The Plainchant Breviary The Minor Hours

This volume presents the traditional Minor Hours of the Divine Office, in English, set to traditional plainchant melodies of the Western Church. This book is intended for all Christians. It has an ecumenical appeal as both a prayerbook and music resource, as its texts are used not only by Catholics, but also by Anglicans, Western Rite Orthodox Christians, and liturgically minded Protestants. For ordinary laity, its simple fixed format offers a straightforward way of joining in the official prayer of the Church. The hours of Prime and Compline, in particular, are an excellent and convenient way for laity to bookend the day with prayer. The General Introduction to 'Divine Worship: Daily Office' notes that the little offices have a devotional character. This character is reflected by little “encrustations” of poetic/devotional texts and art, with which I have attempted to use in the same way a jeweler creates a setting for a stone, or in which medieval artisans encrusted holy things with jewels and precious metal. My desire in creating this book was to create something beautiful for God. I hope it will inspire others to pray.