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.
Prayer to be said after the Office:
May everlasting praise, honor, power and glory be given by all creatures to the most holy and undivided Trinity, to the sacred Manhood of our Lord Jesus Christ Crucified, to the fruitfulness and purity of the most blessed and glorious Virgin Mary, and to the fellowship of all the holy saints; and may we obtain the pardon of all our sins, world without end. Amen.
℣. Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.
℟. And blessed are the breasts which gave suck unto Christ our Lord.
Our Father and Hail Mary to be said for the intentions of the Holy Father.
℟. May still be pleasing unto Thee.
℣. O Lord, open Thou my lips,
℟. And my mouth shall declare Thy praise.
℣. Incline unto my aid, O God,
℟. 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.
℟. 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.
℟. O come let us adore.
The King and Lord of confessors: O come, let us adore.
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 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.
With Christ the midnight veil keeping,
Of the pray with floods of weeping;
He sought no couch, and hardly pressed
The bare cold ground for needful rest.
℣. The Lord loved him and adorned him.
℟. 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.
℟. Amen.
Lesson 1
Holy and blessed father, Saint Dominic, our own great parent and guide, despise not thine own work, but hear us in the day when we call upon thee, for great is thy 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.
℟. 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,
Angels hosts why praise declare.
℣. To thy sons, O blessed guide,
Heaven’s high portals open wide.
℟. 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, etc.
Choirs of an angels hymn his worth.
Grant his prayer, sweet Lord, that we
May still be pleasing unto Thee.
℟. Oft-times at his prayer of faith
Thou didst loose the bond of death;
May his pleadings now obtain
Freedom for 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. ℟. 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 the holy intercession translate us to the kingdom of security and peace. But do Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us. Thanks be to God.
℟. 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.
℣. Who so oft was wont to shine
‘Midst the sick with powers divine,
To our languid souls apply
Christ’s restoring remedy.
℟. Father, keep thy gracious word,
Pleading for us with our Lord.
℣. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.
℟. Father, keep thy gracious word,
Pleading for us with our Lord.
We praise Thee, O God; we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship Thee, the Father everlasting.
To Thee all angels cry aloud, the heavens and all the powers therein.
To Thee cherubim and seraphim, continually do cry.
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth.
℣. Pray for us, O blessed father Dominic,
℟. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
℟. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father, etc. Alleluia; or,
Praise be to Thee, O Lord,
King of everlasting glory.
Psalm 150
Praise ye the Lord in His holy places:
Praise Him in the firmament of His power.
Praise ye Him for His mighty acts:
Praise Him according to the multitude
of His greatness.
Praise Him with the sound of trumpet:
Praise Him with psaltery and harp.
Praise Him with the timbrel and the dance:
Praise Him with strings and organs.
Praise Him on high-sounding cymbals:
Praise Him on cymbals of joy.
Let every spirit praise the Lord.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Anthem
Pie Pater
Holy Father, cast thy mind
On the work thy hands designed.
In the Judge’s presence stand
For thy poor and lowly band.
Little Chapter
Ecclus. L, 6, 7
As the morning star in the midst of a cloud, and as the moon in the days of her fullness, and as the sun when it shineth, so shone he in the temple of God.
℟. Thanks be to God.
Carnis liber ergastulo
From prison of these flesh set free,
See how he shines with beams from heaven!
And for his garb of poverty
A robe of royalty is given
The fragrant tomb, the frequent sing,
Clear proof to all mankind afford
How much of grace and power divine,
Christ’s servant shareth with his Lord.
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 prayer to heaven.
Amen.
℟. Therefore the Lord hath clothed thee with beauty.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel:
For He hath visited and wrought the redemption of His people.
And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David, His servant.
Who were from the beginning.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Carnis viror
In the flesh a virgin true,
In desire a martyr, too;
O’er the earth thy words have run.
Now thy earthly course is done,
Stripped of all for Christ’s dear sake,
O turn thee to thy rest, and take
The prize of life divine which hast won.
℣. O Lord, hear why prayer.
℟. And let my cry come unto Thee.
O God, who didst vouchsafe to enlighten Thy Church by the merits and teaching of our blessed father Dominic, Thy confessor, grant that through his intercession we may be provided against all temporal necessities, and ever increase in spiritual good. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen.
May all who venerate
In thee their father blest,
Find, too, in thee their certain guide
To that blest life, where glorified
The saints forever rest.
℣. The just man shall spring up like the lily,
℟. And shall flourish for ever before the Lord.
Give ear to our supplications, Almighty God, and through the intercession of blessed Augustine, Thy confessor and bishop, graciously show forth unto us the effect of thine accustomed mercy, whom Thou indulgest in the confidence hope of Thy loving kindness. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.
℣. O Lord, hear my prayer.
℟. And let my cry come unto Thee.
℣. Let us bless the Lord.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℣. Father, keep thy gracious word, pleading for us with our Lord.
Novus athlete Domini
Raise to the champion of our Lord,
Great Dominic, our loud acclaim,
Whole lordly work, the Gospel-word,
So well both suit his lordly name.
With watchful eye and careful hand
He kept the lily all unstained;
His zeal burned like a flaming brand,
For souls that Satan else had gained.
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 prayer to heaven.
Amen.
Save me, O God, by Thy name:
And judge me in Thy strength.
O God, hear my prayer:
Give ear to the words of my mouth,
For stranger have risen up against me, and the mighty have sought after my soul;
And they have not set God before their eyes.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Anthem
Gemma.
A gem of purest ray
That in its casket lay
All meanly folded round and wrapped in Earth,
Still shone divinely bright,
With signs of grace and might,
That plainly told its power and priceless worth.
Ecclus. XXXIX 6
The just man will give his heart to watch early to the God that made him, and he will pray in the sight of the Most High. Thanks be to God.
℟. O Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, at the prayer of St. Dominic,
Repeat. O Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, at the prayer of St. Dominic,
℣. Make us pleasing unto Thee,
℟. At the prayer of St. Dominic.
℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
℟. O Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, at the prayer of St. Dominic,
℣. Arise, O Lord, and help us.
℟. And deliver us for Thy Name’s sake.
℣. O Lord, hear my prayer.
℟. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Give ear to our supplications, Almighty God, and direct all the actions of Thy servants to the prosperous attainment of Thy salvation; and grant through the intercession of Thy blessed confessor, our most holy father, Saint Dominic, that we may ever be defended by Thine assistance amidst all the changes of this our life and pilgrimage. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth, etc.
℣. O Lord, hear my prayer.
℟. And let my cry come unto Thee.
℣. Let us bless the Lord.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℣. Father, keep thy gracious word,
℟. Pleading for us with our Lord.
Mundum calcans
He trod the world beneath his feet,
Forward to strenuous toil he pressed,
And stripped himself the foe to meet,
By Christ’s strong grace upheld and blessed.
He still fights on wth ceaseless prayer,
With tears, and words, and signs of power;
And sends his children forth to bear
The glorious war from shore to shore.
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 8
O Lord, our Lord:
How marvellous is Thy name through all the earth,
For Thy great might is exalted even above the heavens.
Thou hast perfected praise, because of Thine enemies.
That Thou mayest destroy the enemy and the avenger.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Anthem
Corpus sanctum
His sacred body as a shrine
And treasure-house of sweets divine
Breathes richer fragrance to the gale
Than all earth’s spicy stores exhale.
Little Chapter
Ecclus. L, 6, 7
As the morning star in the midst of a cloud, and as the moon in the days of her fullness, and as the sun when it shineth, so shone he in the temple of God. ℟. Thanks be to God.
℣. Loving father Dominic, hear thy servants who pray to thee.
℟. Loving father Dominic, hear thy servants who pray to thee.
℣. And bring us remission from above.
℟. Hear thy servants who pray to thee.
℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
℟. Loving father Dominic, hear thy servants who pray to thee.
℣. Holy father, cast thy mind on the work thy hands designed,
℟. In the Judge’s presence stand for thy poor and lowly band.
℣. O Lord, hear my prayer.
℟. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Let us pray
O God, who didst vouchsafe to enlighten Thy Church by the merits and teaching of our blessed father Dominic, Thy confessor, grant that through his intercession we may be provided against all temporal necessities, and ever increase in spiritual good. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth, etc.
℣. Father, keep thy gracious word,
℟. Let his sons Thy power share.
℣. Incline unto my aid, O God.
℟. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father, etc. Allelulia; or, Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of everlasting glory.
Hymnum novae laetitiae
Come, let our choir, this happy day,
Prolong its sweet melodious lay;
And hymns of new-felt joy proclaim
The praise of Dominic’s great name
The world at its grim vesper-tide
The brightly glittering star descried,
Herald of freedom’s light up-risen
To souls detained in sin’s dark prison.
Unto the sacred One and Three
Praise, honor, strength and glory be;
And may He grant our souls to raise
Through Dominic’s pleading to the skies.
Amen.
Or who shall rest on Thy holy hill?
He shall walketh without blemish
And worketh justice.
He that speaketh truth in his heart,
Who hath used to deceit with his tounge.
Glory be to the Father etc.
Anthem
Scala coelo
A ladder, reaching from the sky,
Shone brightly on a brother’s eye,
Who clear described our father blest
Ascending to his saintly rest.
Isa. LIX, 21
My spirit which is in thee, and My words which I have put into thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out the mouth of thy seed, nor out the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth now and for ever.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℟. Holy Father cast thy mind on the work thy hands designed.
℣. In the Judge’s presence stand for thy poor and lowly band.
℟. On the work thy hands designed.
℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
℟. Holy Father cast thy mind on the work thy hands designed.
℣. When touched by death we yield our breath, O come and take us to the sky.
℟. And even now, Great father, show we walk beneath thy watchful eye.
℣. O Lord hear my prayer.
℟. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we may be assisted by the prayers of blessed Dominic, Thy confessor, that what we ourselves are not able to obtain, may be vouchsafed us through his intercession. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth, etc.
℣. O Lord, hear my prayer.
℟. And let my cry come unto Thee.
℣. Let us bless the Lord.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℣. Father keep thy gracious word.
℟. Pleading for us with our Lord.
℣. Incline unto my aid, O God.
℟. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father, etc., Alleuluia; or, praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of everlasting glory.
Hymn
Doctrinam Evangeliam
He spread abroad the Gospel sound
Even to earth’s remotest bound,
And with his new-formed ranks subdued
And banished heresy’s false brood.
He was the well-spring from whose tide
Swelled the rich river, deep and wide,
A living flood still rolling forth
Its healing waters through the earth.
Unto the sacred One and Three
Praise, honor, strength and glory be
And may He grant our souls to rise
Through Dominic’s pleading to the skies.
Amen.
From Psalm 23
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof:
The world and all that dwell therein.
For He hath founded it upon the seas:
And upon the floods hath He prepared it.
Or who shall stand in His holy place?
The innocent of hands, and the clean of heart,
Who hath not taken his soul in vain,
Nor sworn in guile unto his neighbour.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Anthem
Fulget in choro
A teacher of the truth sincere,
He shines among the virgin choirs,
His brows the double garlands wear
Of doctrine pure and chaste desires.
Little Chapter
Mal. II, 6
The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and justice, and turned many from iniquity.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℣. When touched by death we yield our breath,
℟. O come and take us to the sky.
℣. And even now, great father show we walk beneath thy watchful eye.
℟. O come and take us to the sky.
℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
℟. When touched by death we yield our breath, O come and take us to the sky.
℣. The mouth of the just man shall speak wisdom.
℟. And his tongue shall utter judgement.
Let us pray
Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we who are weighed down with the burden of our sins may be believed by the intercession of our blessed father Dominic, Thy confessor. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth, etc.
℣. O Lord hear my prayer.
℟. And let my cry come unto Thee.
℣. Father, keep thy gracious word.
Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord:
He shall delight exceedingly in His commandments.
His seed shall be mighty upon the earth:
The generation of the just shall be blessed.
Glory and wealth shall be in his house:
And his justice remaineth forever and ever.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Transit pauper
The saint so mean and poor
Ascends a heavenly throne,
He holds a sceptre evermore,
He wears a conqueror’s crown.
He goes from death to life,
From toil to lasting rest;
From sorrows here and ceaseless strife,
To the pleasures of the blest.
Ecclus. L, 6, 7
As the morning star in the midst of a cloud, as the moon in the days of her fullness, and as the sun when it shineth, so shone he in the temple of God.
℟. Thanks be to God.
Gaude Matter
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.
Amen.
℟. That we may be made worth of the promises of Christ.
My soul doth magnify the Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid:
For behold from henceforth all generations shall call me Blessed.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Anthem
O Lumen
O Light of holy Church,
Teacher of truth divine!
Sweet rose of patience, ivory-white
Thy chastity doth shine.
Of wisdom’s living waters
All freely thou hast given;
Herald of grace, O join our souls
Unto the blest in heaven.
℣. O Lord hear my prayer.
℟. And let my cry come unto Thee.
O God, who didst vouchsafe to enlighten Thy Church by the merits and teaching of our blessed Father Dominic, Thy confessor, grant that through his intercession we may be provided against all temporal necessities and ever increase in spiritual good. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth, etc.
Rejoice, O Jerusalem, our mother, for thy King hath brough Augustine unto thee, a diligent steward and most faithful citizen, redeemed from the captivity of Babylon.
℣. The Lord loved him and adorned him.
℟. He clad him with a robe of glory.
Give ear to our supplications, Almighty God, and through the intercession of Blessed Augustine, Thy confessor and bishop, graciously show forth unto us the effect of Thine accustomed mercy, whom Thou indulgest in the confident hope of Thy loving kindness. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth, etc.
℣. O Lord, hear my prayer.
℟. And let my cry come unto Thee.
℣. Let us bless the Lord.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℣. Father, keep thy gracious word.
℟. Pleading for us with our Lord.
Ecclus. XV, 5
In the midst of the Church, the Lord opened his mouth and filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, and clothed him with a robe of glory.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℣. Intercede for us, O blessed father Dominic.
℟. Intercede for us, O blessed father Dominic.
℣. That we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.
℟. O blessed father Dominic.
℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
℟. Intercede for us, O blessed father Dominic.
℟. And let my cry come unto Thee.
℟. And let my cry come unto Thee.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℟. Amen.