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In Christian liturgical worship, preces ( ; ), also known in the Anglican prayer book tradition as the suffrages, are short petitions that are said or sung as versicles and responses by the
officiant An officiant is someone who officiates (i.e. leads) at a service or ceremony, such as marriage, burial, or namegiving/baptism. Religious officiants are usually ordained by a religious denomination as members of the clergy. Some officiants work ...
and
congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...
respectively. It is one of the oldest forms of prayer in
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
, rooted in the pre-Christian Hebrew prayers of the
Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...
used in
Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
worship. In many prayer books, the versicles, to be spoken or sung by the priest, and the following responses, spoken or sung by the congregation, are denoted by special
glyph A glyph () is any kind of purposeful mark. In typography, a glyph is "the specific shape, design, or representation of a character". It is a particular graphical representation, in a particular typeface, of an element of written language. A g ...
s: *Versicle: ℣, a letter V crossed by an oblique line —
Unicode Unicode, formally The Unicode Standard,The formal version reference is is an information technology standard for the consistent encoding, representation, and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems. The standard, ...
, HTML entity ℣ *Response: ℟, a letter R crossed by an oblique line — Unicode , HTML entity ℟


In Catholicism


Roman Rite

In the Roman Rite, the term ''preces'' is not applied in a specific sense to the versicles and responses of the different liturgical hours, on which those used in the Anglican services are based. In the
Roman Rite The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while di ...
Liturgy of the Hours The Liturgy of the Hours (Latin: ''Liturgia Horarum'') or Divine Office (Latin: ''Officium Divinum'') 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 ...
, the word ''preces'' is freely used in the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
text with its generic meaning of "prayers", but it has a specialized meaning in reference to the prayers said at Morning and Evening Prayer after the Benedictus or
Magnificat The Magnificat (Latin for " y soulmagnifies he Lord) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in the Byzantine tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos (). It is traditionally incorporated into the liturgical servic ...
and followed by the
Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...
and the concluding prayer or collect. They vary with the seasons (
Advent Advent is a Christian season of preparation for the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. It is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity. The name was adopted from Latin "coming; arrival", translating Greek '' parousia''. ...
,
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
tide,
Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Jesus, temptation by Satan, according ...
,
Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samue ...
tide, and Ordinary Time), being repeated generally only at four-week intervals, and with the celebration of saints. In the most widely used English translation of the Liturgy of the Hours, they are referred to as Intercessions, and are very similar to the General Intercessions found within the confines of the
Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different ele ...
. An example is that of Morning Prayer on Thursday of Week 2 in Ordinary Time: :''Versicle:'' Blessed be our God and Father: he hears the prayers of his children. :''Response:'' Lord, hear us. :''Versicle:'' We thank you, Father for sending us your Son: - let us keep him before our eyes throughout this day. :''Response:'' Lord, hear us. :''Versicle:'' Make wisdom our guide, - help us walk in newness of life. :''Response:'' Lord, hear us. :''Versicle:'' Lord, give us your strength in our weakness: - when we meet problems give us courage to face them. :''Response:'' Lord, hear us. :''Versicle:'' Direct our thought, our words, our actions today, - so that we may know, and do, your will. :''Response:'' Lord, hear us.


Pre-1962 Roman Rite

In earlier iterations of the
Roman Breviary The Roman Breviary (Latin: ''Breviarium Romanum'') is a breviary of the Roman Rite in the Catholic Church. A liturgical book, it contains public or canonical prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notations for everyday use, especially by bi ...
before 1962, however, the ''preces'' proper referred to a series of versicles and responses which were said either standing or kneeling, depending on the day or season in which the prayers were to be uttered. There were two forms, the Dominical or abridged preces, and the Ferial or unabridged preces. These were said, as in the
Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...
, at both morning (
Prime A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only ways ...
) and Evening (
Vespers Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic (both Latin and Eastern), Lutheran, and Anglican liturgies. The word for this fixed prayer time comes from the Latin , mea ...
) Prayer. Here follows the Dominical preces from the common Prime office, from an edition of the pre-1962
Breviary A breviary (Latin: ''breviarium'') is a liturgical book used in Christianity for praying the canonical hours, usually recited at seven fixed prayer times. Historically, different breviaries were used in the various parts of Christendom, such ...
online. :''Versicle:'' Lord, have mercy upon us. :''Response:'' Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord have mercy upon us. : Our Father. ''(Said aloud, and the rest silently until:)'' :''Versicle:'' And lead us not into temptation. :''Response:'' But deliver us from evil. : I believe in God. ''(Said aloud, and the rest silently until:)'' :''Versicle:'' The Resurrection of the body. :''Response:'' And the Life † (
Sign of the Cross Making the sign of the cross ( la, signum crucis), or blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. This blessing is made by the tracing of an upright cross or + across the body with ...
) everlasting. Amen. :''Versicle:'' Unto thee have I cried, O Lord. :''Response:'' And early shall my prayer come before thee. :''Versicle:'' O let my mouth be filled with thy praise. :''Response:'' That I may sing of thy glory and honour all the day long. :''Versicle:'' O Lord, turn thy face from my sins. :''Response:'' And put out all my misdeeds. :''Versicle:'' Make me a clean heart, O God. :''Response:'' And renew a right spirit within me. :''Versicle:'' Cast me not away from thy presence. :''Response:'' And take not thy Holy Spirit from me. :''Versicle:'' O give me the comfort of thy help again. :''Response:'' And stablish me with thy free Spirit. :''Versicle:'' Our help † (
Sign of the Cross Making the sign of the cross ( la, signum crucis), or blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. This blessing is made by the tracing of an upright cross or + across the body with ...
) is in the Name of the Lord. :''Response:'' Who hath made heaven and earth. After which would follow the General Confession of sins. This form of prayer has ceased to be used in the Roman Rite, aside from some of the more traditional groups.


The Mozarabic Rite

In the Mozarabic Rite the ''Preces'' or ''Preca'' are chants of penitential character used only in
Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Jesus, temptation by Satan, according ...
. They are in the form of a
litany Litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Judaic worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes through Latin '' litania'' from Ancient Greek λιτανεία (''lit ...
, with a short response (usually ''miserere nobis'' - have mercy on us) to each invocation


The Opus Dei ''Preces''

In the Catholic prelature of
Opus Dei Opus Dei, formally known as the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei ( la, Praelatura Sanctae Crucis et Operis Dei), is an institution of the Catholic Church whose members seek personal Christian holiness and strive to imbue their work ...
, th
''Preces''
are a special set of prayers said by each member every day. It is also called "Prayers of the Work." The prayer was originally composed by
Josemaría Escrivá Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás (9 January 1902 – 26 June 1975) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest. He founded Opus Dei, an organization of laypeople and priests dedicated to the teaching that everyone is called to holiness ...
by December 1930. It was the first common activity of the members of Opus Dei in history. Escrivá composed the prayer by putting together phrases that he took from established liturgical prayers, and from the psalms in accordance with what he preached in '' The Way'
86
about "using the psalms and prayers from the missal" for prayer. The prayers have undergone several changes through time. The Preces, which is called "the universal prayer of the Work", is described by one journalist as including "blessing of everyone from the Pope to Virgin Mary to the prelate of Opus Dei".
John L. Allen John L. Allen Jr. (born January 20, 1965) is an American journalist and author who serves as editor of the Catholic news website ''Crux'', formerly hosted by '' The Boston Globe'' and now independently funded. Before moving to ''The Boston Glob ...
describes its contents as follows: "invocations to the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, the Guardian Angels, and Saint Josemaría, then prayers for the Holy Father, the bishop of the diocese, unity among all those working to spread the gospel, the prelate of Opus Dei and the other members of the Work, and invocations to Saints Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Peter, Paul, and John (the Patrons of Opus Dei)". :I will serve! :V. To the Most Blessed Trinity. :R. Thank you, God, thank you: true and one Trinity, one and highest Deity, holy and one Unity. :V. To Jesus Christ the King. :R. The Lord is our Judge; the Lord is our Law-giver; the Lord is our King: he himself will save us. :V. Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us. :R. Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us. :V. Rise up, O Christ, help us. :R. And set us free for your name's sake. :V. The Lord is my light and salvation: whom shall I fear? :R. If armies surround me, my heart will not fear; if battle arises against me, in him will I hope. :V. To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mediatrix. :R. Remember, O Virgin Mother of God, while you stand in the sight of the Lord, to speak well of us. :V. To Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. :R. God made you as the Father of the King and lord of all his household: pray for us. :V. To the Guardian Angels. :R. Our Holy Guardian Angels, defend us in the battle, lest we perish in the terrible judgment. :V. To our founder Saint Josemaría. :R. Intercede for your children so that, being faithful to the spirit of Opus Dei, we may sanctify our work, and seek to win souls for Christ. :V. Let us pray for our Most Blessed Pope, N. :R. May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed on earth, and deliver him not into the hands of his enemies. :V. Let us also pray for the (Arch)bishop of this diocese. :R. May he stand and tend your flock in your strength, O Lord, in your sublime name. :V. Let us pray for the unity of the apostolate. :R. That all may be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you; that they may be one, as we are one. :V. Every kingdom divided against itself will be destroyed. :R. And every city or house divided against itself will not stand. :V. Let us pray for our benefactors. :R. Deign to grant, Lord, to all those doing good to us for your name's sake, life everlasting. Amen. :V. Let us pray for the Father
he current Prelate of Opus Dei He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
:R. May the mercy of the Lord be upon him from eternity to eternity: for the Lord guards all those who love him. :V. Let us pray for our brethren in Opus Dei, living and dead. :R. Save your servants, my God, that hope in you. :V. Send them, O Lord, help from your holy place. :R. And from Sion watch over them. :V. Grant them eternal rest, O Lord. :R And let perpetual light shine upon them. :V. May they rest in peace. :R. Amen. :V. Lord, hear my prayer. :R. And let my cry come to you. : f a priest leads the Preces, he stands and adds 'The Lord be with you', and while remaining standing recites the prayer::V. The Lord be with you. :R. And with your spirit. :Let us pray. :O God, whose property it is to have mercy always and to spare: hear our prayer. Enkindle our bodies and our hearts with the fire of the Holy Spirit, O Lord, that we may serve you with a chaste body and please you with a clean heart. :Direct, we beseech you, Lord, our actions by your inspirations, and further them by your assistance, so that every word and work of ours may begin always from you and by you be likewise ended. Through Christ our Lord. :R. Amen. : ll say::May the all-powerful and merciful Lord grant us joy with peace, amendment of life, time for true penance, the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit, and perseverance in Opus Dei. :V. Saint Michael. :R. Pray for us. :V. Saint Gabriel. :R. Pray for us. :V. Saint Raphael. :R. Pray for us. :V. Saint Peter. :R. Pray for us. :V. Saint Paul. :R. Pray for us. :V. Saint John. :R. Pray for us. : f a priest is present, the leader says::Father, bless us. : he priest gives the blessing::The Lord be in your hearts, and upon your lips, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. :R. Amen. :V. Peace. :R. Forever.


In Anglicanism

An example familiar to
Anglicans Anglicanism is a Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia ...
(and
Lutherans Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...
, in their Matins services) is the opening versicles and responses of the Anglican services of
Morning Prayer Morning Prayer may refer to: Religion * Prayers in various traditions said during the morning * Morning Prayer (Anglican), one of the two main Daily Offices in the churches of the Anglican Communion * In Roman Catholicism: ** Morning offering of ...
and Evening Prayer according to the ''
Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...
'': :''Priest:'' O Lord, open thou our lips: :''People:'' And our mouth shall shew forth thy praise. :''Priest:'' O God, make speed to save us: :''People:'' O Lord, make haste to help us. :''Priest:'' Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost (or Spirit). :''People:'' As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. :''Priest:'' Praise ye the Lord. :''People:'' The Lord's name be praised. This particular form has existed in all of the liturgical churches since well before the
Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
. The responses continue later in the service, after the
Apostles' Creed The Apostles' Creed ( Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith". The creed most likely originated in 5th-century ...
. There are many musical settings of the text, ranging from largely
homophonic In music, homophony (;, Greek: ὁμόφωνος, ''homóphōnos'', from ὁμός, ''homós'', "same" and φωνή, ''phōnē'', "sound, tone") is a texture in which a primary part is supported by one or more additional strands that flesh ...
settings such as those by
William Byrd William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English composer of late Renaissance music. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native England and those on the continent. He ...
and
Thomas Morley Thomas Morley (1557 – early October 1602) was an English composer, theorist, singer and organist of the Renaissance. He was one of the foremost members of the English Madrigal School. Referring to the strong Italian influence on the Engl ...
, to more elaborate arrangements that may even require
organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...
accompaniment. Other choral settings of the responses for BCP Evensong include those by
Thomas Tomkins Thomas Tomkins (1572 – 9 June 1656) was a Welsh-born composer of the late Tudor and early Stuart period. In addition to being one of the prominent members of the English Madrigal School, he was a skilled composer of keyboard and consort m ...
, William Smith,
Richard Ayleward Richard Ayleward (1626–1669) was an English composer and musician. He is noted for his contribution to the repertoire of Anglican church music. Early life Ayleward was born the son of a minor canon at Winchester Cathedral. There he sang as a cho ...
, Bernard Rose, and
Humphrey Clucas Humphrey Lucas Clucas (born 1941) is a British composer, singer and author. Clucas read English at King's College, Cambridge, where he was a choral scholar. Having taught English in schools for twenty-seven years, while maintaining a separate s ...
.


References

{{Authority control Liturgy of the Hours Opus Dei Roman Catholic prayers