LITURGY OF THE HOURS

The Liturgy of the Hours - 'the Divine Office'

The Liturgy of the Hours, the Divine Office is the formal public prayer of the Church for all the faithful - clergy, religious and lay people. The Liturgy of the Hours is divided into Hymns, Psalms, Readings and Prayers.

The collection of the Psalms, the Psalter, originates from the Jewish Scripture and Old Testament. These psalms which have been prayed from the earliest days of the Church, probably because a large number of the original
Christians were of Jewish origin and psalms would have been part of their daily prayer, cover a broad spectrum of human emotions and human response to God.

Celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours is an effort to harmonise voices and praying hearts throughout the world and also to foster a deeper understanding of the Liturgy and Scripture, especially the psalms.