The Daily Office

In the Daily Office, the term Officiant is used to denote the person, clerical or lay, who leads the Office.

It is appropriate that other persons be assigned to read the Lessons, and to lead other parts of the service not assigned to the officiant. The bishop, when present, appropriately concludes the Office with a blessing.

At celebrations of the Holy Eucharist, the Order for Morning or Evening Prayer may be used in place of all that precedes the Offertory.

Morning and Evening Prayer

Any of the opening sentences of Scripture, including those listed for specific seasons or days, may be used at any time according to the discretion of the officiant.

The proper antiphons for the Invitatory Psalms from Rite One or Rite Two may be used as refrains with either of the Invitatory Psalms. Antiphons drawn from the Psalms themselves, or from the opening sentences given in the Offices, or from other passages of Scripture may be used with the Psalms and biblical Canticles.

Gloria Patri is always sung or said at the conclusion of the entire portion of the Psalter; and may be used after the Invitatory Psalm or the Canticle, "Christ our Passover," after each Psalm, and after each section of Ps. 119.

The Gloria printed at the conclusion of certain Canticles may be omitted when desired. In Morning and Evening Prayer, the following form of the Gloria may be used:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Ghost:
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, *
world without end. Amen.

The Apostles' Creed is omitted from the Office when the Eucharist with its own Creed is to follow. It may also be omitted at one of the Offices on weekdays.

The Lord's Prayer may be omitted from the Office when the Litany or the Eucharist is to follow immediately.

In the Intercessions and Thanksgivings, opportunity may be given for the members of the congregation to express intentions or objects of prayer and thanksgiving, either at the bidding, or in the course of the prayer; and opportunity may be given for silent prayer.

A sermon may be preached after the Office; or, within the Office, after the Readings or at the time of the hymn or anthem after the Collects. Metrical versions of the Invitatory Psalms, and of the Canticles after the Readings, may be used.

In special circumstances, in place of a Canticle, a hymn may be sung. An office hymn may be sung at the beginning of Morning Prayer in place of the Invitatory and before the Magnificat at Evening Prayer. A hymn or anthem may be sung after the three collects at Evening Prayer.

On occasion, at the discretion of the Minister, a reading from nonbiblical Christian literature may follow the biblical Readings.

An offering may be received and presented at the Office.

When Morning or Evening Prayer is used as the Liturgy of the Word at the Eucharist, the Nicene Creed may take the place of the Apostles' Creed, and the officiant may pass at once from the salutation "The Lord be with you," and its response, to the Collect of the Day. A Lesson from the Gospel is always included.

The Intercessions on such occasions are to conform to the directions in the Eucharistic Rite.

The service then continues with the [Peace and] Offertory.