They shall fulfill their obligation of reciting the office faithfully, attentively, and devoutly – saying daily any one of the following: the Canonical Hours; the short office granted by the Church in various forms for lay brothers and sisters; the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary; the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father, recited twelve times. If it is convenient, they shall recite these prayers at different times of the day after the manner of the Canonical Hours. It is commendable to recite them in common and in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. With the exception of the Canonical Hours, these prayers may be recited in the vernacular.                                           Constitution Article 59

 

 

Franciscan Tertiaries, as members of a religious order, are provided a set of specific prayers or “offices“.  The Rule of Pope Leo XIII mentions four different Offices for the Franciscan Tertiary in Chapter II Article 6.  These are the Divine Office (also known as the Liturgy of the Hours), the short office granted by the Church for the laity, the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin, and the Office of the twelve Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and Glorys.

To read a treatise on the Tertiary Office, please click here.

To recite the Liturgy of the Hours, please click here.

To recite the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin, please click here.

 

 

 

“… prayer is a remembrance of God often awakened by the memory of the heart.  ‘We must remember God more often than we draw breath.’  But we cannot pray ‘at all times’ if we do not pray at specific times, consciously willing it.”   CCC, n 2697