Guild of St. Peter ad Vincula

The Guild of St. Peter ad Vincula

Advantages of praying

the breviary online

Maybe you already have a hardcopy edition of the Roman Breviary and are wondering what possible advantage it would be to pray the Office online rather than in a traditional book.  Here are a few reasons to consider the Breivary Online…

a sad man sitting in front of the desktop

Easy Format

One major benefit we provide is that absolutely no prior knowledge of the rubrics is required to recite the Office, and there is no frantic sorting out of ribbons, and no lengthy searches for the next words. Instead, each Hour is provided in its entirety on a single page. This is not only a time-saver for priests and religious who use our site but actually makes the Divine Office accessible to the average layman for the first time in the history of the Church.

Chant and Polyphony

Another major advantage of our online edition of the Breviary is the availability of music at the touch of a button. No matter where you are in your daily Office, you will find examples of traditional plainchant and polyphony in both Latin and English, sung by the monks and nuns of Europe and the great cathedral choirs of England, to uplift your spirit as you pray. 

 

Traditional English

We have used many sources for our English translation of the Breviary. Our aim has been to preserve the aesthetic beauty of the ancient English texts while maintaining at the same time, the accuracy of the Church’s official translations. We hope the result will elevate your mind and soul as you read the Office.

Artwork and Photos

Our website contains literally thousands of images, mostly paintings by great masters and photographs of locations pertaining to the associated text. The inclusion of images is one of the greatest advantages of our online Breviary over the limitations of a hardcopy edition, and we hope it will help your understanding, enjoyment, and, most of all, spiritual insight into the text of the Divine Office.

Latin and English

The traditional Roman Breviary was never published in a bilingual format.  Now, for the first time, the texts of our Online Breviary are provided in a parallel two-column format, with the original Latin text on the left and the English on the right. This is convenient for priests who might like to confirm now and again the meaning of a complex Latin phrase, and laymen will also find the Latin column a useful reference when attending the Divine Office in church.

Works on All Devices

Almost all the features of the Breviary Online function correctly on all computers, tablets, and smartphones that have access to the Internet. You should have no problem accessing the benefits of our website no matter what your operating system, browser, screen size, or device.

Dominus Vobiscum

The Versicle Dominus vobiscum (The Lord be with you) may be said only by Bishops, Priests and Deacons.

Subscribers who have not been ordained at least to the diaconate must instead say Domine, exaudi orationem meam, with the Response Et clamor meus ad te veniat (O Lord, hear my prayer.  And let my cry come unto thee).

If this latter Versicle and Response has already been said immediately prior to the Dominus vobiscum (eg. during the Preces), it is not said a second time.

A priest in a gold and white robe is standing in front of a golden altar.