One of the great gifts of the Anglican tradition is what we call The Daily Offices - office, in this case, means the daily duty or daily service. These are services of daily prayer which are patterned on the ancient monastic rhythms of prayer that Christians have been praying for nearly 1600 years.

Having structured prayer like this is of course much more ancient, but the basic pattern and structure we follow has its origins in the early centuries of the church and its later developments in the Medieval period, and since the 16th century has been expressed through our Book of Common Prayer.

The main offices of prayer are Morning Prayer (sometimes called Mattins) and Evening Prayer (Evensong), though the Book of Common Prayer also contains a short noon-time office called Noonday Prayer, and the ancient office prayed before bed, called Compline. Mattins & Evensong follow the same structure each day, which lends a kind of dependability and comfort to our praying, though on certain holy days and at certain times throughout the year some aspects of them change slightly. Each morning and evening we pray different Psalms together so that in the course of 60 days the entire Psalter is prayed through, and we hear a lesson both from the Old Testament and the New Testament so that the majority of the Bible is read publicly in the course of one year.

The rest of the office consists of various canticles (parts of scripture, sometimes sung) and prayers of intercession for our world and for those in need. Each office lasts about half an hour and they are quiet and contemplative book-ends for our days, recognizing the goodness of beginning and ending our days with worship, praise, and thanksgiving to God.

Currently, the Daily Offices are prayed publicly at St. Mary’s, Summerside at 8am and 4:30pm Tuesday-Friday.

We invite you to join us, even if it’s your first time, and if you’re unfamiliar with what to do the Rector or another congregant will be happy to walk with you through the service.