Books and Online Resources for the Liturgy of the Hours

“I would like to renew my call to everyone to pray the Psalms, to become accustomed to using the Liturgy of the Hours, Lauds, Vespers, and Compline.” -Benedict XVI

Since our Holy Father has asked the faithful to rediscover the Liturgy of the Hours, I’d like to bring to the compile a few resources that anyone can use to begin praying the Liturgy of the Hours.

Electronic Resources

Divine Office (All hours, price varies)

Web (Free)
iThingey (can’t find a link, search in the app store) ($14.99)
Android ($14.99)
Nokia OVI ($4.99)
Mac Store ($9.99)

iBreviary, Pro Terra Sancta (All hours, free, 7 languages, including latin and english)

Web (free)
iThingey (free)
Android (free)
Blackberry (free)

Physical Books (online calendar for LOTH)

4 Volume Liturgy of the Hours Set:

with Multi-Colored Vinyl Covers (~$155) (Matching Zip Covers: they exist, but I can’t find them)
with Black Leather Covers ($179) (Matching Zip Covers: $78)

Christian Prayer

Zip Cover ($46)
No Zip Cover ($37)

Shorter Christian Prayer

No Zip Cover ($14.95)

Large Print Editions

4 Volume ($159)
Christian Prayer ($26)
Shorter Christian Prayer ($19.95)

Resources for Chanted Office

The Office of Compline (Night Prayer only, $16)
Mundelein Psalter (Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Night Prayer, also includes the Sanctoral cycle and the Office for the Dead, as well as the ancient breviary hymns, and singable english translations, $50)
St. Louis Institute of Sacred Music (online)
Psalm Tones for singing yourself in english, adapted from the latin tones by Aristotle Esguerra (Free)
Some of my own resources (free)

Extraordinary Form and Beyond

Diurnale Romanum (1962)

Single Volume ($75)

This book is the 1962 equivalent of the modern Christian Prayer. It contains all the offices except matins (Office of Readings).

Divinum Officium (1962, as well as other pre-1962 editions)

Web (free)
Phone or Mobile device (Via web browser)
PC (Downloadable)

7 responses to “Books and Online Resources for the Liturgy of the Hours”

  1. Liturgy of the Hours: Pray it!
    Liturgy of the Hours: Pray it! May 3, 2012 at 6:45 pm |

    [...] added edit: check out more resources here, I have a whole slew of [...]

  2. Matthew Roth
    Matthew Roth January 2, 2013 at 1:10 pm | | Reply

    Hi Ben,

    You could make a note that the iBreviary app also has the Vetus Ordo.

    1. Michael Schumacher
      Michael Schumacher January 2, 2013 at 8:02 pm | | Reply

      Be warned though — for the Collect today (2 Jan) in the Vetus Ordo, it shows

      “Exáudi, quæsumus, Dómine, preces nostras, quas in beáti Basilíi Confessóris tui atque Pontíficis sollemnitáte deférimus…”

      Today in the TLM is the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. We do not keep the Feast of St Basil until 14 June.

      It shows the Epistle for today being from 2 Timothy. The Lesson for the Feast of the Most Holy Name is from the Acts. The Gospel is shown from Luke chapter 14; Luke 2:21 is the correct Gospel reading today.

      All the propers are wrong (they all correspond to today’s Saint in the Novus Ordo, not the Usus antiquior). It appears as though the ordinary weekly Psalter, and Ordo Missae are the only parts that are correct. This is clearly a work in progress. Hopefully it will be sorted out in the near future, but for now Divinum Officium remains the only web-based source for the full Traditional Office, and the only free source for the full Traditional Office.

      Otherwise, a printed 1961 Diurnale (everything except Matins) isn’t all that expensive, and the purchase helps the work of the FSSP…. http://www.fraternitypublications.com/diurnale.html

      1. Ben Yanke
        Ben Yanke January 2, 2013 at 8:54 pm | | Reply

        Thanks, Michael. I’ve added the link to the Diurnale.

  3. Mark W.
    Mark W. March 19, 2013 at 3:24 pm | | Reply

    What is your opinion of Universalis (online or the app)?

    1. Ben Yanke
      Ben Yanke March 19, 2013 at 3:31 pm | | Reply

      Well, it doesn’t use the approved translation, so if you want to pray a private devotional with the psalms, go ahead. But if you want to pray the liturgy of the hours in union with the whole church (much more powerful), don’t use it.

      However, there’s many other acceptable options that do use the approved translation.

      1. Matt
        Matt April 14, 2013 at 5:17 am | | Reply

        If you purchase the Universalis licence, then you get the correct translation.
        It may be confusing to you, though, as it is the UK Breviary, in use in the rest of the English-speaking world (i.e., outside the United States).
        The psalms are Grail (as they are in the US); the readings are largely from the Jerusalem Bible, which is the version used in most English-speaking countries — and has also been approved for use in the US.
        The antiphons, intercessions, etc., are straight from the Breviary.

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