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In the Roman Office, people, when singing the Marian antiphon, are expected to kneel while saying the Marian antiphon except on Sundays (Compline of the Roman Office by Benjamin Bloomfield.

What should be the posture of a person when singing the Marian antiphon of the Evensong of the Divine Office within the Personal Ordinariates?

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    I never heard or saw people kneeling during Marian antiphon. Where in the rubrics do you found that?
    – K-HB
    Mar 26, 2019 at 20:03
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    I am a little confused with your question. Something is lost in translation for sure. Do you consider **evensong ** to be Vespers or Complines?
    – Ken Graham
    Mar 26, 2019 at 23:28
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    That should be added to the text of the question because they are two distinct Offices and the manner of praying them is different also.
    – Ken Graham
    Mar 26, 2019 at 23:32
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    Can you add a link that states or shows the clergy or faithful kneeling while chanting the Marian antiphon. It does not exist in the Old Rite, so why would the New Rite differ?
    – Ken Graham
    Mar 26, 2019 at 23:50
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    There is no such thing as "The Anglican Divine Office" in the Catholic Church. The Divine Office as celebrated in the Ordinariates is Catholic (albeit very similar to Anglican offices). There are some small but significant differences. Also, there is no such thing as the "Anglican Ordinariate". Members of the Ordinariates are Catholic. Sorry if these points seem picky, but we are constantly having to battle against being seen as non-Catholic, and even if it's a sloppy shorthand, it does nothing to state the actual case. Mar 27, 2019 at 9:10

1 Answer 1

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The Ordinariates' official office book is currently in preparation, but there does exist the Customary of Our Lady of Walsingham of the UK Ordinariate [the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham].

That contains the Order for Evening Prayer which is very similar to the Evensong of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England. It contains the rubric

The Anthem to the Blessed Virgin Mary follows the final office of the day (see pages 151 and 928).

The latter page shows the plainsong settings of the Latin texts; the former lays out a usual translation, the versicles/responses and the collects. There is no indication of posture at all.

The Customary also includes an Order for Compline which is very similar in structure to the Bloomfield office linked in the question (albeit in English, of course), including the responsories* and the prayer Vísita, quǽsumus Dómine, habitatiónem istam. There is no indication of posture.

It's also the case that there is no indication of posture in the [modern] Divine Office for Compline (or, indeed, at all). In the Bloomfield version, indications of posture appear to be lacking — the Order implies standing up to Deus in adjutorium, but omits the customary sitting for the psalms, and anything after that. I can't see where the OP assertion comes from.

In short, there is no indication of posture in any of the Office books. I've never experienced kneeling for the final anthem (either in the Church of England or since joining the Catholic Church in the Ordinariate), and in my opinion the words don't really lend themselves to that.


* The Customary Order for Compline also includes Keep me as the apple of an eye / Hide me under the shadow of thy wings which is not included in the Bloomfield version.

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    I am attached to the Extraordinary Form of the Mass and we always stand for these antiphons, even in Lent at both Vespers and Complines.
    – Ken Graham
    Mar 27, 2019 at 11:31

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