Liturgy of the Hours

Over 6 years ago, Fr. Beerman lead 30 parishioners in learning how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. Soon after, Msgr. Schmitz and a few parishioners started to gather at 8 am in Fr. Winkels Chapel to pray Morning Prayer together. Six years later, we still gather to pray communally on Monday through Friday at 8:05 am in Fr. Winkels Chapel with Fr. Tom. It takes roughly 15 minutes. All of you are welcome to join.

The Liturgy of the Hours is a book that has prayers for us to pray each day. Most of these prayers come from Sacred Scripture, especially the Psalms. These prayers are not like any other prayers. Like the Mass, they are liturgical prayers. When we pray the Liturgy of the Hours, or any other liturgical prayer, we pray united with the Whole Christ, the Church and Her Head, Jesus Christ. If you pray it regularly for the whole year, you celebrate all the great feasts of the Church and the central mysteries of our Faith.

The Second Vatican Council, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and Pope John Paul II all strongly encourage the whole Church, clergy, religious, and lay faithful, to pray the Liturgy of the Hours.

"The faithful who celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours are united to Christ our high priest, by the prayer of the Psalms, meditation on the Word of God, and canticles and blessings, in order to be joined with his unceasing and universal prayer that gives glory to the Father and implores the gift of the Holy Spirit on the whole world." (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1196)

"In this context of a training in prayer, I recommended the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, by which the Church sanctifies the different hours of the day and the passage of time through the liturgical year." (Pope John Paul II, MANE NOBISCUM DOMINE 6)