Liturgy of the Hours

You attend Mass every Sunday, maybe several days each week. Those hours in the sanctuary are refreshing and peaceful. However, the rest of the day, the rest of the week feels chaotic and you’re not sure what to do. Maybe you add the Rosary, and that helps, but there is still a lot of time available, every day.

If you feel called to spend more time in prayer, and desire to do so, you should consider praying the Liturgy of the Hours.

Weekly Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours

Every Friday, we provide subscribers with our popular Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours. This is a simple, one-sheet guide that can be printed, folded and kept in one’s prayer book for the week. Get your guide on Friday and use it beginning with Evening Prayer I on Saturday evening.

What is the Liturgy of the Hours?

The Liturgy of the Hours is the official daily prayer of the Catholic Church. It is recited daily by monks, nuns and priests, but it is intended for all Catholics. It provides a complete system of prayers, devotional readings and hymns to sanctify the hours of everyday, according to the events celebrated in the Church’s liturgical calendar.

What’s Needed to Pray the Liturgy of the Hours?

The complete text of the Liturgy of the Hours is contained in a four volume set of prayer books, but a simpler one volume version is more appropriate for most laymen. The one volume prayer book, called “Christian Prayer”, costs under $40.00 and can be purchased on Amazon.com.

If you would like to pray the Liturgy of the Hours on your computer or phone, please see the resources made available by our friends at www.divineoffice.org.

The Hours of Prayer

The hours of prayer are based on ancient Jewish traditions that we find mentioned in the New Testament. The hours of prayer divided the day into seven parts, each of which is consecrated by the word of God and prayer with the Liturgy of the Hours.

  • 6:00am – Morning Prayer
  • 9:00am – Midmorning Prayer
  • 12:00pm – Midday Prayer
  • 3:00pm  – Midafternoon Prayer
  • 6:00pm – Evening Prayer
  • 9:00pm – Night Prayer
  • Anytime – Office of Readings

Those new to the Liturgy of the Hours should only concern themselves with Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and Night Prayer, using the single volume breviary (Christian Prayer).  Those interested in praying the daytime hours and the Office of Readings should do so using the 4 volume edition of the breviary.

Thomas More

Liturgy of the Hours for Today – Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (01/23/2022)

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Enjoy the Classical Liberal Arts Academy's Weekly Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours

If you’re interested in praying the Liturgy of the Hours today, this is the third Sunday in Ordinary Time. To view our printable guide for the week, click here: The page numbers listed below are for the single volume Christian Prayer. We trust that those who have invested in the four volume edition of the Liturgy of the Hours will already know how to use them. Evening Prayer I SATURDAY EVENINGIntro, 694Hymn #32/184First Antiphon 851First Psalm 851Second Antiphon 852Second Psalm 852Third Antiphon 853NT Canticle 854Reading 854Responsory 854Canticle Ant. 247† Gospel Canticle 696Intercessions 855Lord’s PrayerConcluding Prayer 247 Morning Prayer SUNDAY MORNINGInvitatory … Continue

Liturgy of the Hours – Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – 01/23/2022

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Enjoy the Classical Liberal Arts Academy's Weekly Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours

After taking a break for the holidays, we will resume the publication of the CLAA Weekly Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours this week. This will be the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time and we will celebrate the following days this week: 01/24 – Memorial of St. Francis de Sales 01/25 – Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul 01/26 – Memorial of Sts. Timothy and Titus 01/28 – Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas Weekly Guide for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time How to Use this Weekly Guide Some enjoy praying the Liturgy of the Hours using their … Continue

Weekly Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours – 12/19/2021

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Receive the Guide by Email This guide helps Catholics who wish to pray Morning, Evening and Night prayer using the single volume “Christian Prayer”. Catholics who wish to pray the Office of Readings and Daytime Prayer should use the four volume edition of the Liturgy of the Hours. We expect that such Catholics would have experience with the Liturgy of the Hours and wouldn’t need the help of a guide. To receive the guide weekly by email, subscribe to our Liturgy of the Hours mailing list below: How to Use the Guide This guide is intended to be printed and … Continue

Subscribe to the CLAA’s Weekly Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours

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Learning to pray the Liturgy of the Hours can be challenging. There are excellent online resources available, but some prefer to pray using a prayer book–offline. If that includes you, our “Weekly Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours” is the easiest way to get started. We provide a printable weekly guide every Friday night for use the following week. Print the guide, fold it in half, and stick in our prayer book for the week–it’s that simple.

Memorial of St. John of the Cross

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St. John of the Cross (1542-1591) was born and nurtured in poverty, and chose it also for his portion. Unable to learn a trade, he became the servant of the poor in the hospital of Medina, while still pursuing his sacred studies. In 1563, being then twenty-one, he humbly offered himself as a lay-brother to the Carmelite friars, who, however, knowing his talents, had him ordained priest. He would now have exchanged to the severe Carthusian Order, had not St. Teresa of Avila, with the instinct of a Saint, persuaded him to remain and help her in the reform of … Continue

Weekly Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours – 12/12/2021

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Christian Prayer

Our Weekly Guide is Back I am happy to announce that our weekly guide to the Liturgy of the Hours is back. This guide helps Catholics who wish to pray Morning, Evening and Night prayer using the single volume “Christian Prayer”. We have simplified the guide to make it even easier to use than before. Catholics who wish to pray the Office of Readings and Daytime Prayer should use the four volume edition of the Liturgy of the Hours. We expect that such Catholics would have experience with the Liturgy of the Hours and wouldn’t need the help of a … Continue

What’s in Your Prayer Book?

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Christian Prayer

If you’re interested in learning to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the first step is easy: buy a copy of Christian Prayer. Once your prayer book arrives, however, you’ll find that it contains a lot of stuff: calendars, instructions, prayers, readings, songs and more. Let’s learn about what’s in your prayer book. I. Introductory Materials At the beginning of the prayer book, there are a number of helpful resources worth reading through when you get some time. These include: General Instructions Liturgical Calendar General Principles II. Proper of Seasons On page 39, we find the beginning of the first … Continue

How to Order Your Home with the Liturgy of the Hours

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Thomas More

There is an incredible amount of pressure on Catholic parents. Children are born into our homes and they need to be brought under order and good discipline. Without this, no virtue or devotion can develop. Fortunately, the Church has provided us with an excellent tool for ordering our lives: the Liturgy of the Hours. Start the Day with Morning Prayer When the children wake up, it is common for families to move to “breakfast” or to just start the day’s activities. This is a bad habit that needs to be prevented (or broken). Rather than this, make the family’s first … Continue