Liturgy of The Hours - Obligation of Recitation

Obligation of Recitation

In the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, all bishops and other prelates, all priests, and all transitional deacons are obliged to pray the Office daily according to the approved liturgical books that apply to them. Permanent deacons are strongly encouraged to do so; whether they must do so or not and the degree to which they must participate, if they do so is laid down by individual dioceses under the guidelines set forth by the area's Episcopal Conference. Members of institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life are bound according to the norm of their constitutions as adapted by the custom of the superiors of the house at which they reside. All Latin clerics can lawfully fulfill their obligation to pray the Office using the Roman Breviary promulgated by John XXIII or the Breviary of Paul VI. Additionally, religious institutes can choose to use exclusively the traditional Breviary instead of the Liturgy of the Hours, without prior approval from the Holy See. Any religious, members of institutes of consecrated life, and societies of apostolic life who are transitional deacons, priests, or bishops, even if their institute or society has a less strict policy, are obliged to say the office because of the obligation of these ordained ministers to do so. Laity, especially if they are attached to religious institutes as lay oblates or are involved in ministries of the Church (lector, cantor, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, catechists, religious education directors or school principals, altar servers, those contemplating religious life or the seminary), should be strongly encouraged to participate.

The constitutions of some institutes of consecrated life, in particular many congregations of Benedictine monks and nuns, but also others, oblige them to follow an arrangement of the Psalter whereby all the psalms are recited in the course of a single week, partly through an extension of the Office of Readings, and by maintaining the Hour of Prime.