ST. MARY'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Click on the link below for the Daily Office or Forward Day-By-Day

THE DAILY OFFICE: 

Use of daily prayers to mark the times of the day and to express the traditions of the praying

community is traditional in Judaism and in Christianity. The third, sixth, and ninth hours (9 a.m., 12

noon, and 3 p.m.) were times of private prayer in Judaism. The congregational or cathedral form of

office developed in Christianity under Constantine (274 or 288-337) with the principal morning and

evening services of lauds and vespers. The people participated in the cathedral form of office. The

monastic form of office also developed at this time. In addition to lauds and vespers, the monastic form

included matins (at midnight or cockcrow), prime (the first hour), terce (the third hour), sext (the

sixth hour), none (the ninth hour), and compline (at bedtime). By the late middle ages, the Daily Office

was seen as the responsibility of the monks and clergy rather than an occasion for participation by all

in the prayers of the community throughout the day.

After the Anglican Reformation, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) reduced the eight monastic

offices to the two services of Morning and Evening Prayer. These services were printed in vernacular

English and intended for use by all members of the church. Participation in the Daily Office is at the

heart of Anglican spirituality. It is the proper form of daily public worship in the church. In addition

to forms for Daily Morning Prayer and Daily Evening Prayer in contemporary and traditional language,

the BCP section for the Daily Office includes forms for Noonday Prayer, Order of Worship for the

Evening, Compline, and Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families. These offices include prayers, a

selection from the Psalter, readings from the Holy Scriptures, one or more canticles, and the Lord's

Prayer. Forms for Morning and Evening Prayer include an optional confession of sin. The BCP provides a

Daily Office Lectionary that identifies readings and psalm choices for Morning and Evening Prayer (pp

. 936-1001), and a Table of Canticles with suggested canticles for use at Morning Prayer and Evening

Prayer (pp. 144-145). The officiant in the Daily Office may be a member of the clergy or a lay person.