The Office of Compline is offered at Saint Mark's on the second Thursday of the Month at 9:15 p.m. as a means to find refuge and sanctuary in the hustle and bustle of modern urban life and to offer prayers for peace and thanksgiving for the blessings of the past day.
Compline (meaning "complete") is the seventh and final service of the daily round of prayer services of traditional monastic communities dating back to the 6th century as ordered by St. Benedict in his Rule for communal religious life. Many city churches and cathedrals have now begun to offer this powerful ancient service as an opportunity to worship God, to ask for God’s healing, and to embrace a time of quietness and reflection in the midst of our busy lives.
The Office consists of responses, the recitation of Psalms, the Responsory In manus tuas (Into thy hands O Lord, I commend my spirit), a short reading, and the Gospel Canticle Nunc Dimittis (Lord, now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace). As is traditional, we end with a special devotional to the Blessed Virgin Mary with one of the seasonally appropriate Marian Antiphons: Salve Regina, Alma Redemptoris Mater, Ave Regina Coelorum or Regina Caeli.
We invite you to join us for this service grounded in the tradition of Gregorian chant, prayer, and settings of the Nunc Dimittis and Marian antiphon as offered by the Saint Mark's Choir.
All are welcome!