Celtic Daily Prayer offers an alternative to the cult of the new, drawing on the live of the Celtic Saints, as well as many other writers and thinkers down the ages, to help the modern pilgrim find solid ground in their daily walk with God. It is a unique resource for personal and group devotions, both for daily use and on special occasions.

Midday Prayer retains the ‘thee and ‘thou’ forms of speech. This may seem unfamiliar to the many who are used only to modern language, but it is a deliberate attempt to highlight the contemporary relevance of the treasure of prayer from long ago.

This week’s Rule reflection

If you have young children, Compline can be used as bed-time prayers with them or over them, substituting the child’s or children’s names in the boxed sections whenever they cannot say the prayer for themselves. E.g. ‘In peace will Martha lie down, for it is You, O Lord, You alone who makes her to rest secure.’ CDP Book 2 also offers additional resources for the Times and Seasons of the year, for Rites of Passage and liturgies and prayers for the significant events and decisions in life. Among the book’s riches are liturgies to celebrate and reflect on the joy and ambivalence of reaching adulthood and another to put into words the pain of laying-down and letting go. Chosen singleness is affirmed without denying the frustrations of the un-chosen single state. The challenge of relationships is recognised and the pain of their disintegration is met with compassion. The disruption of change, the mid-life doldrums and the bitter-sweetness of old age are given voice. Homes and work are celebrated, journeys are blessed, peace is yearned for and healing is sought. For those seeking fresh resources for corporate worship, CDP Book 2 contains four new Communion services, an Advent liturgy that could work equally well in either a church or home group setting and fourteen new Follow the Example liturgies with suggestions for occasions when they may prove helpful. These liturgies reflect the importance to us of the inspiration and example of the Celtic, and in particular the Northumbrian, saints. The culture in which they lived and worked, and the issues they faced as they sought to seek and serve God, mirror our own times, and the questions we grapple with, in an uncanny way that belies the centuries that lie between us.

If you wish to use part, or all, of our Complines in public worship for a one-off event, you may reproduce the words in a service sheet providing they are not being sold. Please add the following attribution, adapted according to the Compline that you are using:

Suggest a Resource

Morning and Evening Prayer include scripture readings, meditations and prayers. Most of the selected scriptures are short and time should be allowed after each reading for its meaning to filter down from the head to the heart, and to seek the significance of each for that day. The relevant meditation for the day of the month follows, and repetition of them month by month turns them into familiar friends – they are worth learning by heart. Again, time should be allowed for new insights to develop in the mind and heart before moving on. Some find that the mornings tend to be too rushed for lengthy silences and that this can best wait till evening prayer. The important thing is to find a rhythm that works for you. Prayer In this respect the Community follows the rich tradition of monastic communities through the centuries. At Nether Springs, the mother house of the Community, the Office is said or sung at set times in the chapel; when Companions in the Community meet together, saying the Office can be a routine part of the meeting; and individuals and families can use it in their homes as part of daily life. If this Compline is being used in a group setting the * notation indicates a change of reader; words in bold are said all together; words in bold italic are said by each person in turn; and + indicates where you might make the sign of the cross. If you are simply reading aloud from the books in a public context, such as a Church service, then no permission is needed unless a recording is being taken that will be broadcast or sold.

Morning, Midday and Evening Prayer and Complies with Meditations for the day and four years of Daily Readings from Books 1 and 2. Simplicity: Yes, there are old and perhaps better prayer books (I'm tipping my hat to my battered copy of the Book of Common Prayer even as I type this), but in my experience these resources can prove a bit daunting to the beginner. With it's three daily offices and two accompanying sets of readings, CDP is just right for person just beginning to merge time and spirit by praying the hours.I enjoy using prayer books to help guide my daily devotional times. I’ve had this one on my shelf for quite a while, and this year I decided to make it my default prayer book. It includes one prayer each for morning, midday, and evening, along with a short daily meditation reading for each day of the month (with instruction to switch in other devotional readings as desired), and two complete sets of year-long daily readings. I chose to use the Aidan Series. The book also includes prayers for specific occasions throughout the church calendar, and a section of biographies of well-known Christians throughout history.