Good morning all,

What is the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary?  What is its purpose?  Who uses it?  Is this a pre-Vatican II devotion?  Is it still relevant to the Church as a whole?

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is similar, in concept, to the Divine Office.  The Little Office consists of various prayers, having the psalms as its core.  Just like the Divine Office, it is broken up into the various hours, such as Matins, Sext, Vespers, etc.

The purpose is to have the laity (or religious, I suppose) join in the prayers of the Church, and it is often useful for those who do not have the time or the training (in Latin?) to pray the full Divine Office.  It is most certainly a pre-Vatican II practice, and it is even one of the requirements for the traditional Third Order members (Franciscans, Servites, etc.).  To answer your last question, I will ask:

Is prayer still relevant?

That is not to be taken in a sarcastic or rude manner, but I simply want to get the message to you that praying the hours (whether in the Divine Office or the Little Office) can bring forth many fruits.  Why else would the great Orders insist on this for clergy, religious, and laity?

Hopefully this answered your questions.  Let me know if yo need further assistance.

Pinoy Monk

P.S.  If you are looking to purchase a copy of the Little Office, be very cautious.  There are both traditional and modern varieties available.  Of course, the Novus Ordo version is much more prevalent, so be vigilant in your purchases.

To answer your question with this new intention in mind, I would have to say that it has, more or less, been ignored from what I can see.  I am aware of a few indulterers who use the old Little Office, but I cannot say that I know of a single NO-ite who prays the new or the old Little Office.  Hopefully you will find this answer to better fit your question.

Now, out of curiosity, does anyone here pray the Little Office?  Having re-read some Brown Scapular paperwork recently, apparently praying the Little Office is a requirement after enrollment.  Are there any Brown Scapular members here?

I have prayed the Little Office from time to time but not with any regularity, unfortunately.  The Little Office is the ordinary practice associated with the brown scapular, but it is not absolutely necessary.  If you request permission from your confessor, he has the prerogative (if he's a valid priest, of course =P) to permit you to pray 5 decades daily in place of the Little Office.  Yes, I do wear the brown scapular, but I replace the Little Office with the rosary.  If/When I get the opportunity, I try to say some of the hours from the Little Office in addition, but that is not yet my daily practice.