Below is an outline of a personal version of the BCP office that I designed for myself. Some of the specific features are:
- The opening sentence is unvarying by season.
- There are no readings. The two readings are replaced by the traditional chapters at Prime and Lauds for Mattins and Vespers and Compline for Evensong.
- The invitatory psalm at Mattins is normally Psalm 67 except on penitential days (Wednesday and Friday) when Psalm 95 is used.
- The first canticle at Mattins follows a daily schedule, except for the Te Deum which is said on feasts. These canticles follow the "festal canticle" cursus from the Monastic Office with the except of Wednesday and Friday which use the normal ferial canticles from the Monastic Office.
- Only the Apostle's Creed is used.
- The collect is preceded by the Kyrie and Our Father in the manner of the Monastic Office and ends in the same way.
- There are no other collects said than the collect of the day.
- Antiphons are provided for psalms and Gospel canticles and are only said after the psalm or canticle.
- The form of the confession is taken from Rite II of the 1979 BCP.
- All the readings have been taken from the NRSVCE and I use the New Revised Grail Psalms.
The idea here was to blend the the BCP office with the Monastic Office in a more direct way. I also wanted to eliminate the long readings, which is why they are replaced with chapters. This was done to save time, of course, and to focus the office more on the psalms. Finally, there is not a lot of seasonal variation. That is intentional, but not necessarily something that will remain forever. On feasts, I have used collects and gospel canticle antiphons from the LOTH or other sources. However, in general, the idea was to make an office which was not overly seasonal.
|
Mattins |
Vespers |
|
Opening Sentence
(Ps. 19:15) |
Opening Sentence
(Ps. 141:2) |
|
Confession |
Confession |
|
Opening |
Opening |
|
Invitatory Psalm 67 (Sat-Tue,
Thu) Psalm 95 (Wed, Fri) |
n/a |
|
Psalter |
Psalter |
|
First Chapter (1 Tim.
1:17) |
First Chapter (1
Cor. 1:3-4a) |
|
First Canticle* |
Magnificat |
|
Second Chapter
(Rom. 13:12-13a) |
Second Chapter (1
Pet. 5:8-9a) |
|
Benedictus |
Nunc Dimittis |
|
Apostle’s Creed |
Apostle’s Creed |
|
Kyrie |
Kyrie |
|
Lord’s Prayer |
Lord’s Prayer |
|
Collect |
Collect |
First Canticle at Mattins
- Te Deum (feasts)
- Song of the Three Children (Sunday)
- David’s Prayer (Monday)
- Tobit’s Song of Praise (Tuesday)
- Hannah’s Prayer (Wednesday)
- Jeramiah’s Prayer (Thursday)
- Song of Habakkuk (Friday)
- Song of Jesus ben Sirach (Saturday)
