and the Salve Regina (Simple Tone).
 
I’m guessing these sisters pray the Roman Breviary, as revised by St Pius X, rather than the monastic office?
 
That’s what I discovered after googling, what they call the “traditional” Roman Breviary. Which of course it isn’t. The “traditional” Roman Breviary would be the breviary of Pius V, not the one of Pius X!!! And it’s much closer to the monastic. But alas it hasn’t been licit since Pius X quashed it on the introduction of his new (and for the time -dare I say it- radical) breviary.

In any event it seems it’s the Pius X they use. So the FSSP priests will be familiar with it and the music for it, for sure.

But they’ll still have trouble making their voices match the women’s octave 😆

As to whether the FSSP priests join in with the sisters for the Divine Office, I would guess it would depend on the demands of their own community. One of them may preside, and recite the priest’s parts, but still he’ll have trouble making his voice match the women’s octave 😆
 
I can’t say that the FSSP is known for its public and choral celebration of the Divine Office.
 
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