Excerpt from A Book of Offices: Being the Day-Hours, With Litanies and Other Devotions

IN preparing a Book of Hours for the Community of the Holy Name, the first intention was merely to simplify to some extent the ancient Ofiices. Experimental use, however, suggested various changes; and while Prime, None and Compline have retained the old form, the desire to use the Morning and Evening Prayer set forth by the Church led to Terce and Vespers being devoted to those services. Sext also was set apart as the especial hour for Litanies - the Litany used being always preceded by the Versicles, Responses, and prayers of the Sixth Hour. Again, the wish, on the part of those who were to use the book, to make the Gloria in excelsis the Hymn of Dawn, according to the probable use of the early Christians, led to that hymn becoming the central feature of the short office of Lauds. No apologies are needed for these alterations, as it was manifestly allowable for the Community (with the consent of its Superiors) to consult the wishes of. Its members in the formation of an office-book prepared solely for them. The book grew gradu ally into its present form, is satisfactory to those who use it, and may perhaps be of servme to others than those for whom it was originally intended.

In compiling the office-book, many sources have been drawn from. The Litany for the Church is in great part a rearrangement of that contained in the Treasury of Devotion; while material for the Office of the Holy Ghost was found in Litanies and other Offices, edited by Canon Carter. From the latter source came also almost entirely the Preparation for, and Thanksgiving after, Holy Communion.

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