Learning the New Breviary
The breviary is the prayer book that Catholic priests and religious brothers and sisters use. At the Second Vatican Council, the church decided to reorganize the old breviary to incorporate more of the Bible into it and to make it easier to use and less time-consuming. The new breviary comes in two basic forms: a four-volume set monasteries use and a one-volume set priests use. The church requires every priest to pray with his breviary at both morning and evening prayer every day.
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Understand How the Breviary Works
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Every day in the Catholic Church's calendar has certain prayers and psalms assigned to it. The Book of Psalms (Psalter) is laid out in a four-week cycle---for example, Monday of week one of the Psalter has different prayers and psalms than Monday of week two. The Psalter takes up about one-third of the breviary. The Proper of Seasons contains the prayers and readings to be said on the days of any given liturgical season---Advent and Lent, for example. Every day has both a piece of the Psalter and some prayers from the Proper of Seasons assigned to it. The Proper of Saints, at the back of the book, contains the prayers for certain feasts of the saints celebrated on fixed days.
Determine What Season You're in
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The first thing you need to know to use the breviary is what season you're in. Advent, Lent, Easter and Ordinary Time are the four seasons of the church's calendar. Get a copy of your parish bulletin. At the top where it gives the date, it will also give the date in the church's calendar: the fourth Sunday of Lent, for example. Take your breviary and flip to the front and find the season of Lent in the Proper of Seasons. You'll see that the weeks are numbered. Just find the fourth Sunday. There, you'll see all the prayers needed for that day. Also, at the beginning of the prayers for that Sunday, notice that the breviary lists what week of the Psalter you are in---for example, fourth Sunday of Lent, Psalter week four. That means you flip next to Sunday of week four in the Psalter for the rest of the prayers.
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How to Say the Prayers for Each Day
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Check the Proper of Seasons first. If the season is not Ordinary Time, then you will probably have a hymn in the Proper of Seasons to say. After that, flip to the appropriate week of the Psalter. There, find the psalms and canticles you need to say. The readings, the gospel canticle and the intentions are also in the Psalter. On special days in the calendar, like the first Sunday of Advent, you will find the readings, gospel canticle and intentions in the Proper of Seasons, not in the Psalter. The key to avoiding this confusion is this: always start by looking at the Proper of Seasons, then go to the Psalter (See References).
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