The Daily Office

Seven times a day do I praise you, because of your righteous judgments.
Psalm 119:164

Introduction

Many of us have offices—spaces dedicated to work. Christians also have a different office—a space and time set aside for the work of prayer. The Daily Office is an ancient pattern of short services which are prayed at set hours of each day. The Christian pattern of praying at certain times of the day ultimately descends from Jewish daily prayer practices from the time of Jesus’ first apostles. Throughout the early church and middle ages, these times for prayer evolved and adapted to new circumstances and individual communities. Our version of the Daily Office is derived from the prayer services of English Benedictine monks and nuns in the late middle ages, adapted for the lives and realities of regular people. You do not have to be a nun to pray the Daily Office. In addition to using common and understandable language, our services are meant for busy people to connect with God and each other in a regular, patterned way.

Our Office consists of Morning Prayer, Noonday Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline. The backbone of each of these services in the recitation of the Psalms and reading short portions of Scripture. We then pray together in the ancient words of Jesus and Christian tradition, as well as in our own words. We also systematically pray for our neighbors, schools, community institutions, first responders, and those who ask us to pray for specific intentions. In Morning Prayer, we end with a prayer of Thanksgiving to God for all the gifts of life.

Morning Prayer

You can join us in-person for Morning Prayer at Holy Apostles: Mondays-Thursday at 9:15am

You can also pray Morning Prayer on your own. Anyone can lead it! See the resources section below.

Noon Day Prayer

Noonday prayer is quite short, about five minutes. It is a perfect opportunity to briefly pause work and give thanks to God, lifting up your needs and concerns. You can find resources for praying Noonday Prayer below.

Evening Prayer

We occasionally have special services of Evening Prayer, including a service is traditionally called Evensong, which includes beautiful contemplative music and pageantry.

You can also pray Evening Prayer on your own. Anyone can lead it! See the resources section below.

Compline

Compline, also known as Night Prayer, is one of the most beautiful and moving parts of our tradition. During the lockdowns of the COVID pandemic we began praying Compline as a community on Zoom. It was a life-giving way to stay connected with each other and with God, to pray for our world in crisis, to relieve our own anxieties in a scary time, and to check on each one another and provide support. A small group of us still say Compline every Wednesday at 7:30pm. You are welcome to join us. Email the church office to find out how.

Resources

Pray the Daily Office Online or with an App

  • St. Bede’s Breviary – this web app allows you to pray Morning and Evening Prayer with a lot of options to choose from. There is also a mobile version of this app.

  • The Mission of St. Clare – this website has fewer options, but usually includes music. They also provide Morning Prayer & Evening Prayer in Spanish, and some services in audio format.

Morning Prayer Podcasts

You can download podcasts of Morning Prayer. You can listen and pray along during your morning commute or while you’re at the gym! Usually, the podcasts are posted several days in advance.

Daily Devotions

In addition to the services of Morning Prayer, Noon Prayer Evening Prayer and Compline, the Book of Common Prayer includes shorter forms of prayer called Daily Devotions for Morning, Noon, Evening, and Night.

Other Resources