The Liturgy of the Hours

[Counter-Reformer]

I know that we Catholics and the Eastern Orthodoxy pray the Divine office atleast 4-5 times a day and our priests are supposed to pray the divine office atleast 5 times a day even if there is no evening or morning, or noon services/masses. I was wondering if Praying the liturgy of the hours was common in the Episcopalian/anglican churches.

[Naomi4Christ]

Nope. We obviously aren't a 'holy' as you lot.

[pmcleanj]

I know that we Catholics and the Eastern Orthodoxy pray the Divine office atleast 4-5 times a day and our priests are supposed to pray the divine office atleast 5 times a day even if there is no evening or morning, or noon services/masses. I was wondering if Praying the liturgy of the hours was common in the Episcopalian/anglican churches.
The mediaeval practice of praying the hours every three hours, eight times a day, required the existance of a class of professional Christians as the regular secular work of growing food and producing clothing, tools and shelter in a pretechnological society is inimicable with interrupted sleep and shortened workhours. Laypeople were increasingly alienated from their role as the primary ministers of the church.

In his efforts to restore the English church to a norm of participative and empowered laity, Cranmer recognized the importance of prayer in the daily rhythm of our lives, and chose to preserve the rhythm of the canticles and Collects of daily Prayer without disenfranchising the laity or denying the real value of their secular obligations. Our prayerbook therefore combines elements of the mediaeval eight offices into two: Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. Each of the two offices has multiple appointed readings, cantlicles and collects, being the successors of several mediaeval offices. These are intended to be said daily, at the start of the day before beginning work and at the end of the day when work is done. It is a practical and empowering compromise.

Later prayerbooks of different provinces may also include short prayers for noontime, and a Compline service for late evening, which recognize the realities of our more leisured post-industrial lifestyle. And of course there are still Anglican religious communities, some of which maintain the old rhythm of eight offices as is appropriate in their particular circumstances.

Nowadays very few parishes hold communal Daily Offices, but many Anglicans pray Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer as part of their domestic observances.

[pjw]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to pmcleanj again.
:(

[SirTimothy]

pjw, that message appears on my screen so often that I'm starting to get really annoyed with it! Once again, Pamela, you've hit the nail on the head.

Timothy

[gitlance]

Indeed we do have our own version of the Daily Office, and it is customary for both clergy and laity to make use of it on a daily basis.

[higgs2]

Indeed we do have our own version of the Daily Office, and it is customary for both clergy and laity to make use of it on a daily basis.
I would agree with this, but I would change "customary" to "not unheard of".

[Mysterium_Fidei]

I pray Morning Prayers, Noon Prayers, Early Evening Prayers, and Close of the Day Prayers from the BCP. It is somewhat a version of the hours, I've heard.