he Divine Office is the official and public prayer of the Church, as distinct from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Through the Divine Office, the church praises God and intercedes for the salvation of the world. It is composed of psalms, hymns, prayers, readings from Holy Scripture, homilies from the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and the lives of the saints. It has as its purpose the sanctification of the day through formal prayer at stated times of the day. Hence the term Canonical Hours. The following are the names for each of the hours: Matins, Lauds, Prime, Tierce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline. St. Benedict calls the Divine Office the Opus Dei, that is, the work of God. (Due to the small size of our community the office of Matins is not at this time recited in choir.)

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