Each day at Iona House is punctuated by a rhythm that includes Morning, Midday, and Evening Prayer known as the Daily Office or Divine Hours or Liturgy of the Hours (all variations of the same practice). This echoes the practice of Judaism at the time of Jesus (e.g. Acts 3), early church practice, and the ongoing life of a benedictine monastery (which traditionally has 7 times of prayer in a 24 hour period). Typically, a bell is rung a few minutes before the time of prayer begins. We encourage everyone who is able and willing to stop what they are doing and join the time of prayer.

When we say “Morning Prayer”, for example, what we mean is a structured set of prayers and scripture readings that includes: a prayer of confession, psalms read responsively, a scripture passage, prayers of thanksgiving, the Lord’s Prayer, and a short time of extemporaneous intercession / supplication / thanksgiving / silence. We utilize the Iona House Prayer Book which is derived from the 2019 Anglican Book of Common Prayer. You will be given a copy to use if you join a prayer time.

At what time do these prayer times occur?

Every day*:

• Morning Prayer - 9am

• Midday Prayer - noon

• Evening Prayer - 4:30pm

* On Sundays we do not offer Morning / Midday Prayer as the expectation is that a person will participate in Worship at a church on that day.

How long does it last?

• The full Morning prayer is about 15-18 minutes

• Midday prayer is 7-10 minutes

• Evening Prayer is typically 15-18 minutes (occasionally abbreviated for families and children)

Who leads? Who participates? Typically there is an assigned leader to each prayer time. It is often a local volunteer, a staff member, or a resident / host. Everyone is warmly encouraged to participate. You don’t have to say anything if you prefer to just observe. Alternatively, you can participate as much as seems appropriate or comfortable to you.

I’m local, can I come participate? Yes! We have a number of local people who come to participate and even lead in various offices (prayer times) throughout the week. Please reach out with a quick email to Ryan (ryan@ionahouse.org) or Elizabeth (elizabeth@ionahouse.org) or our director of hospitality, Emily (emily@ionahouse.org). They can tell you about the details for the day/time you’re interested in.

If you want to utilize a parallel online resource to the prayerbooks we use, check out www.dailyoffice2019.com