The Liturgy of the Hours, also called the Divine Office or the Breviary, is the official daily prayer of the Catholic Church. At set times of the day and night, priests, religious and lay people around the world pray the Psalms, read Scripture and intercede for the world, so that the whole day is consecrated to God. “The Liturgy of the Hours is intended to become the prayer of the whole People of God” (Catechism 1175).
This guide explains the hours of the day, how each hour is structured, what books or apps to use, and how a beginner can start, with the three Gospel canticles that are the high points of the day.
Why pray at fixed hours?
The Psalmist says:
Seven times a day I have given praise to thee, for the judgments of thy justice.
Jesus prayed the Psalms, the apostles went up to the Temple “at the ninth hour of prayer” (Acts 3:1), and St. Paul urged Christians to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The early Church prayed at morning and evening and at the third, sixth and ninth hours. Monks developed this into a full cycle of prayer by day and night, and the Church has kept it ever since. Clergy and religious are obliged to pray it; lay people are warmly encouraged to join them (Catechism 1174–1175).
The hours of the day
| Hour | Traditional name | When | Center |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office of Readings | Matins | Any time of day | A long Scripture reading and a reading from the Fathers or saints |
| Morning Prayer | Lauds | On rising | The Benedictus (Canticle of Zechariah) |
| Daytime Prayer | Terce, Sext, None | Midmorning, midday, midafternoon (one or all three) | Short psalms and reading |
| Evening Prayer | Vespers | Late afternoon or evening | The Magnificat (Canticle of Mary) |
| Night Prayer | Compline | Before sleep | The Nunc Dimittis (Canticle of Simeon) |
Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer are the “hinges” of the day and the most important hours. Night Prayer is the shortest and the easiest place to begin.
How Morning and Evening Prayer are structured
- Opening: the first hour of the day begins with the Invitatory, “Lord, open my lips,” and Psalm 95 (94 in the Douay). Other hours begin: “O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me,” followed by the Glory Be.
- Hymn.
- Psalmody: two psalms and an Old Testament canticle (morning) or a New Testament canticle (evening), each with an antiphon.
- Short reading from Scripture and a responsory.
- Gospel canticle: the Benedictus in the morning, the Magnificat in the evening.
- Intercessions: praise in the morning, petitions for the Church and the world in the evening, ending with prayers for the dead.
- The Our Father, the concluding prayer of the day, and the dismissal.
The psalms follow a four-week cycle (the Psalter), so in four weeks you pray nearly all 150 psalms. Seasons and feasts have their own antiphons, readings and prayers.
Night Prayer (Compline)
Night Prayer is simple: a brief examination of conscience and act of sorrow, a hymn, one or two psalms, a short reading, the responsory “Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit,” the Nunc Dimittis, a closing prayer, and a final antiphon to Mary (the Salve Regina, Regina Caeli or another). It takes about ten minutes. See our full guide to Compline and our Catholic night prayers.
The three Gospel canticles
The Benedictus (Canticle of Zechariah), Morning Prayer
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people:
And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David his servant:
As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who are from the beginning:
Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us:
To perform mercy to our fathers, and to remember his holy testament,
The oath, which he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear,
In holiness and justice before him, all our days.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways:
To give knowledge of salvation to his people, unto the remission of their sins:
Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high hath visited us:
To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of peace.
The Magnificat (Canticle of Mary), Evening Prayer
And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him.
He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy:
As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.
The Nunc Dimittis (Canticle of Simeon), Night Prayer
Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace;
Because my eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples:
A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
The Invitatory Psalm
The first hour of each day begins with Psalm 94 (Psalm 95 in modern Bibles), an invitation to praise:
Come let us praise the Lord with joy: let us joyfully sing to God our saviour.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; and make a joyful noise to him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
For in his hand are all the ends of the earth: and the heights of the mountains are his.
For the sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
Come let us adore and fall down: and weep before the Lord that made us.
For he is the Lord our God: and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
What books or apps do I need?
- The four-volume Liturgy of the Hours contains the complete office for the whole year, including the Office of Readings.
- One-volume editions (such as Christian Prayer) contain Morning, Evening and Night Prayer, with the main parts of the other hours.
- Shorter Christian Prayer, a small book with the four-week psalter for morning and evening prayer and night prayer, is ideal for beginners.
- Apps and websites such as iBreviary, Universalis and Divine Office present the correct prayers for each day automatically, which is the easiest way to start.
Ask a priest or a religious community to show you how to use the ribbons in a printed breviary; it takes a few days to learn.
How to begin
- Start with Night Prayer every evening for a month; it is short and the same each week.
- Add Morning Prayer when you are ready, before work or school.
- Add Evening Prayer, perhaps with your family or on Sundays.
- Pray slowly, aloud if you can. The psalms were written to be sung.
- Join a parish or community that prays Vespers or Lauds together; many cathedrals and monasteries welcome visitors.
Frequently asked questions
Do lay Catholics have to pray the Liturgy of the Hours?
No. It is required of priests, deacons and many religious, but the Church encourages lay people to pray it, especially Morning and Evening Prayer, alone or in groups (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 100).
How long does it take?
Morning or Evening Prayer takes about 15 minutes; Night Prayer about 10; the Office of Readings about 20.
What is the difference between the Breviary and the Liturgy of the Hours?
The Breviary is the book (or set of books) that contains the Liturgy of the Hours. Before 1971 the Roman Breviary was in Latin and had eight hours; the current Liturgy of the Hours, revised after the Second Vatican Council, has the structure described above.
Which psalm week are we in?
The four-week psalter begins at Week I on the First Sunday of Advent, the First Sunday of Lent, Easter Sunday and in the first week of Ordinary Time; after Pentecost it follows the number of the week in Ordinary Time (Week 5 of Ordinary Time uses Week I again, and so on). Apps calculate it automatically.
More prayer guides
- Benedictus (Canticle of Zechariah)
- Nunc Dimittis (Canticle of Simeon)
- Psalm 70 (O God, come to my assistance)
- Psalm 95 (Come, let us sing to the Lord)
- Psalm 100 (Jubilate Deo)
- The Magnificat
- The Te Deum
- Pray without ceasing
- Catholic morning prayers
- Catholic night prayers
- The order of the Mass
- Catholic prayers in Latin
- Liturgical calendar 2026–2027
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 118:164; Luke 1:68–79 (Benedictus); Luke 1:46–55 (Magnificat); Luke 2:29–32 (Nunc Dimittis); Psalm 94:1–7, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1174–1178.
- Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium (1963), chapter IV, nos. 83–101; Paul VI, apostolic constitution Laudis Canticum (1970); General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours.