We are an Ecumenical Community of Contemporary Christians Dedicated to a Life of Prayer
Made up of many denominations- We are Liberal & Conservative, Male & Female, Ordained & Lay, Catholic & Protestant-Our Unity lies in our Devotion to God

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Divine Office Prayers

1) What is the purpose of these prayers?
Praying these prayers will benefit anyone in building a more spiritual life. We encourage daily prayers of as many of the prayers as will work within your schedule. This is how you join us: we have no membership dues or joining process. If you pray with us, we consider you a part of our brotherhood.

2) What is the significance of the 8 prayers?
We are a Dispersed Contemplative Community. We have no particular location that we work from. I live in Wilmington, NC- that is where my Community resides. If you live in Missouri or Texas or Pennsylvania- that is where your Community resides. The daily prayers allows us to be on the same page- going to God in the same way, reaching out to Him with Conviction and Commitment as Brothers and Sisters in Christ. We are not separated by different beliefs or different organizations- we are United by a mutual desire to serve Christ in the Oneness of these daily prayers.

3) Do I have to say these prayers every day?
Although discipline and perseverance are important in building a life of Devotion and Holiness- we believe that doing things by rote is counter-productive. Pray as often as you can pray with Conviction and Commitment. Always remember that it is better to pray a little too often than a little too infrequently. You build discipline and closeness by going to God in Praise. Try to pray Lauds, Vespers and Compline every day and add other prayers when you feel especially motivated.

4) What if I can't do it that often either because of lack of time or simply being too disorganized?
Nobody is keeping score. You get no rewards or punishments from us for not praying often enough. However, there are benefits from doing these prayers: it's like exercise for the soul! The more you pray- the stronger your faith, the greater your increase in Hope and Charity.

5) What time should I pray?
There is no fixed schedule for these prayers. Pray when the opportunity presents itself. Pray when you're in a quiet place. The times listed below are merely suggestions.
Matins (6 a.m or first chance you have in the morning)
Lauds or Dawn Prayer (after Matins if both prayers are done or in place of Matins at 6 a.m.)
Prime or Early Morning Prayer (9 a.m.)
Terce or Mid-Morning Prayer (9 a.m.- can be done with Prime)
Sext or Midday Prayer (12 p.m)
None or Mid-Afternoon Prayer (3 p.m)
Vespers or Evening Prayer (6 p.m.)
Compline or Night Prayer (before retiring, generally at 9 p.m.)

6) Why are you using a different form than the current Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours?
The prayers that we use are from the 1960 Office that was officially used by the Roman Catholic Church from 1960 to 1970. I have a program that generates these daily prayers every day, that uses the Douay-Rheims translation, which is in the public domain and I happen to love this particular Divine Office. It is just a little shorter and simpler than the previous versions and a little more detailed and inspiring than versions that came after it. I have no permissions to use the current version but I would use this version even if I did.

7) Are Roman Catholics able to use this version?
Yes. It has officially been approved for clerics by Pope Benedict and since lay people are under no obligation to pray the office, it doesn't particularly matter which one they use. We encourage Roman Catholics to pray these prayers with us and to continue forward within their church without any change or compromise.

8) Aren't these prayers supposed to be prayed in Latin only?
At the time these prayers were formulated, yes. And by the practice of the Roman Catholic Church at the time, yes. However, as the Presiding Bishop for the United Fellowship of Contemplative Christians and the Director of the Contemplative Community of St. Francis and St. Therese- I am on board with praying these prayers in the language that we speak and understand best. In fact, we utilize Google Translate to publish a Spanish version of these prayers daily, and for those who prefer the Latin, we publish the Latin version of the prayers daily, as well.