Prayers to be said before the Office: Open, O Lord, my mouth, to bless Thy holy Name: cleanse also my heart from all vain, perverse and distracting thoughts. Enlighten my understanding, inflame my will, that I may be able worthily, attentively, and devoutly to recite this holy Office and may deserve to be heard in the presence of Thy divine Majesty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
O Lord, in union with that divine intention where with Thou didst offer praises on earth to God, I offer these Hours to Thee.
Our Father. Creed, in silence.
V. Grant his prayer, sweet Lord, that we
R. May still be pleasing unto Thee.
V. O Lord, open Thou my lips,
R. And my mouth shall declare Thy praise.
V. Incline unto my aid, O God,
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father, etc., Alleluia
Or, after Septuagesima: Praise be to Thee, O
Lord, King of everlasting glory.
Invitatory. The King and Lord of confessors:
O come, let us adore.
From Psalm 94
O come, let us be glad in the Lord, let us
joyfully sing to the God of our salvation: let us
come before His presence with thanksgiving,
and make a joyful noise to Him with psalms.
R. The King and Lord of confessors: O come,
let us adore.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to
the Holy Ghost, etc.
R. O come let us adore. The King and Lord of
confessors: O come, let us adore.
Hymn
Gaude Mater Ecclesia
Rejoice, sweet Mother Church, to whom
This happy festal day is given,
In mind of him who from thy womb
Is born a saint this day to heaven.
Our mighty father, who led forth
And marshalled his great preacher host,
With glory crowned now leaves this earth
To dwell on heaven’s blissful coast.
To God, The Three and One, be praise
And honor, strength and glory given;
And may He deign our souls to raise
Through our sweet father’s prayers to heaven.
From Psalm 1
Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners:
Nor sat in the chair of pestilence.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord;
And on his law will he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted near the running waters
That shall bring forth its fruit in due season.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Anthem
With Christ, the midnight vigil keeping, Oft he prayed with floods of weeping; He sought no couch, and hardly pressed The bare cold ground for needful rest.
V. The Lord loved him and adorned him.
R. He clad him in a robe of glory.
Our Father, in silence. Pray, Father, give the blessing.
Blessing. May our blessed father, Saint Dominic, make loving intercession for us. R. Amen.
Lesson 1
Holy and blessed father, Saint Dominic, our great parent and guide, despise not thine own work, but hear us in the day when we call upon thee, for great is they loving-kindness. O deliver us from the power of our enemies visible and invisible. But do Thou, O Lord, have mercy on us. Thanks be to God.
R. Sworn to Christ a virgin knight, Virtue’s pattern pure and bright, Thou with burning words of grace Seek’st thy heavenly dwelling-place. Sweetest odors fill the air, Angel hosts thy praise declare.
V. To thy sons, O blessed guide, Heaven’s high portals open wide.
R. Sweetest odors fill the air, Angel hosts thy praise declare Pray, Father, give the blessing.
Blessing. In all distress and tribulation may our holy father, St. Dominic, help us.
Lesson 2
O Dominic, most holy father, rise and embrace our Savior’s feet; reconcile us to Christ by thy holy and compassionate prayers, for thou seest how we have offended the eyes of our Creator. Obtain for us the pardon of our sins, rest for our souls, and the joys of heaven. But do Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us. Thanks be to God.
V. Rising from this vale of earth, Choirs of angels hymn his worth. Grand his prayer, sweet Lord, that we May still be pleasing unto Thee.
R. Oft-times at his prayer of faith Thou didst loose the bonds of death; May his pleadings now obtain Freedom from our debt of pain. Pray, Father, give the blessing.
Blessing. May blessed Dominic, the father and guide of the Order of Preachers, conduct us to the society of the heavenly citizens.
R. Amen.
Lesson 3
Saint Dominic, our own sweet father, have compassion on the afflicted; show thy tender love to us poor exiles and pilgrims to heaven; despise not our humble petitions, but deliver us from all dangers, and by thy holy intercession translate us to the kingdom of security and peace. But do Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us. Thanks be to God.
R. Sweet the hope thy fainting breath Gave to those who wept thy death, Promising, though life were flown, Thou wouldst still protect thine own. Father, keep thy gracious word, Pleading for us with our Lord.
V. Who so oft was wont to shine Midst the sick with powers divine, To our languid souls apply Christ’s restoring remedy. R. Father, keep thy gracious word, Pleading for us with our Lord.
V. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost;
R. Father, keep thy gracious word, Pleading for us with our Lord.
From the “Te Deum”
We praise Thee, O God; we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord. All the earth doth worship Thee, the Father everlasting. To Thee all angles cry aloud, the heavens and all the powers therein. To Thee cherubim and seraphim, continually do cry. Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth.
V. Pray for us, O blessed father Dominic,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.