Worship
Recitation of the Divine Office - that’s the daily round of psalmody and prayer - and the celebration of the Mass are at the centre of religious life at St. Stephen’s House. Whilst ordinands are obliged to attend the offices, and expected to make a regular communion, all students and guests of the House are welcome to share in worship, which is firmly within the Catholic tradition of the Church of England. Here’s a guide to some of our services...
Meditation is a silent period of twenty-five minutes before Morning Prayer, and isn’t compulsory. It offers the opportunity to sit in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament before the working day begins. The period is uninterrupted and people are asked not to enter the House Chapel once it has begun.
Morning Prayer is taken from Common Worship: Daily Prayer and lasts from ten to twenty minutes depending on the length of the readings and psalms. After Morning Prayer, there is a period of about ten minutes of silence before mass. Most people either bring a book to read or meditate before the Blessed Sacrament.
Mass usually follows Morning Prayer in the House Chapel. The Mass is a particularly public service, and the House has a small but faithful regular congregation of local residents, who join us on Sundays and major feasts, when mass is held in St. John's Church. As all our ordained members of staff are male, a female priest comes in once a week to celebrate the sacrament. On that day, a second mass is offered by a male priest at 17:30. These days are known in the House as ‘double Mass days’.
Evening Prayer is taken from the Book of Common Prayer and is sung antiphonally - where each side chants in turn. It is followed by a different meditation each night, including, on Fridays, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Thursday nights are particularly popular as those who have guests to dinner often bring them to Evensong first - a great way to start the evening.
The Angelus is a prayer which recalls the Incarnation of Christ. It is rung on the House Chapel bell five minutes before both Morning and Evening Prayer. It is a convention of the House that when the Angelus is rung, those in the House remain still and silent. In the Easter season, the Angelus is replaced by the Regina Coeli.
The Greater Silence is observed in all public areas of the House from 23:00 until 08:30 the following day. An exception is made for those eating an early breakfast, though students are asked to keep the door to the refectory closed.
Meditation is a silent period of twenty-five minutes before Morning Prayer, and isn’t compulsory. It offers the opportunity to sit in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament before the working day begins. The period is uninterrupted and people are asked not to enter the House Chapel once it has begun.
Morning Prayer is taken from Common Worship: Daily Prayer and lasts from ten to twenty minutes depending on the length of the readings and psalms. After Morning Prayer, there is a period of about ten minutes of silence before mass. Most people either bring a book to read or meditate before the Blessed Sacrament.
Mass usually follows Morning Prayer in the House Chapel. The Mass is a particularly public service, and the House has a small but faithful regular congregation of local residents, who join us on Sundays and major feasts, when mass is held in St. John's Church. As all our ordained members of staff are male, a female priest comes in once a week to celebrate the sacrament. On that day, a second mass is offered by a male priest at 17:30. These days are known in the House as ‘double Mass days’.
Evening Prayer is taken from the Book of Common Prayer and is sung antiphonally - where each side chants in turn. It is followed by a different meditation each night, including, on Fridays, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Thursday nights are particularly popular as those who have guests to dinner often bring them to Evensong first - a great way to start the evening.
The Angelus is a prayer which recalls the Incarnation of Christ. It is rung on the House Chapel bell five minutes before both Morning and Evening Prayer. It is a convention of the House that when the Angelus is rung, those in the House remain still and silent. In the Easter season, the Angelus is replaced by the Regina Coeli.
The Greater Silence is observed in all public areas of the House from 23:00 until 08:30 the following day. An exception is made for those eating an early breakfast, though students are asked to keep the door to the refectory closed.
