Monday, June 08, 2009

Before I continue, a wee lesson about Solesmes

"The abbatial church is the very heart of the monastery, it constitutes the center of the lives of the monks.

There they spend the greater part of their time, celebrating the liturgy or praying silently.  The church alone is open to the public.  The other buildings of the Abbey, the cloister, the chapter room, the dining rom, etc. are considered to be "enclosed" and cannot be visited.  The reason for this regulation is to ensure that the monks have living space where they can seek the Lord in silence and solitude.  The monastic grounds also include a remarkabe variety of gardens conducive to relaxation and prayer."

The above is from a pamphlet regarding the Monastery and Monastic life in Solesmes.  The 
abbatail church" is the name given to the church where Masses and the Divine Hours take place. 

And below: I've taken this schedule from the Solesmes website; gives you a good idea of Uncle Michael's day, which is also taken up with counseling his "spiritual children" and,  well, the occasional "Jack Daniels" when guests are in town.   Thursday afternoons, from 4:30 - 7:30, the monks have leisure time to roam outside the walls of the Monastery should they want to. 

Beginning of the day:  5am
Vigils:  5:30am
Personal prayer and reading
Laudes:  7:30am
Personal prayer and reading
Mass  10am
Work in different services
Sext:  1pm
Lunch
None:  2pm
Recreation, work in different services
Vespers:  5pm
Personal prayer and reading
Dinner:  7:30pm
Compline:  8:30pm

Vigils; Laudes; Sext; None; Vespers and Compline are the names of the Hours of the Divine Office. 
At Solesmes, the public is allowed to join the monks for the last 3 hours.   Dad and I noticed that many of the same people ( living in Solesmes) gathered daily for these Hours.  It was our favorite time in Solesmes.  When I asked Brent had he wanted to do more than he did while in Solesmes, he answered, "Why?  Why would you want to do more than be at the Hours?"



The Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office is the official set of daily prayers prescribed by the Roman Catholic Church to be recited at the canonical hours by the clergyreligious orders, and laity. The Liturgy of the Hours consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns and readings. Together with the Mass, it constitutes the official public prayer life of the Church. Upon ordination to any of the Holy Orders, the daily recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours becomes a canonical obligation. The Liturgy of the Hours also forms the basis of prayer within Christian monasticism.[1]

The Liturgy of the Hours, along with the Eucharist, has formed part of the Roman Catholic Church's public worship from the earliest times

1 comment:

Annie said...

Is there anyone NOT planning a trip to Solesmes right now?

(even if said trip won't happen for almost a decade...)