A New Edition of the Monastic Breviary from Farnborough Abbey

We are glad to share this notice from the abbey of St Michael in Farnborough, England, about their new republication of the Monastic Breviary. It may be purchased at a special pre-order price at this link: https://www.theabbeyshop.com/product/breviarium-monasticum. Orders will ship in February of next year.

Many readers of the NLM will be familiar with the extremely popular Monastic Diurnal in Latin & English. The St Michael’s Abbey Press has been publishing that title for about 20 years now, and it is now in its 8th edition. We are therefore delighted to announce that, after some years of preparation, we are publishing a full Breviarium Monasticum - the 1962 Monastic Breviary in two volumes in Latin only. These volumes contain everything necessary to follow the entire Monastic Office including the Office of Matins, which is not given in the diurnal.

The St Michael’s Monastic Breviary is a reprint of the Marietti edition of 1962. Marietti were a very high quality Italian liturgical publishers founded in 1820. They were known both for the quality of their bindings, and also the beauty of the text itself. The 1962 Breviarium Monasticum is an excellent example of the quality of their work: the text is clear and readable, including “Liturgical Movement” style titles, arguably the breviary’s most distinctive feature.

As well as its beauty, another feature of this edition is its practicality: it reduces flipping backwards and forwards to a minimum- each office in the psalter gives all the texts necessary. For example, the daily psalms 66, 50, and 148-150, together with the Benedictus are printed in full for Lauds each day. Other editions would constantly (and sometimes frustratingly) refer you to different pages. It also includes several appendices, such as preparation & thanksgiving for Mass, various useful blessings, litanies, brief formulas for the sacraments, the last rites, &c.

Printed on bible paper, in black and red throughout and with gilt edges and six marker ribbons, our edition builds on the original Marietti beauty with several touches: custom endpapers unique to our publications, raised bands on the spine, the arms of the Abbey together with the title and volume number stamped in gold, and covers embossed with the medal of St Benedict. It is of a size that sits comfortably in the hand, sits open easily, not too heavy, and a generally pleasant book to handle and use.

The Breviary is available in two versions: with a zip case closing, or a traditional binding with a hard slipcase included. Both editions are leather bound, and extremely robust. A monk would traditionally spend several hours of his day praying the breviary, and so these volumes are intended to stand up to that level of daily wear and tear.

In buying the Breviarium Monasticum (and other titles) from the St. Michael’s Abbey Press you are also supporting a flourishing 140-year-old contemplative Benedictine Community of ten monks, in full Communion with the Church, celebrating the monastic liturgy in Latin, with a proud tradition of Gregorian chant. Buying our produce enables us to continue our life of prayer and work within the monastic enclosure. Thank you.