Liturgy of the Hours (Daily Office)
The daily cycle of prayer services traditionally observed by clergy and religious.
The Liturgy of the Hours is the daily cycle of prayer services traditionally observed by clergy, religious, and devoted laypeople in Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, and Lutheran practice. The cycle includes the principal services of Lauds (morning prayer), Vespers (evening prayer), and Compline (night prayer), with additional minor hours at various points of the day. Anglican tradition calls the cycle the Daily Office, distilled in the BCP into Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. The hours organize a day around scripture (especially the psalms, prayed in a regular cycle), specific prayers, and the canticles (Magnificat at Vespers, Nunc Dimittis at Compline).