The funny thing is, I don't hear ANYONE screaming to bring back the old BREVIARIUM ROMANUM with its Three-Nocturned Matins, Prime and the beefed-up Little Hours, and 150 Psalms spread out during the week.
Although with extraordinary ministers doing almost all the communion calls around this town and the schools closed down, you'd think the priests who are left would have plenty of time to go back to the old Office.
Of course, during the Council, Francis Cardinal Spellman lobbied passionately for the retention of Latin in the Mass but in favor of the Breviary in the vernacular (he had even sponsored what he thought would become the priest's Breviary of the future, the famous Nelson translation in four volumes which sells for in the hundreds on eBay although it's a horrible translation with the rubrics in BLACK) . . .
This led an Italian bishop to exclaim, "Questi Americani! Now they want the people to pray in Latin and the priest to pray in English!"
But almost everyone seems content with what one wag calls "The Little Office of Vatican II"!
Maybe that is because the laity, not being required under pain of mortal sin to pray the Divine Office let alone a specific Divine Office, can use any version of the breviary that they like. The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) publishes their own two-volume Roman Breviary in Latin.
Baronius Press is in the process of publishing a three volume English/Latin edition of the 1961 Breviarium Romanum. I know of many Catholics who are eagerly awaiting its publication. One doesn't have to pray the hours of the Office at specific times. So, one doesn't have to get up in the middle of the night to pray Matins.
Although with extraordinary ministers doing almost all the communion calls around this town and the schools closed down, you'd think the priests who are left would have plenty of time to go back to the old Office.
I get the impression that many priests don't pray the Office at all. Having said that, I know of at least two diocesan priests who pray the Divine Office in Latin (one definitely uses the 1961 Breviary the other uses that edition and the Liturgy of the Hours).
One nice thing about the old breviary, though, is that it is all in one book and not four, like the new one.
You might be interested to know that Baroniuspress.com is bringback the three volume Latin-English Breviary published by Liturgical Press in the early 1960's. This time the correct psalter, the Vulgate and NOT the Pius XII psalter, will be used.
It won't be cheap, but if it is produced by Baronius Press it should be a beautiful book.
You might be interested to know that Baroniuspress.com is bringback the three volume Latin-English Breviary published by Liturgical Press in the early 1960's. This time the correct psalter, the Vulgate and NOT the Pius XII psalter, will be used.
It won't be cheap, but if it is produced by Baronius Press it should be a beautiful book.