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2Concerning the offering of the Divine Office to the Lord both day and night: let it be observed that those who know how to read and sing celebrate the Office according to the custom of the Order of Lesser Brothers, nevertheless with gravity and modesty.a But let those who cannot read say twenty-four Our Father's for Matins, five for Lauds, seven for each of the hours of Prime, Terce, Sext, and None; twelve for Vespers; seven for Compline.b Let this also be observed for all the hours in the Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And they shall pray for the dead.
If there are some young, or some older, ones who are humble and capable of learning, the abbess, if she sees fit, may appoint a capable and discerning mistress for them to teach them to read. But let the sisters be employed in useful and sincere work dur- ing the established hours, as it has been ordained.
3Let a continuous silence be kept by all at all times, so that it is not permitted either for them to talk to one another or to anyone else without permission. Nonetheless, let the abbess eagerly attend to where, when, and how permission to speak is given to the sisters. But let everyone be eager to use religious as well as appropriate signs.c
When some religious or secular person of Whatever dignity seeks to speak to one of the sisters, let the abbess be notified first. If she gives permission, let the sister have at least two others appointed by the abbess to accompany her to the parlor. Let these be able to see the speaker and hear What is said.
Let this be fimrly observed by all, that when some sick sister within the enclosure is about to make her confession to a
- It is possible that at some time prior to this prescription, the Poor Ladies had adopted the breviary compiled by the friars before the generalate of Haymo of Faversham (1240-1244). Thus the Poor Ladies would have adopted the Ordinary of the Holy See except for the psalter which remained the Gallican Psalter. Cf. Stephen J.P. Van Dijk and J.H. Walker, The Origins of the Roman Liturgy: The Liturgy of the Papal Court and the Franciscan Order in the Thirteenth Century (Westminster, Md.: Newman, 1960). Singing or chanting the Office was also in a state of flux at this period. Innocent IV inevitably became involved in the dispute of the Friars Preacher and the Lesser Brothers, who desired a simple manner of recitation that they might have more time for preaching and study. Cf. Stephen A. VanDijk, “Historical Liturgy and Liturgical History,” Dominican Studies 2(1949): 161-182; Octave d’Angers, “Le Chant Liturgique dans L’Ordre de Saint François aux Origenes,” Études Franciscaines XXV(1975): 157-306.
- Innocent specifies exact form of this alternate Office according to the prescriptions of the Earlier and Later Rules of the Lesser Brothers, cf. ER III 10; LR III 3. Cf. FLHug 5.
- This prescription suggests the influence of the Cistercian practice of using sign language to communicate. Cf. Robert A. Barakat, The Cistercian Sign Language: A Study in Non-Verbal Communication (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications 22, 1975).