[[Liturgical Studies]] / Morning Prayer
> [!note] New - 2026-03-26
![[assets/covers/morning-prayer.jpg]]
Morning Prayer is [[Anglican Liturgy|the first office of the Daily Office]], the traditional structure of communal prayer that shapes the liturgical day. It weaves together psalms, [[Scripture as the Foundation of Liturgy|scriptural readings]], and fixed prayers to form a framework for daily worship and spiritual discipline.
## The [[Litany]]’s Role in Morning Prayer
The Litany concludes Morning Prayer on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On these days, it replaces the four prayers that would otherwise end the office: the Prayer for All Those in Civil Authority through the Grace.[^bray-common-prayer-p55] This structural feature gives these three days a different character, moving from individual petitions toward the communal intercessions that constitute the Litany itself.[^bray-common-prayer-p55b]
## Structure and Flexibility
The ordering of prayers within the office admits considerable customisation. Prayers and thanksgivings may be inserted at a particular point in either the Litany or in Morning (and Evening) Prayer, positioned immediately before the Prayer of Saint Chrysostom and the Grace.[^bray-common-prayer-p59] This allowance reflects an underlying tension within the Prayer Book tradition between fixed structure and pastoral responsiveness. The possibility of a more expansive set of additional prayers has long been considered, offering rubrical space for local variation and seasonal adaptation.[^bray-common-prayer-p55c]
## Selected passages
> ‘If only there were **a** **longer** **set** **of** **prayers** that could be added on.’
>
> *How to Use the Book of Common Prayer: A Guide to the Anglican Liturgy*, p. 55 ([[data/bray-common-prayer/source-images/p55.jpg|🖼️]])
> ‘The Litany is the way Morning Prayer concludes on **Sundays,** **Wednesdays,** **and** **Fridays.**’
>
> *How to Use the Book of Common Prayer: A Guide to the Anglican Liturgy*, p. 55 ([[data/bray-common-prayer/source-images/p55.jpg|🖼️]])
## Appearances
- *How to Use the Book of Common Prayer: A Guide to the Anglican Liturgy*, Samuel L. Bray and Drew Nathaniel Keane
- LITANY, p. 55
- OCCASIONAL PRAYERS AND THANKSGIVINGS, p. 59
## Related
[[Litany]] . [[Book of Common Prayer]] . [[Morning and Evening Prayer]] . [[Liturgical Prayer]] . [[Liturgical Structure and Consistency]] . [[Intercession]] . [[Prayer Book Revisions and Adaptations]]
[^bray-common-prayer-p55]: [[How to Use the Book of Common Prayer: A Guide to the Anglican Liturgy]], p. 55 ([[data/bray-common-prayer/source-images/p55.jpg|🖼️]]) . ‘If only there were **a** **longer** **set** **of** **prayers** that could be added on.’
[^bray-common-prayer-p55b]: Ibid. ([[data/bray-common-prayer/source-images/p55.jpg|🖼️]]) . ‘The Litany is the way Morning Prayer concludes on **Sundays,** **Wednesdays,** **and** **Fridays.**’
[^bray-common-prayer-p59]: Ibid., p. 59 ([[data/bray-common-prayer/source-images/p59.jpg|🖼️]]) . ‘That means **you** **can** **insert** **any** **of** **these** **prayers** **and** **thanksgivings** **right** **before** **the** **Prayer** **of** **Saint** **Chrysostom** **and** **the** **Grace-** the last two prayers said in the Litany or in Morning or Evening Prayer.’
[^bray-common-prayer-p55c]: Ibid., p. 55 ([[data/bray-common-prayer/source-images/p55.jpg|🖼️]]) . ‘On these days, **the** **Litany** **replaces** **the** **last** **four** **prayers—** from the Prayer for All Those in Civil Authority on page 14 through the Grace on page 16.’