Disclaimer

This web site and these programs were developed, managed, and maintained by Laszlo Kiss, as his own work, until his death in 2011. It is now
maintained by the Divinum Officium Project (email canon DOT missae AT gmail DOT com). It represents no official order, nor the view or opinion of
any group. Laszlo wrote: I tried to follow my sources, but naturally the more I work on this project the more mistakes I make. Such a project can be
done only by teamwork. I keep doing this in the hope, that a team will pick up the idea, and will use the computers in entirety to help worship God.
Since August 2011, the Divinum Officium Project continues Laszlo Kiss's work and keeps his hope alive.
Words of caution:
Those who are obliged to recite the office should do so from canonically approved books. (Can 276.2.3), and according to the Summorum
Pontificium only the 1962 books are accepted as extraordinary form. The Project makes every effort to maintain in this website the Rubrics
1960 version to be identical with the 1962 typical edition, but this internet text is not approved as so.

The Project consults written sources for the Divino Afflatu and Trident 1910 and Trident 1570 and Reduced 1955 versions and follows
them carefully as much as possible
The pre Trident monastic version is a projection backward in time
The 1960 Newcalendar version is a projection forward devised by Laszlo Kiss, and probably disapproved by the Ecclesia Dei
Commission's January 20 2010 (Prot 13/2007) decision on accepted form of the Liturgy.

Historical versions of the Divinum Officium

The Divinum Officium was the official prayer of the Roman Catholic Church for at least 1500
years, until 1971, when it was significantly changed to The Liturgy of the Hours. This
programlet as conceived by Laszlo Kiss was partially a device enabling one to pray the Office
easily, and partially a historical document to visually show the changes in the last few
hundred years. These purposes are maintained by the Divinum Officium Project since August
2011, with the intent that the software and website should be usable and historically accurate.
This project shows how the daily Office was collected from the same psalms, lections, hymns,
versicles and responsories for the different versions.:

The pre Tridentine Monastic version is an attempt to illustrate the Benedictine

Breviary, as it is described in the Regula of St Benedict, with the exception that for
lack of resources only 9 lessons are included for Sundays and Feasts instead of 12
lessons. See details below

The version ordered after the Council of Trent, by Pope St. Pius V, which except for
the ever increasing number of feasts in the Proprium Sanctorum was unchanged until
the 20th Century. This Tridentine version was based on the many centuries before
printed books, therefore the majority of psalms were prayed in Mattins, Lauds, and
Vespers. The little hours contained the same psalm 118 everyday, which was
memorized by heart and could be prayed without a book, at the little hours. Sunday
Matutinum contained 18 psalms, and the weekday mattins contained 12 psalms. Lauds
and Vespers were considerably longer, due to the length of of the psalm and their
suffragia. The Feasts of Saints offered some relief in the number of psalms. Those
Mattins consisted of 9 psalms only which broke the rule of the required 150 psalms a
week. The number of Festive Offices came to exceed the number of ferial Sunday
Offices, when more than two thirds of the days were Festive Offices.
The Trident 1570 version uses the original 1570 calendar, the Trident 1910 version
uses the permanent calendar from the 1888 Pustet edition Hiemalis volume. The two
differ only in the calendars, both uses the Clementine psalter and hymns, as well as the
same rubrics. See details below

The Divino Afflatu version is named from the Encyclical of St. Pius X., and was the
Official version from 1911 to 1960. St Pius X. mixed two changes
o The version uses the ferial psalms for the festive offices except for the 1st and
2nd class feasts, and for a few others which antiphons hand down for a feast.
The Trindent version Sesonal mode is an attempt to show the effect of this change without the change of the Psalter

Also psalms are divided into a weekly cycle without significant repetion of the
psalms (9 psalms for matins, 5 each for the major hours, 3 each for the minor
hours). The encyclical also shortened significantly the suffragia, and other
parts of the office, reducing the time at prayer about 20%.

The Divino Afflatu version uses the permanent Kalendar from the printed 1943
Ratisbone Pustet edition Hiemalis volume. Missing offices are updated as sources
allows.

The version Reduced 1955 based on Cum Nostra Hac aetate decree, and the version
Rubrics 1960 ordered by the Motu Proprio Rubricarum Instructum 1960 of John
XXIII. furter shortened the prayer time by and additional 5% and 15% respectively.
Both versions are using the permanent calendar from David Siefker's Lulu Breviary.
Missing offices are updated as sources allows.
See details below

The 1960 New Calendar version implements the 2009 permanent calendar. It uses the
1960 rubrics, which is now the extraordinary form of the office. It is an experiment of
the idea that this form should be living prayer of the Church.
See details below

Laszlo prayed the The Divino Afflatu version personally: but the main point of this project
was and is to show that the changes published in 1955 and 1960 are not more than the
changes which were made in 1911 by Divino Afflatu. In all changes the reason was to
simplify and shorten the Office.
Implemented pre Tridentine Monastic changes

Matins starts with Domine labia and Psalm 3

Except for Sundays and Feasts (Duplex majus, 2nd class, 1st class) second nocturn has a scriptural capitulum with responsory only, and
there is no third nocturn

Fist Nocturn is always six psalms.

First Nocturn has 3 lessons with responsories from Scriptures from November to Low Sunday, one short lesson summertime Second
Nocturn is always 6 psalms

For Sundays and Feast (for lack of resource only 3 * 3 instead if 3 * 4 lessons) there are three nocturns. The third nocturn has Old
Testament canticles under one antiphon also it has responsory after the last lesson too, followed by Te Deum, reading of the full passage of
Gospel and the short hymn Te decet.
Lauds starts with Psalm 6
Lauds has 3 psalms, a canticle and psalms 148-149-150 as one unit. Responsory is added to Capitulum
Prime has 4 or 3 psalms (parts). Preces, reading of the Regula and commemoration of the dead (which was not part of Prime) is added to
the office
Minor Hours have psalm sheme only for Sunday, Monday and the rest of days. Capitulum is followed only by Verse.
Vespers has 4 psalms, Responsory is added to Capitulum
<b<compline< b=""> has always the same psalms without antiphons; also without Nunc dimittis </b<compline<>

Implemented Tridentine (pre Divino Afflatu) changes:

Festive Offices for both the Tridentine, and the Divino Afflatu versions are similar, except that in the Tridentine version, Feasts of
semiduplex rank and above use the Festive psalms, which is three nocturns each of three psalms for Matins, with a slightly different set for
holy men and holy women, with the Sunday's psalms from the Psalter for the rest of the hours. Simplex Offices from the proper of the
Saints have only one nocturn in the Tridentine version with the psalms of the Feria.
In feriale offices:

o
o

o
o

Matutinum Sunday 18 psalms, weekdays 12 psalms with antiphones according to the day of week Lauds and Vespers have
their set of psalms and antiphones according to the day of week;
The Laudes II psalms were introduced with the Divino Afflatu version for seasons of Advent and Lent. In the Tridentine
version each Ferial Office Lauds began with Psalm 50 (Miserere mei Deus), and only the 2nd and 4th (canticle) change
throughout the week.
The Little Hours have the same psalm set over the week, but the antiphons change according to the day of week.
Prime has 4 psalms, except on Saturdays were it was only 3 psalms. For the other days 1, 3, 4 is the same for all days of the
week, 2nd is different.
For Preces Feriales Psalm 129 is added at Lauds, and Psalm 50 is added at Vespers.
The Suffragium is expanded with the Commemoratio de Cruce ( in the feriis; this is first ) To the Blessed Virgin, to St. Joseph,
St. Peter and Paul, de Pace.

Implemented 1955 only changes:

First Vespers only for Sundays and 1st and 2nd class feasts
Simplex feasts are commemorated in Laudes and Vespera only, no reading in Mattins
Former semiduplex feasts are considered simplex, commemorating lesson in Mattins

Implemented 1956-1960 changes:

Pater noster, Ave Maria at the beginning and end of the horas, (also Credo for beginning of Mattins and Prime, and end of Compline) is
omitted,
Preces feriales only in ember days (except Pentecost week) and Wednesdays Fridays of Advent Lent time
Suffragium, Preces dominicales deleted
Athanasium Creed (Quicumque) only on Trinity Sunday
Marian Antiphone at the end of Lauds deleted
Vigils only for: Nativity, Pentecost; Ascension, Midsummer day, St Peter & Paul, St Laurence, Assumption,
Octaves only for Christmas, Easter and Pentecost

Implemented 1960 only changes:

Antiphons are always double

Doxologies for hymns are never changed
Lectio brevis in Prime is not changing for the saints only for the season
Psalm 50 in holy triduum prayers deleted
Rank only 1st to 4th class

o
o
o
o

4th class commemoratio only,

3rd class (former semiduplex, duplex and some duplex majus) 3 lectiones only
2nd class (with some former duplex majus) 9 lections but for horas antiphones and psalms from the weekday
1st class: unchanged

First week of month (from August to November) always starts in the month, instead of the closest Sunday to Kalendas
Some additional Kalendar changes are implemented

1960 New Calendar version changes:

implementing the 2009 Calendar ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_calendar_of_saints) Only those offices are parts of the
office for Proper of Saints, which are listed here; some offices are relocated. Offices not found in the Extraordinary form, are created from
the Common of Saints
Memorial offices are implemented as 3rd class offices according to the 1960 rubrics (1, 2-3 readings from the season, 3rd reading from
the saint). Feasts are implemented as 2nd class (semifestive offices), solemnities as 1st class (festive) offices
optional memorial offices are prayed in 'regular' mode, the ferial office is used in 'seasonal' mode, except for Advent, when always the
ferial office is recited if the saint's office is optional
in Lent all memorial offices are trumped by the ferial office, in accordance to the 1960 rubrics (there is only Gospel homily, no Scriptural
reading for the season)
if two saints are assigned for the same day, the first in the calendar is chosen
commemoration of a saint would be implemented only for local Feast or Solemnity in the O antiphon (Dec 17-24) days in Advent

Seasonal feast days moved to Sundays (Ascencion etc) cannot be handled, there would be no office left for the feria. Feasts days of saints
can be moved through the translation table (Latin/Psalterium/Trnewcal.txt, Latin/Psalterium/Trnewcalyyyy.txt)
Ember days, Rogation days, and the Octave of Pentecost is dropped following the previous trend since 1955; however the lessons are
Gospel homilies for that days
The traditional schema of Sundays (Septuagesima time, 6 Sundays after Epiphany and 24 Sundays after Pentecost) is not changed because
any change of this would require to create a new scriptural reading schema

Click here for recitation times of the different versions.

Additional variations in the standalone version:

regular : regular version according to the rules

Seasonal : Hymns, Short readings and Short responses for minor horas are taken from
the proprium de tempora, except for 1st and 2nd class feasts days; also the Preces
Dominicales and the Suffrages are included for duplex offices in case of Tridentine or
Divinu Afflatu versions.
For Tridentine versions seasonal mode also uses the ferial psalter for duplex or lesser
offices
For 1960 new calendar version sesonal mode uses the ferial office for optional offices

laszlo kiss (+2011)

divinum officium project
canon DOT missae AT gmail DOT com

T.A.D.M.N.