“If the Church is the body of Christ, the Daily Office is its pulse.”
Part of Emmanuel’s special call is offering to God the ancient round of daily prayer offices, which are led by a team of laity and clergy. At least one of us, and sometimes as many as 4 or 5, is here every weekday at 8 a.m. or 5:15 p.m. to pray Morning or Evening Prayer in the church. We often have guests from all kinds of backgrounds. For these brief liturgies rooted in the Psalms and in ancient monastic rhythms, access the church through the Lady Chapel entrance on University Avenue (smaller red door.) Check the church calendar for complete schedule details, as sometimes we have to cancel an Office on holidays or other unusual occasions.
A musical offering of Evening Prayer is offered once a month on the third Sunday at 5:15 p.m. See our Congregational Evensong page for more.
You can also participate in this regular offering of praise to God on the go or at home. Some of the methods of praying the Office popular in our parish include:
QUOTES FROM ANGLICANS ABOUT THE DAILY OFFICE
“[The Office] is the recurring cycle of prayer and communing with God which gives, as it were, the dominant ‘set’ to life… We need immersion in Christian truth if we are rightly to interpret life and culture.” John Macquarrie
“In its recitation the individual or group enters the ancient cycle of prayer, by which day by day and hour by hour, the church in the name of all creation adores and implores the eternal God.” Evelyn Underhill
“The value of the Office is its objectivity. It is a means by which we pray with the whole church, uniting our prayer with that of millions of other Christians living and dead. This is true whether one is alone or in a group, for the Office is essentially a corporate act.” Kenneth Leech
“Observing the hours allows our human awareness or mental focus to move back and forth on a daily basis and in a disciplined way, from attending to the necessary bustle of each day of our lives to attending to the eternal timelessness and magnificence of divine life. … We are also using the exact words, phrases, and petitions that were offered just an hour earlier by our fellow Christians in the prior time zone and that, in an hour, will be picked up and offered again by our fellow believers in the next time zone. The result is a constant cascade before the throne of God of the ‘unceasing prayer’ to which St. Paul urged us. The result also is the communion of the saints fully realized in words both horizontally through the ages, and vertically within this day and hour.” Phyllis Tickle
Part of Emmanuel’s special call is offering to God the ancient round of daily prayer offices, which are led by a team of laity and clergy. At least one of us, and sometimes as many as 4 or 5, is here every weekday at 8 a.m. or 5:15 p.m. to pray Morning or Evening Prayer in the church. We often have guests from all kinds of backgrounds. For these brief liturgies rooted in the Psalms and in ancient monastic rhythms, access the church through the Lady Chapel entrance on University Avenue (smaller red door.) Check the church calendar for complete schedule details, as sometimes we have to cancel an Office on holidays or other unusual occasions.
A musical offering of Evening Prayer is offered once a month on the third Sunday at 5:15 p.m. See our Congregational Evensong page for more.
You can also participate in this regular offering of praise to God on the go or at home. Some of the methods of praying the Office popular in our parish include:
- ONLINE, BEST FOR BEGINNERS: FORWARD MOVEMENT OFFICE WEBSITE or FORWARD MOVEMENT APP (for Apple or Android) Each of these gives you the current office (mobile friendly) in your time zone in a clear and accessible format. Forward Movement also has podcasts to listen to the day's Offices (the audio is included in their app).
- ONLINE, FOR EXPERIENCED OFFICE PRAY-ERS: ST. BEDE'S BREVIARY Endlessly adaptable according to different Anglican styles; more complex interface with many customization choices.
- KINDLE/NOOK, WITH HYMNS AND DEVOTIONAL EXTRAS: MISSION ST CLARE The grandparent of Episcopal offices online, still beloved of many. Offers several means of access direct or via download; includes music and additional prayer cycles.
QUOTES FROM ANGLICANS ABOUT THE DAILY OFFICE
“[The Office] is the recurring cycle of prayer and communing with God which gives, as it were, the dominant ‘set’ to life… We need immersion in Christian truth if we are rightly to interpret life and culture.” John Macquarrie
“In its recitation the individual or group enters the ancient cycle of prayer, by which day by day and hour by hour, the church in the name of all creation adores and implores the eternal God.” Evelyn Underhill
“The value of the Office is its objectivity. It is a means by which we pray with the whole church, uniting our prayer with that of millions of other Christians living and dead. This is true whether one is alone or in a group, for the Office is essentially a corporate act.” Kenneth Leech
“Observing the hours allows our human awareness or mental focus to move back and forth on a daily basis and in a disciplined way, from attending to the necessary bustle of each day of our lives to attending to the eternal timelessness and magnificence of divine life. … We are also using the exact words, phrases, and petitions that were offered just an hour earlier by our fellow Christians in the prior time zone and that, in an hour, will be picked up and offered again by our fellow believers in the next time zone. The result is a constant cascade before the throne of God of the ‘unceasing prayer’ to which St. Paul urged us. The result also is the communion of the saints fully realized in words both horizontally through the ages, and vertically within this day and hour.” Phyllis Tickle