This is great news for all those who have been seeking out the wonderful reprinting of the The Roman Breviary by Baronius Press. It is at long last back in print. I wrote about it in 2012.
This is a terrific set, with Latin and English in side by side, good binding, slip covers, and ribbons and commentaries.
Anyone seeking to use the older, traditional office, but perhaps don’t have the strongest Latin – this is helpful. Heck, my Latin is really strong and, from time to time, I use it so as to keep English in my head, too, rather than just the Latin.
As a matter of fact, mine is right here by me as a I write!
Don’t dawdle. It isn’t cheap, but it is a superb set. If you have been wanting this, stick a crowbar into your wallet and get one before these sell out entirely and you have to wait again.
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I was at the Baronius site looking at latest offerings a week or so ago when i noticed the Breviary was back in stock. I’m surprised this isn’t getting more attention. No doubt they sent emails to their listserv. Glad to see they had enough interest to make another printing worthwhile.
Roman Breviary for Seminarians project?
I love my set, though I had to tie off the ends of the ribbons to limit the fraying. I’ve actually found the SSPX’s online Ordo (1962ordo.today) to be very helpful, especially at times where the Ordo I have from St. John Cantius is a bit…opaque. (Granted I’m a lay woman and probably not the target audience for any of this ^^;;; I suspect the instructions in the books themselves would make more sense if I was actually a cleric…maybe….or maybe I’m just daft.) The slipcases are a bit less-robust, but I don’t know how many people even use those regularly.
I ordered a set through Fr. Z’s link because he said it can help you learn Latin. I’m one of those priests who didn’t have the opportunity in seminary to learn or use Latin. I’m also looking forward to having all of the psalms to pray.
I ordered a set through Fr. Z’s link because he said it can help you learn Latin. I’m one of those priests who didn’t have the opportunity in seminary to learn or use Latin. I’m also looking forward to having all of the psalms to pray.
I had a friend who doesn’t know Latin and doesn’t even attend the TLM tell me just last week he read about this in Latin Mass Magazine (which he subscribes to because a friend at the place where he lives, which is the same place where Fr Z lives, writes articles for it sometimes and recommended it to him) and was persuaded how he needed to pray this. He doesn’t know Latin maybe not even enough to pronounce it so maybe he was thinking of praying it in English. Do people do that? Now that must have been a very persuasive article in Latin Mass Magazine but I didn’t quite understand why this individual needed this so I did suggest to him just get more regular about praying with your Christian Prayer breviary. But he can afford it so if he does get it I am curious what happens.
About ribbons, I read that the Carthusians have a custom of always tucking ribbon ends into their books when they finish using the book. I have done that for at least 10 years. It is actually great for multiple reasons as I carry my Liturgy of the Hours with me everywhere in a backpack pocket and it keeps the ribbons clean and out of the way of the zipper and other things. If you can get into the habit that does protect the ends of the ribbons!! I have rarely ever encountered someone else who does this but it’s a good idea.
Like Fr Ant I like the idea of having all the psalms. I just heard a talk by Fr Chad Ripperger asserting if lay people pray Lauds and Vespers from the old breviary it is protective against the devil, he does not know why but he says this is so. That is pretty attractive!
By the way I ordered a book one time from a Carthusian monastery, hand bound by them, that had a ribbon marker and it did come tucked in. What I do is tuck them all in on the long edge of the pages. Works fine for me. If you tie knots in your ribbons you cannot do this. I don’t like knotted ribbons myself.
[I use a dab of super glue after I shape the ends of the ribbons.]
Elizabeth D: “. . . he was thinking of praying it in English. Do people do that?”
Yes, indeed many do, very possibly a majority. Though I suspect that many who start praying the traditional Divine Office all in English gradually transition to some combination of English and Latin. Just as most who begin following Latin Mass via the English column in their missal inevitably come to be familiar with at least the Ordinary (the Gloria, Agnus Dei, etc.) in Latin.
I myself transitioned at some point from the OF Liturgy of the Hours in Latin only (because the ICEL English is so unworthy) to the EF Roman Breviary, all in English until fully familiar with its structure.
Having invested substantially in your Baronius Roman Breviary, its prudent to get a leather cover to protect your investment from the wear and tear of prayerful use “seven times daily and once at night”.
At first I was unable to find a suitable cover to fit the Baronius Breviary volumes. Then I chanced upon a sumptuous padded leather cover that fits it perfectly (and also feels luxurious to the hand). It’s sold (here) for the CTS Latin-English Daily Missal, but serves even better as a breviary cover. Of course you need only one cover to rotate through the year between the three breviary volumes.
[Thanks for that. I was going to haul mine with me to Rome and check for something that would fit at my favorite bookstore, Leoniana. Alas, Leoniana has closed for good! A sad day for Romans. Hence, I was about to despair. Someone who might be a little enterprising could develop a little cottage industry for making good prayerbook covers. I’d sure help to advertise if the product is good.]
I agree it’s fine to pray some or all of the Office in English. This can be a great way to improve your Latin. I started off praying Lauds/Compline in a combination of Latin and English (attempting the Latin, but switching over to English when it got too laborious and was preventing a prayerful mindset); now I only occasionally glance over at the English if an unfamiliar word or complicated sentence structure comes up. After a while, the psalms become familiar through repetition.
I’m not sure how it would work if you’re starting with no Latin at all, but for anyone familiar with the basics of the grammar and knowing a little vocabulary, it isn’t hard to pick up more as you go along.
On a related note, learning the Rosary prayers in Latin is a good learning tool. For those unfamiliar with the pronunciation, there are plenty of videos online to learn it initially, and then the daily repetition (because hopefully we’re all saying our Rosary every day!) helps to instil it into your mind.
I’ve been using my set for 4 years in December. I originally started with divinumofficium, with the prayers in the Latin and the Psalms in English but once I got this set, had twofold motivation I continued: since I payed so much, it encouraged me to waste the purchase and regular recitation and I switched to all Latin. I started with Lauds, Vespers, and Compline and the old job allowed me to fit in the Little Hours, as well on a decent routine (wake up, pray Lauds; take care of morning hygiene, pray Prime then go to work; take first break and pray Terce; take lunch and pray Sext and then my daily Rosary in front of the local mission style Church from 1911 (with it’s altar against the apse and n old original rail that still has the loops for the Houseling cloth); at the afternoon break around 3:00pm pray None; then Vespers at Sunset and Compline before bed.
Never really found a satisfactory place to pray Matins (which takes me about 45 minutes in Latin – the Psalms are easy but the Lessons tended to drone on and without the asterisk pauses for pacing was more challenging to steal glances at the English). I tried anticipation, but only really worked on days when I didn’t have to work since waking up at 5:00 am wasn’t really happening.
I changed jobs and had to unfortunately drop the Little Hours as breaks were far less regular. What I noticed over the intervening years was how much better my Ecclesiastical Latin improved from daily recitation to where I can read pretty much read and understand the rubrics in the altar Missal (especially handy in my 1948 which is quite a bit different from the 1962). Whatever the other changes, I regularly pray that Latin is required for clerics in the Liturgia Horarum, though agree with the late Laszlo Dobszay on the restoration of the full pre-Pius XII Roman Office as the ultimate goal, even if obligations should be varied, with the rest ad libitum for different categories of clerics (parish priests vs Religious vs monastics, etc).
It’s held up marvelously, though. My Baronius 1962 Missal leatherette cover is splitting along the spine, but despite far more daily usage the Breviary is in great shape. A couple dog eared pages here and there despite my careful attention, some scuffs here and there to the gilding. I dipped the tips of the ribbons in a mixture of half Gorilla Glue and half Loctite vinyl fabric plastic adhesive which gave them a clearish tip and kept them from fraying.
Since then I’ve aquired a few others, a 1962 Monastic (which has the Benedictine Psalm arrangement) and a 1946 Benziger full set in great condition (unfortunately with the Pius XII translation of the Psalms which is just weird) and would love a reproduction of the 1945 with full uneviscerated Sunday Matins.
sorry, should have been “to NOT waste the purchase.”
To elucidate, I’d tell myself “I paid alot for that, don’t skip Lauds.” I did get a bit compulsive to the point where I was making the family wait to go to lunch since I had to pray the Office, though have since reminded myself that as a layman it’s not my obligation, and to relax a bit, though I like the thought of joining my voice to the official prayer of the Church as a small leaf to the the great Tree of the larger universal Church (as noted by the Pius Parsch’s notes to the intro) with the FSSP priests who have been of such great spiritual nourishment to me.
That said, I have since decided to add commemoration of 1st Vespers for all feasts for a natural organic handoff of one day to the next, and commemorate all the old octaves, though I obey 1962 precedence to maintain my prayer with FSSP.
I had this set for about a year and tried to make it work. The books were just too big for me, and I didn’t ever pray Matins. So I sold my set to a seminarian. I use the Diurnale Romanum (all Latin) as best I can. It’s not as beautiful as the Baronius Breviary, and I often have to check with http://www.divinumofficium.com when I don’t know a word, but it better fits me. For those who want inspiring artwork while they pray, I don’t know a better breviary than Baronius Press. Just know it takes dedication to tote it around.
My sister in law and mother of 11 makes beautiful high quality missal and prayer book covers. They are all handmade and I know they could sure use some means of advertising and getting the word out about their product. Would be happy to supply photos and more information on them.
I have these from the first printing and feel nearly helpless trying to teach myself to use them properly. I think I figured out Compline.
There is no St Joseph guide to tell me which pages to use and I don’t understand the terms on the 1962ordo.com site.
Can anyone recommend any instructionals?
OssaSola says: nearly helpless trying to teach myself
It can be complicated at first. You might start by using http://divinumofficium.com (choose the option properly) to get the order of the prayers. Soon you will get used to it. Also, there is a booklet out there that explains how to say the older office. I don’t remember it’s name or publisher. Maybe a reader does.