The phrases "pray and work" (or "pray and labor"; ) and to work is to pray () refer to the monastic practice of working and praying, generally associated with its use in the

Rule of Saint Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' () is a book of precepts written in Latin by St. Benedict of Nursia (c. AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto of th ...

History

''Ora et labora'' is the traditional slogan of the

Benedictines The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...

. This derives from Benedict's desire for his monks to have balanced lives, dominated by neither work nor prayer. St. Benedict's Rule prescribes periods of work for the monks for "Idleness is the enemy of the soul" (RB 48.1). Some orders applied the concept directly to farm work and became an element in the movement towards land reclamation from rot and agricultural development in

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

. Other orders, such as the

Humiliati The Humiliati (Italian ) were an Italian religious order of men formed probably in the 12th century. It was suppressed by a papal bull in 1571 though an associated order of women continued into the 20th century. Origin The origin of the order of ...

, applied the concept to the production of woolen cloth using wheels in the period prior to the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

Modern examples

The phrase expresses the need to balance prayer and work in monastic settings and has been used in many religious communities from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

onwards. In addition to praying the

Liturgy of the Hours The Liturgy of the Hours (), Divine Office (), or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the Latin Church. The Liturgy of the Hours forms the official ...

, the Benedictine monks of St. Andrew Abbey teach at Benedictine High School and staff a retreat house. ''Ora et Labora'' is a publication of Benedictine High School and St. Andrew Abbey. While the monastic life of the monks of Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey is centered upon the liturgy, their primary occupation is teaching. They find this "a successful symbiosis of Cistercian life and apostolic mission". The Anglican sisters of the Community of St. Mary in Greenwich, New York pray the Divine Office five times each day and raise Cashmere goats for wool.

Uses

An alternative rendering of the phrase, ''laborare est orare'' (literally "To work is to pray"), features prominently in

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher. Known as the "Sage writing, sage of Chelsea, London, Chelsea", his writings strongly influenced the intellectual and artistic culture of the V ...

's ''Past and Present'' (1843): "Admirable was that of the old Monks, ''Laborare est Orare'', Work is Worship." Edward King, Bishop of Lincoln and graduate of Oxford University, referred to the motto "laborare est orare" as one he adopted to shape his daily life. In 2010 Rowan Williams Archbishop of Canterbury scheduled an episcopal visit to Lincoln Cathedral on the 100th anniversary of Bishop King's death. Professor Murphy has published an 18-page 21st century analysis of nuances comparing "laborare est orare" versus "ora et labora." In 1818,

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

was established in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, adopting the motto of ''Ora et Labora'' in 1870. This is also the motto of

Clan Ramsay Clan Ramsay is a Scottish Lowlands, Lowland Scottish clan.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Publishe ...

, of which the

Earl of Dalhousie Earl of Dalhousie (), in the County of Midlothian, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, held by the chief of Clan Ramsay. History The family descends from Sir George Ramsay, who represented Kincardineshire in the Scottish Parliament in 1 ...

is the leader. In 1874,

Wesley College, Colombo Wesley College popularly known as "Wesley" or "The Double Blues", is a Methodist school providing primary and secondary education in Sri Lanka since 1874. History In 1858, Rev. Joseph Rippon wanted to establish a superior educational instit ...

, a high school in Sri Lanka, was founded by

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

missionaries. It has been using "Ora Et Labora" as the motto since its inception. Ora et labora is the motto of

Melbourne Grammar School Melbourne Grammar School is an Australian private school, private Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican Day school, day and boarding school. It comprises a co-educational preparatory school from Prep to Year 6 and a middle school and senior s ...

in Australia and the current motto of

St. Joseph's Institution St. Joseph's Institution (SJI) is an independent Catholic educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1852 by the De La Salle Brothers, it is the first Catholic school and the third oldest school in the country. SJI has been offering a dual ...

,https://www.sji.edu.sg/ an independent school in Singapore. It is also carved into the entry of The King's School Chapel,

Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

, Australia. It is also the motto of Infant Jesus Anglo Indian High School (IJHS),

Tangasseri Tangasseri or Thangassery (Thangi) is a heavily populated beach area on the shores of the Arabian Sea in Kollam city, Kerala, India. Location Tangasseri is located about from the city centre and from Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. Ar ...

, Kollam, Kerala, India, the motto of the Chapel of St Olav in

Sandefjord Sandefjord () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Vestfold. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Sandefjord ...

in Norway and the motto of the St. Michael's Secondary School in

Penampang Penampang () is the capital of the Penampang District in the West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 93,616 in 2010, with ethnic Kadazan as the majority. It contains, or is synonymous with, Donggongon ...

, Sabah, Malaysia. File:Uetersen Relief 05.jpg, Relief with the motto ''ORA ET LABORA'' (highlighted in gold)

References

Bibliography

* ''Ora et labora: prayer and action as cooperation with God'' by Robert Field, University of the South, 1993

External links