What is the Daily Office?

Since the very beginnings of Christianity, communities have gathered together each day, sometimes many times a day, to say their prayers. Over time these prayers developed into what is called the Daily Office (also called the Divine Office in other denominations). The Daily Office is the name for short and long prayer services, called offices, that include the reading of scripture, psalms, and intercessory prayer. Our Book of Common Prayer include four offices— Morning Prayer, Noonday Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline (night prayers). In the Episcopal Church, we consider Morning and Evening Prayer to be the regular services appointed for public worship in the church. Holy Eucharist, Daily Office, and personal reflection or devotion form the threefold rule of prayer. You can participate by joining us seasonally for daily prayer offerings, or by returning to this page and following the instructions below to read, listen, and pray along!

MORNING PRAYER

Morning Prayer is a service of daily prayer including Scripture readings, Psalms, canticles, and intercessory prayer. The church prays together not only on Sunday, but in a rhythm of daily prayer that goes back to our Jewish ancestors and our early Christian roots. These prayers are old, yet timely; in gathering to pray together daily we learn to shape our own prayer lives.

Each weekday morning during Advent and Lent, we gather on Zoom for Morning Prayer, Rite Two. The officiant will screen-share the text and ask for a volunteer to read the scripture lessons. We ask you participate muted, unless requested to un-mute, that way can ensure the best audio quality for those on the call.

During other seasons of the church year, we encourage you to use the Book of Common Prayer, or online resources such as Forward Movement to pray Morning Prayer on your own time. Or, click above to listen to Morning Prayer (updates daily)!

Forward Movement provides the text for Morning Prayer, including all the readings and Psalms in one place so all you have to do is click to pray. They also provide several Daily Prayer Podcasts, including the one above. They also provide a digital version of their popular devotional, Forward Day by Day. You can also find podcast versions of Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline on their website. Here are the instructions to use their website:

1. To see the text of Morning Prayer, click the Forward Movement Button.

2. Select “Pray the Office” to pray the Office based on time of day (Morning, Noon, Evening, or Compline).

3. Select “Pray Any Time” to pick from the options and customize your settings.

4. To read the Forward Day by Day Devotional, select “Forward Day by Day.”

Our latest prayer and worship offerings are shared below.