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Vigils is the night office. Some monks, notably the Carthusians, rise at midnight to chant this hour and then return to sleep. Most monks who follow the Rule of St. Benedict, as we do, rise later at night (or early in the morning) and do not retire after this prayer. The word itself, Vigils, means "watching," and reminds us of the warning of Jesus that we must watch and be prepared at all times for his coming, i.e, at the moment of our death and at the final judgment. At this monastery we begin Vigils at 3:30 a.m.
Lauds means "praise" and is the morning prayer. It is one of the two cardinal or important prayer periods, the other being the evening prayer, Vespers. In former times Lauds was prayed at daybreak. Here we pray it at 6 a.m. the year round.
Terce or Tierce comes from the Latin word tertia, meaning "third [hour]."
In ancient times people divided the day into 12 hours and started counting at sunrise. The third hour, therefore, coincided more or less with 9 a.m. in our calculation. Here we pray it at 7:45 a.m.
Sext comes from the Latin word sexta, meaning "sixth [hour]," which, in ancient times was our 12 noon. It was approximately the hour when Jesus was crucified. Here Sext is prayed at 12:15 p.m.
None comes from the Latin word nona, meaning "ninth [hour]." That coincides approximately with our 3 p.m. It is also the hour when Jesus died on the cross. We pray None at 2:15 p.m.
Vespers comes from the Latin vesper, meaning "evening." As we saw above, it is the second of the two major prayer periods. It is intended to be prayed by daylight, says St. Benedict in his rule for monks. We pray it at 5:30 p.m. the year round.
Compline comes from the Latin completorium, meaning the ending of the day or night prayer. Originally it seems to have been prayed in the large common dormitory of the monks just before they retired, but for centuries it has been prayed in the church. Originally it was invariable during the whole year, so that it could easily be memorized and prayed in the dark. We pray it at 7:30 p.m.
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