General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours

The General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours is the Church’s official guide to the theology and celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours. It explains both how to pray the Hours and why the Church prays them, covering the Psalms and readings, the sanctification of the day, the liturgical year, communal celebration, and more.

This edition contains the newly approved English translation of the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours prepared for the Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition and based on the second Latin typical edition. Most of the General Instruction remains substantially the same, while incorporating some textual updates and current canonical references, including references to complementary norms from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

This edition includes the complete General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours from the Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition, along with the Table of Liturgical Days, the Table of Dates of Movable Celebrations, and the General Roman Calendar, including the Proper Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States of America.

Yes. The General Instruction is included in Volume I of Ascension’s four-volume Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition. This standalone copy allows you to consult the instructions without needing to retrieve Volume I and provides a convenient resource for study, formation, and preparing communal celebrations.

Yes. The General Instruction governs the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours itself and is not specific to the layout or page numbering of Ascension’s editions. It can therefore be used as a reference alongside any approved edition or extract of the Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition.

Yes. The General Instruction encourages the communal celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, especially the principal Hours of Lauds (Morning Prayer) and Vespers (Evening Prayer). It particularly encourages their celebration in parishes while also envisioning the Hours as the common prayer of many different kinds of Church communities (GILH, nos. 20–27).

The General Instruction provides practical guidance for these celebrations, including the roles of priests, deacons, readers, cantors, and other ministers; the participation and posture of the congregation or assembly; and the use of singing, sacred silence, and other elements of the liturgy.

The General Instruction gives those with Holy Orders, including deacons, an important role in fostering the communal celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours. It says that they have a responsibility to “initiate and direct the prayer of the community” and to see that the faithful are invited and formed to celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours in common, especially on Sundays and feast days (GILH, no. 23). It also specifically encourages the principal Hours to be celebrated communally in church, particularly in parishes (GILH, no. 21).

For permanent deacons in the United States, the complementary norm of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops requires them to pray Lauds (Morning Prayer) and Vespers (Evening Prayer) each day and states, “Whenever possible, they should lead these prayers with the community to whom they have been assigned to minister” (USCCB, Complementary Norm to Canon 276, §2, 3º).

The General Instruction provides the practical guidance needed for these communal celebrations, including how a deacon may preside, the roles of other ministers, the participation of the assembly, and the use of music, readings, Intercessions, and other elements of the liturgy.

The General Instruction provides a framework for bringing the Liturgy of the Hours to life in a parish or other community. It explains the important role of music in the Liturgy of the Hours, which parts are especially suited to singing, how cantors and other ministers participate, and how the assembly can join together in sung prayer (GILH, nos. 253–266, 267–284).

It also introduces the principle of “progressive solemnity,” allowing the amount of singing to be adapted to the day or Hour being celebrated, the character of the individual elements, the size and composition of the community, and the number of singers available (GILH, no. 273). This makes the General Instruction a valuable resource for music ministers, liturgy directors, clergy, and others who want to prepare beautiful and prayerful communal celebrations of the Liturgy of the Hours.