The Different Versions of the LOBVM

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I was searching through different versions of the Little Office, and I do not know which one best fits me. I know I don’t want the Catholic Book Publishing Company one, so I’ve finally come across 4: St. Bonaventure Press (The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary ), Baronius Press (Baronius Press: The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1962)), Angelus Press (https://www.amazon.com/Little-Offic...ary&qid=1595328611&sprefix=little+pffi&sr=8-5 ), and a Carmelite one (Lulu ).If you can, please let me know your thoughts on them (I love Latin, so all of them seem to fit that criteria [though I did read it could be difficult for beginners to the Little Office, though I’ve roughly got the Divine Office down for Morning and Night prayer on divineoffice.org]).

P.S. I would like to know if the St. Bonaventure website is legitimate. I thought it would look more…ornate.
 
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I own the Baronius version and the St. Bonaventure version (they are legit, just a little low-fi), and have seen the Angelus Press version. For my money, the Baronius is the best, because it has some supplementary material and also because it has Gregorian chant for office in it (my family and I now, on occasion, sing the LOBVM). The St. Bonaventure version is fine; it is an older version (I think from the 1930s, definitely predating the liturgical reforms of the 50’s and 60’s; I don’t have it in front of me), and is not nearly as well done as the Baronius version. The AP version is pretty much the same edition as Baronius, but is more of a paperback and also has the Latin and English on facing pages rather than in parallel columns. I prefer the parallel columns, but that is a matter of personal preference. Obviously the big advantage of the AP version is that it also includes the Office of the Dead, which is great to have on hand.

Can’t speak to the other editions. Hope that helps.

Edited to add: The LOBVM is a wonderful devotion with massive history behind it. It is also a great gateway drug to the office for someone who wants to get used to daily liturgical prayer but isn’t ready to learn to use the full breviary (even though this really isn’t as hard as it is made out to be). Good luck to you.
 
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What do you mean that the St. Bonaventure edition is not as good? I want to make sure that my purchase is entirely worth my money.
 
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Simply because I want a pre-Vatican II one. Also, I read that it wasn’t as good as the others, such as the English not flowing as smoothly. No hate towards it, just not what I want. I hope this helps.
 
I’m looking for the Little Office because I want to grow in devotion to the Brown Scapular (I’m not invested, but I would like to be). Also, quick question: does the LOBVM change according to seasons, such as the Divine Office?
 
Baronius Press - the quality of the book is superior to others and English translation is good. The added extras (notes, calendar, etc.) just make it more attractive. The Angelus Press version has an Office of the Dead which the Baronius lacks though.
 
AHelpingHand said:
I want to grow in devotion to the Brown Scapular
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The Carmelites strongly encourage the Liturgy of the Hours rather than the Little Office, but either would be ok. Just pointing this out because there’sa lot of misleading/incorrect information online about the brown scapular.
 
Ah. I had just heard in a homily that devotion to the Brown Scapular is generally connected to the Little Office (though a priest can substitute a Rosary or what have you). Also, I don’t have enough to spend of the full LOTH (nor do I still understand the different ribbons), and I read that people prefer the LOTH over Christian Prayer, so I don’t know if THAT one is worth my money either. I’m tired of relying on my phone for prayer. I prefer books so I can ease away from technology.
 
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Some Carmelites may encourage the recitation of LOTH over the LOBVM, but the conditions of the Sabbatine privilege include daily recitation of the LOBVM. See, e.g., here. Every time I have seen people enrolled in the scapular by a priest (to be fair, only 2-3 times) the priest has mentioned the requirement to say the Little Office, but has then dispensed the enrollee from that requirement on condition they say the rosary instead. My understanding is that this practice is widespread. A shame, since as a devotee of the office, I would love to see more laity reciting it, but it is not my choice.
 
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The Sabbatine Privilege is no longer promoted. It’s not in the official Carmelite catechesis, and they are the authority on the scapular.

By the way, the first link you provided is to a schismatic, heretical group.
 
Fair enough, looks like I ought to do my research a little better. I’ll edit the post accordingly.

Nonetheless, as I say, when I have seen people in my (decidedly non-schismatic, non-heretical) parish enrolled, the requirement to say the LOBVM is always mentioned, and then dispensed.
 
The Baronius version is bound in a flexible leather-ish material (I’m sure of the material, but it is not real leather) with bookmarks and rounded corners; it is the perfect size and thickness to shove in a jacket pocket and take with you. The book is essentially bulletproof. Also, because it is a brand new edition (e.g., not a reprint) the layout is crisp and the type is very clear.

The St. Bonaventure version is a bit larger than the Baronius but not as thick; it has a hard cover with pointed corners and no ribbons. It is a reprint, so the type is pretty small and not nearly as clear as one might wish.

For my money, the only reason one might want to have the St. Bonaventure version is if one really wants to have one that predates the liturgical reforms of the 1950s. The Baronius version is reformed in compliance with the 1962 Roman Breviary.
 
Are the pre-50’s reforms “more preferred” by you? (I think I already know the answer 😛). Also, which do you prefer: the LOTH, or the LOBVM?
 
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Are the pre-50’s reforms “more preferred” by you? (I think I already know the answer 😛). Also, which do you prefer: the LOTH, or the LOBVM?
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I mean, there is not a huge difference. There are things I prefer about the unreformed Roman office, but ultimately I prefer to use the form of the LOBVM that is in line with the currently-authorized Roman Breviary (that of 1962).

The main differences, content-wise, between the 1962-ized LOBVM and that which preceded it are pretty minimal. The earlier version (as contained in the St Bonaventure edition) contains the hours in order of Vespers thru None, in keeping with the previous practice of reckoning the liturgical day starting at Vespers rather than Matins. The Bonaventure edition also contains the Ave-Pater-Credo preparatory prayers at each hour, which I believe were done away with in the 1962 edition. Perhaps the biggest difference is that the psalmody at Lauds ends with Ps. 148-150 said as a unit, in keeping with the ancient custom; this means there are 7 psalms at Lauds, rather than 5.

As to whether I like the LOTH or the LOBVM, my personal practice is to chant the post-conciliar LOTH in Latin using a Gregorian antiphonary. I prefer an office I can sing, which is why the Baronius LOBVM works best for me.
 
Jon_in_the_Nati said:
As to whether I like the LOTH or the LOBVM, my personal practice is to chant the post-conciliar LOTH in Latin using a Gregorian antiphonary. I prefer an office I can sing, which is why the Baronius LOBVM works best for me.
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I just wanted to make sure that I purchase something I can both afford and work with. I can’t afford the 4 volume set of the LOTH, and I read that Christian Prayer is confusing to start with and the LOTH is preferred. So since I can understand the LOBVM (I think I do lol) AND have it in my price range ($30 or less), then it is bang for my buck.
 
Get the Baronius Press version. It is very well done. The Elizabethan English of the Douay-Rheims takes a little getting used to, but it’s not that hard (words ending in -eth are the same as ending in -s). You can start with the English, eventually transfer to Latin, then eventually chant the Latin. You may even get to the point where things are memorized. It is very portable and very traditional in that it has a noble history. There are portions of the book explaining how this devotion has evolved over the centuries.
 
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I was thinking about it (that vs. Angelus Press version,. Also, Baronius is out of stock right now, so waiting time), and was also thinking about the one volume set of the Divine Office by Angelus (or Monastic Journal, which might be too much).
 
I have the one volume Angelus Press Divine Office. It’s okay. It’s good for chanting Compline, but beyond that it is not practical. It’s just too big. JMO, but portability is a huge advantage if you are seriously considering the Baronius LOBVM. It will go with you everywhere, and you will use it at the appointed times (versus praying in amalgamated lumps where you do two or three hours at a sitting, irrespective of time of day.

As far as the Monastic Diurnal, it is very well done, and it is where most people end up when delving into versions of the Office prior to the LOTH. Why? Well, it’s well made, the Psalter goes back to St Benedict himself over 1500 years ago, it overlaps major feast days of the EF Roman Rite, and it doesn’t include Matins which, honestly, almost no laymen even have time for (so why carry around the extra weight). Another great feature is you can read the Ordo at www.saintsshallarise.blogspot.com and listen to the Monks of Le Barroux chant each hour online ( https://barrouxchant.com/ ). This does not exist for the Roman Breviary nor for the complete Liturgy of the Hours in Latin (Vatican Radio tries to do Lauds, Vespers, and Compline, but it doesn’t include chanted antiphons, chanted readings, and oftentimes sounds like they are just reading into a microphone in a closet versus chanting at a monastery). All that having been said, this is a much bigger time and money commitment than the Little Office. You might burnout.

My advice would be to either hold out for the Baronius Press version or, if you are eager to start, get the Angelus Press version now and get the Baronius later. You could then choose which one you like better.
 
One of the main reasons I wanted the Monastic Breviary is because it is the Office compacted in one (the cheapest I found being at Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery in New Mexico, SSPX-based [😦] for $58). I also need to learn how to actually flip through a Breviary/Diurnal, so a physical copy would help. I, honestly, don’t care about portability if it is a one-volume book. I’m a student, so all my week is filled with back-to-back classes. Not much time to pray in solitude and speed, especially since it is, well, filled with students who could point at me whilst in prayer and ask, “What are you doing?”… So, my book will 99% of the time stay at home. Angelus or Monastic, if portability and cost isn’t a concern?
 
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