The Liturgy of the Hours
Priests, religious, and plenty of ordinary Catholics stop a few times a day to pray the psalms together. Here's how to join them.
Feasts and saints' days change things up, so I'm not going to guess. These sites have the exact prayers for today, in the official English text.
The Hours of the day
Nobody expects you to pray all of these. Morning and Evening Prayer are the big two (the Church calls them the hinges of the day), and Night Prayer is a nice one to end on.
Morning Prayer
Start the day with praise: psalms, a short reading, the Canticle of Zechariah, and prayers for the world.
Daytime Prayer
A quick pause in the middle of the day. There are three of these, but most people just pick one.
Evening Prayer
Wind down the day with thanks: psalms, a reading, the Magnificat, and prayers for the world.
Night Prayer
The short one before bed. Look back on your day, pray the Canticle of Simeon, and close with a prayer to Our Lady.
Office of Readings
The long one. Scripture plus a reading from a Church Father or a saint, and you can pray it whenever you like.
How to begin
- Pick one Hour. Night Prayer is short and repeats every week, so it's an easy place to start.
- Use an app at first. DivineOffice.org (it has audio, too), Universalis, and iBreviary lay everything out in order, so there's no flipping around in a book.
- Don't worry about the psalter yet. The psalms run on a four-week cycle, and the box up top tells you which week we're in. That matters more once you pick up the books.
- Add another Hour when it feels natural. Morning and Evening Prayer go well together.
Want to know how it all works, or how it compares to the old Breviary? Read A Guide to the Divine Office.
A new translation is on the way
A new English translation of the Liturgy of the Hours has been approved for the U.S., and it can be used starting Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2027. The apps above should switch over as it rolls out.
Thinking about buying the books? I'd wait for the new edition.
The old and the new
Project Liturgy started with the 1954 Breviary, and that's not going anywhere. But the Liturgy of the Hours is what the Church prays today, so you'll find both here.
The Liturgy of the Hours
The Office in English, the way the Church prays it now.
Pray today ↑The 1954 Roman Breviary
Latin and English side by side, with its own calendar.
Open the Breviary →The English text of the Liturgy of the Hours is under copyright (ICEL and others), so I can't post it here. The sites above have permission to publish it. More on that in Sources & Permissions.