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Dear Alex,
I just received your suggestion about the Mike/Michael thing. I just realized that half the posts I was reading and answering were for other Mikes.

Most Blessed Theotokos, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Vanquisher of Satan, Road leading to Our Lord Jesus Christ, hear our pray to Thee as we come together for the first time. We ask you to be present to us now and through the coming nights and days as we seek to praise and honor Thee. Let our feeble attempts to bring others to love Thee bear fruit a hundredfold. Though the practice of Thy virtues and those of the holy saints of Carmel may we learn to meditate on His law day and night and at the end of our suffering, grant that we may triumph in the Vision of the Face of God. Our Lady of Mount Carmel pray for us.
Let us all pray without ceasing...Michael ICC

Hello to Alex,Jakub, Ladyhawke1017, and Paromer. I hope you found the site. I've listed some feast days for your consideration.

FYI: The day before a Carmelite saint's feast day is usually a day of fast and abstinance in the Carmelite Order in the RC. This is not the RC and so what you do on the eve of a feast day is not obligatory. Something attention, though, should be taken.

March 19 St Joseph Spouse of the Theotokos
May 16 St. Simon Stock
May 25 Mary Magdalene de Pazzi
June 14 St Elisha
July 16 Solemnity Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
July 20 St. Elija
August 26 St. Teresa of Avila
Oct 15 St Teresa of the Child Jesus
Nov 14 All Carmelite Saints
Dec 14 St. John of the Cross

Peace to all,

I am anxious to join the community and are looking forward to participating.

james

ps - wish I could say the same for my pc today, it's a might cranky at the moment.

What's the link to the online community site?

Welcome James,
You are the first to show up. I am confident you will not be the last. Because of the fact there are so may Mikes on the forum and because Alex feels Mike is not appropriate I'll be signing Michael.

I hope you read the opening prayer at the top of the string. I wanted it to be at the top so, perhaps, we can pray it when each each of us first start for the day. And perhaps at the end of the day, which I am now fast approaching. Not a "Directive" only a simple suggestion...well...maybe a request. I hope we all come to this great experiment (if not the first at least the most eclectic) with hope, confidence and determination to find souls to love Our Lady Of Mount Carmel. Through Her help, intercession and example and with the help obtained through Her Divine Spouse who longs to teach us to pray, may we all find the face of God in our prayers.
Pray without ceasing...Michael ICCBF (Internet Carmelite Community on the Byzantine Forum)

Crucis, Welcome.
Click on the Byzantine Forum; the click on 2. Faith and Worship. Look for the Carmelite site. Actually, if I saw your post...you are already on it. Please say the Prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel at the top when entering. Feel at ease here, there no ememies of the Holy, Imortal One or th Holy Theotokos here.
Pray without ceasing...Michael ICCBF

Dear Alex,
I just received your suggestion about the Mike/Michael thing. I just realized that half the posts I was reading and answering were for other Mikes.
Opening Prayer

Most Excellent Theotokos, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Vanquisher of Satan, Road leading to Our Lord Jesus Christ, hear our pray to Thee as we come together for the first time. We ask you to be present to us now and through the coming nights and days as we seek to praise and honor Thee. Let our feeble attempts to bring others to love Thee bear fruit a hundredfold. Though the practice of Thy virtues and those of the holy saints of Carmel may we learn to meditate on His law day and night and at the end of our suffering, grant that we may triumph in the Vision of the Face of God. Our Lady of Mount Carmel pray for us.
Let us all pray without ceasing...Michael ICCBF

AMEN!

Welcome aboard, Pani Rose. Thank you for saying the opening prayer when you clicked on. Please repeat when you leave. I hope you enjoy and profit from your relationship with ICC. I am Michael. I will have to talk to more later because your email woke me and I'm bleary-eyed right now. Till tomorrow.

Pray without ceasing...Michael ICCBF

While looking for the Little Office of Our Lady of Carmel I found this page online, it is in HTML or ZIP, and it appears very Eastern oriented, look at Tuesday's Evening Prayer, and don't let the title of the link throw you off.

http://www.medjugorje.org/lofficep.htm

ps- Michael I printed your prayer.

james

Good morning James....I'm on my way to Mass so I'll be brief...till later. Thank you for printing the prayer. I hope we all use it entering the forum at least.

Very interesting site. I have saved it to study later. Some beautiful thoughts and words. I didn't find any psalms.

If anyone would care to purpose some Byzantine Carmelites to add to the list of possible days of remeberance let me know.

God bless you James.
Pray without ceasing...Michael ICCBF

Dear James,
It is indeed a beautiful Office though it seems geared more to the Immaculate Conception than Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. The White Friars in England printed a beautiful Little Office of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel few years back. I have tried to get another copy for my mother for six or more years but they have disappeared it seems, since the push to get everyone on board with the Liturgy of the Hours. I'm sure you know where Medjugorie is that's probably why it is so definitely eastern in flavor.
Pray without ceasing...Michael ICCBF

When my wife and I were first married some 15 years ago, we used to pray the LOBVM every evening. It was a great foundation for our marriage and had such wonderful prayers.

Does anyone know the origin of this office? Is there anything analogous to this in the East? I suppose the Akathist to the Theotokos would come closest.

Pace e' bene,

Gordo

Hi Gordo,
The Little Office is actually composed of excerpts from the Liturgy of the Hours and approved by the RC. Most of the readings and psalms are from Sundays or Feasts of Our Lady.
Pray without ceasing...Michael ICCBF

I found this on the New Advent site. Does anyone know how to locate the "Little Office" of St. John of Damascus?

Peace,

Gordo

_________________________________

Little Office of Our Lady

A liturgical devotion to the Blessed Virgin, in imitation of, and in addition to, the Divine Office.
_____________

It is first heard of in the middle of the eighth century at Monte Cassino. According to Cardinal Bona, who quotes from a manuscript of Peter the Deacon (twelfth century), there was, in addition to the Divine Office, another "which it is customary to perform in honour of the Holy Mother of God, which Zachary the Pope [d. 752] commanded under strict precept to the Cassinese Monastery." This would seem to indicate that some form of the Office of Our Lady was already extant and, indeed, we hear of an Office in her honour composed by St. Ildephonsus, who lived about the end of the seventh century. The Eastern Church, too, possesses an Office of the B.V.M., attributed to St. John Damascene (c. 730). But though various Offices in honour of Our Lady were in existence earlier, it is probable that the Little Office, as a part of the liturgy, did not come into general use before the tenth century; and it is not unlikely that its diffusion is largely due to the marked devotion to the Blessed Virgin which is characteristic of the Church in England under the guidance of St. Dunstan and St. Ethelwold. Certainly during the tenth century, an Office of the Blessed Virgin is mentioned at Augsburg, at Verdun, and at Eisiedeln; while already in the following century there were at least two versions of her "Hours extant in England. In the eleventh century we learn from St. Peter Damian that it was already commonly recited amongst the secular clergy of Italy and France, and it was through his influence that the practice of reciting it in choir, in addition to the Great Office, was introduced into several Italian monasteries. At Cluny the Office of the B.V.M. was not introduced till the end of the eleventh century, and then only as a devotion for the sick monks. In the twelfth century came the foundation of the Orders of C�teaux and Pr�montr�, of which the latter only retained the Little Office in addition to the Divine Office. The Austin Canons also retained it, and, perhaps through their influence, in the course of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, it developed from a private devotion into part of the daily duty of the secular clergy as well. By the fourteenth century the recital of the Little Office had come to be an almost universal practice and was regarded as obligatory on all the clergy. This obligation remained until St. Pius V removed it by the Bull "Quod a nobis" of 1568. At the present time, however, it is recited on certain days by several of the older orders, and it serves, instead of the Greater Office, as the liturgical prayer of lay brothers and lay sisters in some of the contemplative orders, and of the members of most of the congregations of women engaged in active work.

Down to the Reformation it formed a large part of the "Primer or Lay-folk's Prayer-book", and was customarily recited by the devout laity, by whom the practice was continued for long afterwards among the persecuted Catholics. Today it is recited daily by Dominican, Carmelite, Augustinian, and by large numbers of the Franciscan, Tertiaries, as well as by many pious laymen who desire to take part in the liturgical prayer of the Church. It is worth noting that the form of the Little Office of Our Lady has varied considerably at different periods and in different places. The earlier versions varied very considerably, chiefly as regards the hymns and antiphons used: in England in medieval times the main differences seem to have been between the Sarum and York Uses. Since the time of St. Pius V, that most commonly recited has been the version of the reformed Breviary of that pope. In this version, which suffers somewhat from the classicism of the sixteenth century, are to be found the seven "Hours", as in the Greater Office. At Matins, after the versicles follow the invitatory "Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum" with the "Venite then the hymn "Quem terra, pontus, sidera"; then three groups of psalms, each with their antiphons, of which one group is said on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays, the second on Tuesdays and Fridays, the third on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Next follow three lessons with responsories and (except in Lent and Advent) the "Te Deum". At Lauds, there are the eight psalms of the Divine Office for Sundays, sung to five antiphons. Then the Little Chapter, and the hymn "O Gloriosa Virginum". Next a versicle and the canticle "Benedictus" with its antiphon. Lastly, the prayer and commemoration of the saints. In each of the four Little Hours the hymn "Memento rerum conditor" immediately follows the versicles; then three psalms are recited, under one of the antiphons of Lauds; then are said the Little Chapter, versicles, and a prayer. At Vespers, after the versicles and five psalms with their antiphons, follow the Little Chapter, the hymn "Ave Maris stella", a short versicle, and the canticle "'Magnificat" with its antiphon; then the prayers as at Lauds. Compline begins with special versicles, then follow three psalms without antiphons, then the hymn "Memento rerum conditor", a Little Chapter, a versicle, the canticle "Nunc Dimittis", versicles, a prayer, and the Benediction. After the hours are recited the "Pater Noster" and the proper antiphon of Our Lady for the season. This last, the antiphons of the psalms and canticles and the Little Chapters are the only parts of the office that vary with the seasons. Pope Leo XIII granted (17 Nov., 1887), to those who recite the whole Office of Our Lady, an indulgence daily of seven years and seven quarantines, and a plenary indulgence once a month: to those who recite Matins and Lauds only, a daily indulgence of three hundred days: and (8 Dec., 1897) to those who recite Vespers and Compline only, and for each Hour, an indulgence of fifty days.