By Barb Arland-Fye
Editor
My love for praying the Liturgy of the Hours began in 2009 as a student in the Master of Pastoral Theology Program with the candidates and spouses of the Diocese of Davenport’s Deacon Class VI. Through this ancient form of prayer — composed of psalms, canticles, readings and hymns — we praise the hours of the day with which God has blessed us. It is the universal prayer of the Church, which all Christians are encouraged to pray.
The antiphonal style of praying, alternating from side to side, creates a sense of rhythm that appeals to me. Praying (and studying with the deacons) was a bonding experience that I cherish. Many of us received our MPTh degrees from St. Ambrose University in 2013 and the deacons were ordained that year. My prayer partners went off to serve the people of God in their parishes throughout the diocese.
I wanted to continue to pray the Liturgy of the Hours and found my prayer partner, Sister Laura Goedken, OP, who served as diocesan development director at the time. We prayed Evening Prayer together in the diocesan chapel at the end of the workday, which both of us looked forward to. When she retired in 2016, I searched for another prayer partner because I preferred to pray the Liturgy of the Hours with someone rather than alone.
My husband, Steve, volunteered to pray the Liturgy of the Hours with me and we’ve been praying Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer together since then. “You didn’t have anyone to pray with, so we started doing it together,” he recalled. He grew to love the Liturgy of the Hours, too. “I like the rhythm of the prayers and the fact that they are a daily part of the Church,” he said.
One of his most memorable experiences of praying the Liturgy of the Hours occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. We joined Deacon Kent Ferris (a member of Deacon Class VIII) and several other members of his class outside a nursing home in Muscatine. The pandemic prevented visitors from entering nursing homes at that time, which was difficult for residents. “We were praying for the people in the nursing home,” Steve said, appreciating that gesture.
While covering the Davenport Diocese’s Sunday of the Word of God event on Jan. 26, my ears perked up when theologian Ella Johnson of St. Ambrose University encouraged families to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. I mentioned that my husband and I pray Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer daily, including on vacation.
Ella asked an excellent question, “How has praying the Liturgy of the Hours inspired you as a couple to respond to the needs of others, together?” Our prayer has strengthened us as a couple and we volunteer together, occasionally but also separately. Praying the Liturgy of the Hours “is a part of what we do as a couple committed to our faith,” Steve said. Ella’s question serves as a reminder that our prayer commits us as a couple to respond to the psalms, canticles and readings in our daily lives.
(Contact Editor Barb Arland-Fye at arland-fye@davenportdiocese.org)
