Thursday 9 December 2021

Divine Worship Daily Office Commonwealth Edition - Ordinariates Established by Anglicanorum Coetibus - Catholic Truth Society

Divine Worship Daily Office
Commonwealth Edition
Ordinariates Established by Anglicanorum Coetibus
ISBN 9781784696092
CTS Book RM33


I had debated picking this up for a while. I really wanted to use it, but was hesitant. I typically do not prefer physical books, and had been using an app for the Daily Prayers for a few years off and on. I was drawn to this physical book because it is the Commonwealth Edition. I took the plunge after picking up and reading The Prayer of the Church: A Guide to Morning, Evening and Night Prayer by Father Robert Taylerson, which is an older edition of edition of this booklet called Guide to Morning, Evening and Night Prayer: How to Pray the Prayer of the Church. This is a book I am thankful I picked up, the cost with shipping to Canada required my saving up my reading money. But it is worth it.

This volume is beautifully made. Nice leather cover. Read board cover pages at front and back. It has gold gilded pages, and 6 satin ribbons (Red, green, yellow, maroon, purple and rose), and black and red head and tail bands. The description of the book is:

“Divine Worship: Daily Office (Commonwealth Edition) contains Morning and Evening Prayer from the Anglican prayer book tradition, now approved for use in the Catholic Church through the Personal Ordinariates.

This edition contains the complete Lessons for Morning and Evening Prayer (RSV Second Catholic Edition), following the 1961 Lectionary where Isaiah is read in Advent, Genesis from Septuagesima, and Lamentations in Holy Week.

Together with optional office hymns, antiphons, and other texts, the ‘bookends’ of Matins and Evensong are also enriched by the provision of the Lesser Hours of Prime, Terce, Sext, None, and Compline.

The Divine Worship: Daily Office is beautifully produced for the Ordinariate in leatherette, with rounded corners, gilt edges, and multiple ribbons for ease of use.”

And we are informed that it includes:

• Proper of Seasons
• Proper of Saints and Holydays
• Commons
• Morning and Evening Prayer
• Prime / Terce / Sext / None / Compline
• Psalter
• Lectionary
• Appendices

It has a total of 2033 pages, and “Prayers Before and After Divine Service” on the inside from Endpaper. The book is a beautiful and stunning volume to hold. Well made, very well planned, and the highest craftsmanship. The binding, stitching around the edge of the cover, and even the very flexible spine, all excellent. But it is the contents that matter most. 

And those contents bring our prayers into sync with others around the world. Praying the hours is something I have always wanted to attempt, but other than some intermittent success with an app I have not done so. This volume is something I have been using for weeks now, and do not foresee and end. It is a book I treasure, a book I use daily and will continue to do so. 

I have read many excellent volumes from the Catholic Truth Society, from simple biographies, to papal encyclicals. Of the over 200 books I have read from the CTS this is now my favourite!
 
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.








2 comments:

Unknown said...

You are an admirable nut!

Susan Wanke

Steven R. McEvoy said...

Steve, there is a US edition as some of the regional days are different. But I know many people in the US and Canada who use it.