Prayer

“On hearing the signal for an hour of the divine office, the monk will immediately set aside what he has in hand and go with utmost speed, yet with gravity and without giving occasion for frivolity; Indeed, nothing is to be preferred to the Work of God.”

- Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 43 Tardiness at the Work of God or at Table

• We invite you to join us in the Abbey Church for what St. Benedict calls the opus Dei, the Work of

God, that is, praying the Liturgy of the Hours. • Please arrive five or ten minutes early to pick up a prayer book on the racks in the narthex (the entryway of the church) and sit at the front of the nave (not in the choir section with the monks).

• The Liturgy of the Hours is the universal prayer of the Church. We pray the psalms together as the

Body of Christ. So it is important to pay attention to the words and listen to each other so as to pray in one voice, with no individual voice noticeably louder than the others.

• Chanting is different from other forms of singing, such as choral or hymnody. It is generally more gentle and fluid. You can hear this especially at the end of a line, which is not held out, but immediately tapers off. • We recommend listening to the first couple of psalms so as to get a sense of the slower pace and way of singing or speaking set by the monks and then begin praying audibly and softly with the north or south choir.