Feedback 

Your responses to the following questions will add another dimension to this study. While the form is designed for an anonymous reply, you're welcome, of course, to let me know who you are. Thank you, again.

About You….are you a

Your Age group?

under 30 31-45 46-55 56-70 over 70

Where are you?

City, State, Country


 

Have you prayed from any of the following " short breviaries"?

  • Before the Council (up to 1963)
    (hold down "Control" button and mouse-click all the office texts you have used.)

 
  • After the Council (1964-1970)

(hold down "Control" button and mouse-click all the office texts you have used.)


 
  • The Current Period (1973-present)

(hold down "Control" button and mouse-click all the office texts you have used.)

 

Some additional Questions

Have you ever prayed the office in Latin?

If yes, was the Latin (understanding, pronunciation, rubrics, etc.) a problem for you?

 

How long have you prayed the office (from any of the breviaries listed above, or another office text)?

 

How much of the office do you pray (e.g., just Morning and Evenng Prayer, or Night Prayer, or perhaps the entire office)?

 

Do you pray the office in a group (community, parish group, among friends, other) or alone?

 

Do any of the these office books have any special meaning(s) for you (good, bad or otherwise)?

 

Were/are the physical characteristics of an office book important to you? (Here, it is a question of a book's size, its weight, how it was bound, paper quality, printing quality, graphics, etc.?

 

At the present time (2001) and during the last several years, there have been problems about the translation of liturgical texts into English. Do you prefer a particular translation (e.g., ICEL, Grail (current official psalm translation), RSV, NRSV, other inclusive, or other (for example, a private translation)?

 

How important is this to you?

 

Added 7/5/2001

Does your parish offer support (instruction, catechesis, encouragement, common prayer space, pastoral participation) for those who want to pray the Liturgy of the Hours?

Added 7/5/2001

Mary Perkins Ryan was well known and respected as a Latin translator, teacher, scholar, writer and was an inspiration to many in the church. For years, she prayed the office in Latin.  Once, on a train, while praying the office, she spotted a priest coming down the aisle.  Immediately, she sat on her breviary, for fear, among other things, of being considered "pious".  In those days in the U.S., many clergy were suspicious of any lay person with a breviary.  Is this still a reason why many lay persons use the breviary (the Liturgy of the Hours)  privately even today?  

Added July 6, 2001

For former Seminarians or men or women who have spent time in religious life:

Many people who once attended seminaries or entered religious life for a period of time (sometimes, many years), continued to (and still do)  pray the office after they left.  One person, who felt "abandoned" and "set adrift" by his community, felt that the office was the life raft which kept him tied to the church he loved.   Is the breviary an emotional as well as a spiritual bond to the church for you, especially if your leaving the seminary or religious life was not of your own choosing?

If you have some additional thoughts to offer - about this web site, or about the Liturgy of the Hours (the office), I will appreciate your comments.

There is no obligation to identify yourself, but you're welcome to do so here: