How Many Psalms Are to Be Said at These Hours
Feb. 20—June 21—Oct. 21
We have already arranged the order of the psalmody for the Night and
Morning Offices; let us now provide for the remaining Hours.
At Prime let three Psalms be said, separately and not under one “Glory
be to the Father.” The hymn of that Hour is to follow the verse “Incline
unto my aid, O God,” before the Psalms begin. Upon completion of the
three Psalms let one lesson be recited, then a verse, the “Lord, have
mercy on us” and the concluding prayers.
The Offices of Terce, Sext and None are to be celebrated in the same
order, that is: the “Incline unto my aid, O God,” the hymn proper to
each Hour, three Psalms, lesson and verse, “Lord, have mercy on us” and
concluding prayers.
If the community is a large one, let the Psalms be sung with antiphons;
but if small, let them be sung straight through.
Let the Psalms of the Vesper Office be limited to four, with antiphons.
After these Psalms the lesson is to be recited, then the responsory, the
Ambrosian hymn, the verse, the canticle from the Gospel book, the
litany, the Lord’s Prayer and the concluding prayers.
Let Compline be limited to the saying of three Psalms, which are to be
said straight through without antiphon, and after them the hymn of that
Hour, one lesson, a verse, the “Lord, have mercy on us,” the blessing
and the concluding prayers.