LayClerk.com
Streaming the Daily Office according to the Book of Divine Worship
ABOUT MEI am a lay clerk -- a professional singer in an English cathedral or collegiate choir. Historically, as the name suggests, lay clerks were lay (unordained) deputies or substitutes for the ordained canons in the English Church.Now living in North America, I no longer have the opportunity to sing the daily office in a Cathedral setting.I began looking for a way to continue singing the daily office on my own, and realised there was a demand for an authenticly sung Mattins and Evensong, streamed online. Finding no such thing on the internet, in January 2022, I decided to record and stream the daily office myself, from my home.My original plan was to do Mattins and Evensong daily, but that proved to be too much to begin with. For now I will only record Mattins, with the hope of adding Evensong at a later date. In time, if this proves to be a successful endeavour, I hope to add more than just my lone voice - perhaps organ, and even choir.My longer term goal is to be singing the daily office once again in a church setting.If you find this a useful resource and would like to support me, please donate using the link above.
THE DAILY OFFICEThe offices of Mattins and Evensong are found in Thomas Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer, which originated in the 16th century, following the English Reformation. Cranmer took four of the eight Canonical Hours observed by the Catholic Church and combined them into two major offices. Mattins is a combination of Lauds and Matins. Evensong is a combination of Vespers and Compline.Today these Greater Hours from the Anglican tradition are not only found in the Book of Common Prayer. Since the creation of the Personal Ordinariates in 2011, they now have a home within the Catholic Church.Divine Worship: Daily Office was released in 2021, and it is this liturgical book that I have decided to use, rather than the BCP.This is because I want to appeal to both Anglicans and Catholics around the world. The form is almost identical to that found in the BCP, that many will be familiar with, but these versions are approved for use by the Holy See, and can be said by priests and lay Catholics alike in order to pray the liturgy of the hours.I have chosen the Commonwealth edition, which is for the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, but will include American prayers as well, in order to maintain as wide appeal as possible.I hope this will be a useful resource for any Christians anywhere in the world who wish to sing the daily office. Listen, sing along, and pray.