Section outline

  • Workload: Approximately 40 hours  |  Section: Sacraments and Liturgy

    This module forms you into a person of ordered prayer who can lead public prayer reverently and assist at authorised liturgy. The Daily Office (also called the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours) is treated as a sustainable rule of prayer for bivocational, dispersed ministry — not an ideal reserved for full-time clergy or religious communities.

    By the end of this module, you will be able to:
    • Explain the Daily Office / Divine Office / Liturgy of the Hours as the prayer of the Church.
    • Lead Morning or Evening Prayer reverently.
    • Understand the liturgical year, lectionary, collects, seasons, and feasts.
    • Explain the deacon’s role at Mass or authorised liturgy.
    • Create a sustainable personal Rule of Life.
    Required and supporting resources
    • AOCM Daily Office / Divine Office resource.
    • AOCM Why We Worship This Way booklet.
    • Authorised AOCM worship and rite library, including missals and rubrical guides where legally available.
    • Yale Divinity School: Foundations of Christian Worship — selected lectures.
    • A Guide to Formation and Ministry — sections on prayer, spiritual formation, and ministry rhythm.
    • The Care of Souls (Harold L. Senkbeil) — optional further reading for pastoral spirituality.
    Scripture and StepBible work
    • Psalm study: Psalm 23, Psalm 51, Psalm 63, Psalm 95, Psalm 130, or the appointed psalm.
    • Study Gospel canticle language: the Magnificat, the Benedictus, the Nunc Dimittis.
    Assessment and evidence

    All timed quizzes and knowledge checks in the LDM, including this module’s, draw 20 questions from a bank of 60, run on a 25-minute timer, and allow one retake (a maximum of two attempts).

    • Liturgical year and Daily Office knowledge check.
    • Personal Rule of Life, approximately 1,000–1,500 words.
    • Video or live demonstration: lead Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer, normally a 5–10 minute excerpt or the full Office as directed.
    • Reflection: prayer as formation rather than performance.
    Monthly cohort discussion

    “How can a bivocational deacon remain rooted in prayer?”

    To complete this module, you will need to:
    • Knowledge check completed.
    • Rule of Life submitted.
    • Daily Office demonstration submitted or assessed live.
    • Reflection submitted.