The
Little Office
of the
Immaculate Conception

V. Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful;
R. And enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created;
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Let us Pray: O God, Who by the light of the Holy Ghost, didst instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant us by that same Holy Ghost that we may be made truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

MATINS and LAUDS

V. Come, my lips + and loud proclaim,
R. The Blessed Virgin's spotless fame.
V. O Lady + make speed to befriend me;
R. From the hands of the enemy mightily defend me.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forever, unto ages of ages. Amen. (Alleluia) From Septuagesima to Easter, Alleluia is replaced by: Praised be to Thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory.

HYMN

Hail, Queen of the Heavens, hail, Mistress of earth;
Hail, Virgin most pure of Immaculate Birth.

Clear Star of the morning, in beauty enshrined,
O Lady, make speed to the help of mankind.

Thee God in the depth of eternity chose,
And formed thee all fair as His glorious spouse.

And called thee His Word's own Mother to be,
By Whom He created the earth, sky and sea.
Amen.

V. God elected her and pre-elected her;
R. He made her to dwell in His tabernacle.

V. O Lady, hear my prayer,
R. And let my cry come unto thee.

Let us Pray: O Holy Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, Queen of Heaven and Mistress of the whole world, who never forsakest or despisest anyone, look upon us with an eye of pity, and beg of thy beloved Son the pardon of all our sins, that we who now devoutly celebrate thy Immaculate Conception may receive the reward of eternal joy, through the mercy of Jesus Christ our Lord, Whom thou, pure Virgin, didst bring into the world, and Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost, in perfect Trinity, liveth and reigneth one God, forever, unto ages of ages. Amen.

V. O Lady, hear my prayer;
R. And let my cry come unto thee.
V. Let us bless the Lord. (Benedicamus Domino.)
R. Thanks be to God. (Deo Gratias.)
V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God and the intercession of Mary rest in peace.
R. Amen.
V. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
R. We love Thee, save souls.

PRIME

V. O Lady + make speed to befriend me;
R. From the hands of the enemy mightily defend me.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forever, unto ages of ages. Amen. (Alleluia) From Septuagesima to Easter, Alleluia is replaced by: Praised be to Thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory.

HYMN

Hail, Virgin most wise, hail, Deity's shrine,
With seven fair pillars, and table Divine.

Preserved from the guilt which hath come on us all;
Exempt in the womb from the taint of the Fall.

O new Star of Jacob, of Angels the Queen,
O Gate of the saints, O Mother of men,

O Terrible as the embattled array,
Be thou of the faithful the Refuge and Stay.
Amen.

V. The Lord Himself created her in the Holy Ghost;
R. And poured her out among all His works.

V. O Lady, hear my prayer,
R. And let my cry come unto thee.

TIERCE

HYMN

Hail, Solomon's throne, pure Ark of the law,
Fair Rainbow and Bush which the patriarch saw.

Hail, Gideon's Fleece, Hail, Blossoming Rod;
Samson's Sweet Honeycomb, Portal of God.

Well fitting it was that a Son so Divine
Should preserve from all touch of original sin;

Nor suffer by smallest defect to be stained,
That Mother whom He for Himself had ordained.
Amen.

V. I dwell in the highest,
R. And my throne is on the pillar of the clouds.

V. O Lady, hear my prayer,
R. And let my cry come unto thee.

OR:

With all my heart, I praise thee, most holy Virgin Mary, above all the Angels and Saints in Paradise; Beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father, I consecrate to thee my soul with all its faculties. Hail Mary...

SEXT

HYMN

Hail, Virginal Mother, hail, Purity's Cell;
Fair shrine where the Trinity loveth to dwell.

Hail, Garden of Pleasure, Celestial Balm,
Cedar of Chastity, martyrdom's palm.

Thou Land set apart from uses profane,
And free from the curse which in Adam began.

Thou City of God, thou Gate of the East,
In thee is all grace, O Joy of the Blest.
Amen.

V. As the lily among the thorns,
R. So is my Beloved among the daughters of Adam.

V. O Lady, hear my prayer,
R. And let my cry come unto thee.

OR:

With all my heart, I praise thee, most holy Virgin Mary, above all the Angels and Saints in Paradise; admirable Mother of the Son of God, I consecrate to thee my body with all its senses. Hail Mary...

NONE

HYMN

Hail, City of Refuge, hail, David's High Tower,
With battlements crowned and girded with power.

Filled at thy Conception with love and with light,
The dragon by thee was shorn of his might.

O Woman most valiant, O Judith thrice blest,
As David was nursed in fair Abisag's breast;

As the Saviour of Egypt upon Rachel's knee,
So the world's great Redeemer was cherished by thee.
Amen.

V. Thou art all fair, my Beloved,
R. And the original stain was never in thee.

V. O Lady, hear my prayer,
R. And let my cry come unto thee.

OR:

With all my heart, I praise thee, most holy Virgin Mary, above all the Angels and Saints in Paradise; faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost, I consecrate to thee my heart with all its affections and beseech thee to obtain for me from the most Holy Trinity all the graces necessary for salvation. Hail Mary...

VESPERS

HYMN

Hail, dial of Achaz, on thee the true Sun
Told backward the course which from old He had run.

And that man might be raised, submitting to shame,
A little more low than the Angels became.

Thou wrapt in the blaze of His Infinite Light,
Doth shine as the morn on the confines of night.

As the moon on the lost through obscurity dawns,
The serpent's destroyer, a lily amid thorns.
Amen.

V. I made an unfailing light to arise in Heaven,
R. And as a mist I overspread the whole earth.

V. O Lady, hear my prayer,
R. And let my cry come unto thee.

COMPLINE

V. May Jesus Christ thy Son, reconciled by thy prayers, O Lady, + convert our hearts.
R. And turn away His anger from us.

HYMN

Hail, Mother most pure, Hail Virgin renowned,
Hail, Queen with the stars as a diadem crowned.

Above all the Angels in glory untold,
Standing next to the King in a vesture of gold.

O Mother of Mercy, O Star of the Wave,
O Hope of the guilty, O Light of the Grave,

Through thee may we come to the Haven of rest
And see Heaven's King in the courts of the blest.
Amen.

V. Thy name, O Mary, is as oil poured out.
R. Thy servants have loved thee exceedingly.

V. O Lady, hear my prayer,
R. And let my cry come unto thee.

COMMENDATION

These praises and prayers I lay at thy feet,
O Virgin of virgins, O Mary most sweet.

Be thou my true Guide through this pilgrimage here,
And stand by my side when death draweth near.

V. Deo Gratias.

Antiphon: There is a bough in which no blur of either kind,
original or wrought, hath touched the Virgin rind.

V. In thy Conception, O Virgin, thou wast Immaculate;
R. Pray for us to the Father, Whose Son thou didst bear.

Let us Pray: O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary didst prepare a worthy habitation for Thy Son, we beseech Thee, that as by the foresight of His death Thou didst exempt her from all stain, so we, purified by her intercession, may come to Thee, through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, forever, unto ages of ages. Amen.

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The Little Office of the Immaculate Conception

MATINS and LAUDS

HYMN

PRIME

HYMN

TIERCE

HYMN

OR:

SEXT

HYMN

OR:

NONE

HYMN

OR:

VESPERS

HYMN

COMPLINE

HYMN

COMMENDATION

The
Little Office
of the
Immaculate Conception