Liturgy of the Hours

The Liturgy of the Hours, or the Divine Office, is the official prayer of the Church, which she prays throughout the day and night in praise of God. The prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours is an extension of the prayer of the Mass. Through it, Christians make holy the hours of the day and night, heeding the Apostle's exhortation to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess 5:17).


Those who have received the Sacrament of Holy Orders, along with those who have consecrated their lives to God as religious men or women, make a lifelong promise to pray the Liturgy of the Hours daily. But all the faithful of Christ are invited to pray the Liturgy of the Hours as they are able (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1175).


If you are interested in praying the Liturgy of the Hours with the Church throughout the world, an explanation of how to do so is found in what follows.


Each day, there are five different "hours," or prayer periods, that make up the Liturgy of the Hours, each taking between five to twenty minutes to pray:

  1. Office of Readings (prayed at any time of the day or night)
  2. Morning Prayer (or "Lauds")
  3. Daytime Prayer (prayed either in its midmorning, midday, or midafternoon form)
  4. Evening Prayer (or "Vespers")
  5. Night Prayer (or "Compline")

Each of the five hours is made up mainly of Psalms and other passages from Scripture. The lay faithful are invited to pray as many or as few of the five hours as they are able. However, of the five hours, Morning and Evening Prayer are considered the most important (Sacrosanctum concilium, 89).


If you would like to pray the Liturgy of the Hours with the Church throughout the world, you may do so in the following ways:

  • DivineOffice.org (online: the most user-friendly for a beginner)
  • Four Volume Book Set (this set can be purchased online; before making the purchase, please consider that new books with updated translations are set to be released in 2027 and 2028)
  • iBreviary app (App Store)
  • Sing the Hours (YouTube; this is an audio "chant" version, and offers only Lauds and Vespers)