Little Office of Our Lady

A liturgical devotion to the Blessed Virgin, in imitation of, and 
in addition to, the Divine Office. It is first heard of in the 
middle of the eighth century at Monte Cassino. According to 
Cardinal Bona, who quotes from a manuscript of Peter the Deacon 
(twelfth century), there was, in addition to the Divine Office, 
another "which it is customary to perform in honour of the Holy 
Mother of God, which Zachary the Pope [d. 752] commanded under 
strict precept to the Cassinese Monastery." This would seem to 
indicate that some form of the Office of Our Lady was already 
extant and, indeed, we hear of an Office in her honour composed by 
St. Ildephonsus, who lived about the end of the seventh century. 
The Eastern Church, too, possesses an Office of the B.V.M., 
attributed to St. John Damascene (c. 730). But though various 
Offices in honour of Our Lady were in existence earlier, it is 
probable that the Little Office, as a part of the liturgy, did not 
come into general use before the tenth century; and it is not 
unlikely that its diffusion is largely due to the marked devotion 
to the Blessed Virgin which is characteristic of the Church in 
England under the guidance of St. Dunstan and St. Ethelwold. 
Certainly during the tenth century, an Office of the Blessed 
Virgin is mentioned at Augsburg, at Verdun, and at Eisiedeln; 
while already in the following century there were at least two 
versions of her "Hours extant in England. In the eleventh century 
we learn from St. Peter Damian that it was already commonly 
recited amongst the secular clergy of Italy and France, and it was 
through his influence that the practice of reciting it in choir, 
in addition to the Great Office, was introduced into several 
Italian monasteries. At Cluny the Office of the B.V.M. was not 
introduced till the end of the eleventh century, and then only as 
a devotion for the sick monks. In the twelfth century came the 
foundation of the Orders of xxxx and xxxx, of which the latter 
only retained the Little Office in addition to the Divine Office. 
The Austin Canons also retained it, and, perhaps through their 
influence, in the course of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, 
it developed from a private devotion into part of the daily duty 
of the secular clergy as well. By the fourteenth century the 
recital of the Little Office had come to be an almost universal 
practice and was regarded as obligatory on all the clergy. This 
obligation remained until St. Pius V removed it by the Bull "Quod 
a nobis" of 1568. At the present time, however, it is recited on 
certain days by several of the older orders, and it serves, 
instead of the Greater Office, as the liturgical prayer of lay 
brothers and lay sisters in some of the contemplative orders, and 
of the members of most of the congregations of women engaged in 
active work. 

Down to the Reformation it formed a large part of the "Primer or 
Lay-folk's Prayer- book", and was customarily recited by the 
devout laity, by whom the practice was continued for long 
afterwards among the persecuted Catholics. Today it is recited 
daily by Dominican, Carmelite, Augustinian, and by large numbers 
of the Franciscan, Tertiaries, as well as by many pious laymen who 
desire to take part in the liturgical prayer of the Church. It is 
worth noting that the form of the Little Office of Our Lady has 
varied considerably at different periods and in different places. 
The earlier versions varied very considerably, chiefly as regards 
the hymns and antiphons used: in England in medieval times the 
main differences seem to have been between the Sarum and York 
Uses. Since the time of St. Pius V, that most commonly recited has 
been the version of the reformed Breviary of that pope. In this 
version, which suffers somewhat from the classicism of the 
sixteenth century, are to be found the seven "Hours", as in the 
Greater Office. At Matins, after the versicles follow the 
invitatory "Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum" with the 
"Venite then the hymn "Quem terra, pontus, sidera"; then three 
groups of psalms, each with their antiphons, of which one group is 
said on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays, the second on Tuesdays 
and Fridays, the third on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Next follow 
three lessons with responsories and (except in Lent and Advent) 
the "Te Deum". At Lauds, there are the eight psalms of the Divine 
Office for Sundays, sung to five antiphons. Then the Little 
Chapter, and the hymn "O Gloriosa Virginum". Next a versicle and 
the canticle "Benedictus" with its antiphon. Lastly, the prayer 
and commemoration of the saints. In each of the four Little Hours 
the hymn "Memento rerum conditor" immediately follows the 
versicles; then three psalms are recited, under one of the 
antiphons of Lauds; then are said the Little Chapter, versicles, 
and a prayer. At Vespers, after the versicles and five psalms with 
their antiphons, follow the Little Chapter, the hymn "Ave Maris 
stella", a short versicle, and the canticle "'Magnificat" with its 
antiphon; then the prayers as at Lauds. Compline begins with 
special versicles, then follow three psalms without antiphons, 
then the hymn "Memento rerum conditor", a Little Chapter, a 
versicle, the canticle "Nunc Dimittis", versicles, a prayer, and 
the Benediction. After the hours are recited the "Pater Noster" 
and the proper antiphon of Our Lady for the season. This last, the 
antiphons of the psalms and canticles and the Little Chapters are 
the only parts of the office that vary with the seasons. Pope Leo 
XIII granted (17 Nov., 1887), to those who recite the whole Office 
of Our Lady, an indulgence daily of seven years and seven 
quarantines, and a plenary indulgence once a month: to those who 
recite Matins and Lauds only, a daily indulgence of three hundred 
days: and (8 Dec., 1897) to those who recite Vespers and Compline 
only, and for each Hour, an indulgence of fifty days. 

LESLIE A. ST. L. TOKE 
Transcribed by Michael C. Tinkler 

In honor of Charlotte Hafley