iBreviary – Using Your iPod to Consecrate the Day

iBreviary iPhone App

iBreviary is the perfect app for anyone who desires the pray the Liturgy of the Hours but has a difficult time finding the correct readings in the four thousand pages that make up the printed prayer books.  The four volume set of books that makes up the full text of the Divine Office is beautiful to behold, but is also heavy, cumbersome and costs well over one hundred dollars.  iBreviary, on the other hand, is as light as your iPod Touch or iPhone, fits easily in your hand, and is free.

The Liturgy of the Hours, or the Divine Office, is the official prayer of the Church for consecrating the day to God.  It extends the Mass throughout the day, and provides a beautiful rhythm to life. The Liturgy of the Hours is composed of psalms and short readings, and can be prayed at morning, noon, evening and night time. Priests, deacons, and religious are obliged to pray some portion of the Divine Office each day, and the laity are equally invited to participate.

Because the liturgical year is so rich in its celebrations, learning to pray the Liturgy of the Hours is not easy.  The prayers for the day are divided among several sections of the books, and ribbons are used to mark the different sections.  The changing calendar also adds an element of complexity that takes getting used to. iBreviary takes the difficulty out of praying the Divine Office by presenting only the current day’s texts.  Each day, simply press the refresh button, and the prayers for that day will be instantly downloaded to the iPod Touch or iPhone.  iPod Touch users must be in range of a WiFi network, but only once per day.

One important feature to note is that iBreviary uses the official English texts. Some readers might be familiar with Universalis, a web site that also publishes the Divine Office digitally, and which is available in another iPod app, RC Calendar.  However, Universalis uses the Jerusalem Bible for the biblical texts, and their own translations of the psalms.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, but if you are interested in praying with the official texts, you might prefer iBreviary.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Liturgy of the Hours, please take the time to download this app to your device and try it out. I’ve been praying the Divine Office for well over ten years, and it continues to bear fruit in my life.

*Note: iBreviary’s default language is Italian. To change the language settings on your iPod Touch or iPhone, go to Settings on your devices main screen and scroll down until you see iBreviary listed.

For more Catholic iPod apps, see the entire series.

For more information on the Liturgy of the Hours, see these books:

• The School of Prayer: An Introduction the Divine Office
• The Divine Office for Dodos
• Lord, Open My Lips: The Liturgy of the Hours as Daily Prayer