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For classical Latin: O as in French "eau"; the R rolled,
as in Scots or Italian; E, a bit like the first vowel of
"Beethoven"; M as in "man"; U as in "put"; S as in
"sing". Note therefore that the MUS is *not* as the start
of "must": the vowel is different.
For unreformed English: O as in "bow"; the R scarcely
audible; E as in "seen"; MUS as in "must".
(This section contributed by Nicholas Denyer, Lecturer in
Classics at Cambridge University.)
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The intention was and is to make available a form of the "Daily
Office", traditional in format, sufficiently brief and
relevant to be used by as many readers as possible, and
not duplicating any other form likely to be already used
by members.
Steve Benner undertook to create the Office and to post
it each day, and he did this for nearly two years, from
its first appearance on Thursday, 18 November 1993,
until 13 September 1995. For the next fifteen months, Simon
Kershaw compiled the Office, with assistance from
some others. Since December 1996, Steve Benner and Simon Kershaw
alternate responsibility for the compilation of the Office.
Even though OREMUS is now posted to EPISCOPAL, its
primary audience still remains the Anglican list and it
tries to reflect the concerns of that group. An exact
duplicate of OREMUS is also sent to the OREMUS meeting on
ecunet. It is also available through the WWW.
The OREMUS serves to nourish each of us in our daily
prayer and bible reading; to introduce more people to the
tradition of the Daily Office; to strengthen the sense of
community of the group by the knowledge that our fellow
members are using the same form of prayer, and by our
prayers for one another; to strengthen our Anglican
identity in our prayers for the Anglican Communion; and
to greaten our Christian love in our prayers for our
fellow Christians and for all people.
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During Ordinary Time (the "green seasons"), the Psalm is
appointed according to an eight-week cycle, based on the
cycle found in "The Office--Simple Celebration" in the
Society
of St Francis' Celebrating Common Prayer: A Version of the
Daily Office SSF (1992). The version of the psalms used in OREMUS
is also from this book.
The lectionary for OREMUS
provides one reading for each day of the year. It is based on the Office
lectionary found in Celebrating Common Prayer. This lectionary
will cover most of the Scriptures over a course of four years and could
provide a good basis for bible study.
On feast days and some other occasions a more appropriate
reading is substituted.
Hymns are often selected to reflect on the occasion or the Scripture reading,
from a wide range of hymnody, with appropriate hymns being selected
for festivals and other occasions. It would certainly be
appropriate to sing these parts, but reading them can be
just as edifying.
The intercessions in the Prayer section are usually
based on forms appearing in the 1993 Book of Common
Worship of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and
reflect a wide-ranging scope of concerns and help us to
broaden the focus of our daily prayer. The compilers
of OREMUS will be experimenting with other forms of
intercession in the coming months.
On feasts and some other occasions these intercessions
are replaced with appropriate material from a variety of
sources from Canada, England, New Zealand, the USA and
elsewhere.
The Collects come from a variety of sources, often depending on the
current compiler. Simon Kershaw uses as his primary source The
Christian Year: Calendar, Lectionary and Collects, proposals
published by the Liturgical Commission of the Church of England in
1997 as part of the major revision process of the English
Alternative Service Book. Steve Benner uses recent liturgical
provisions from the Presbyterian Church, USA, the Episcopal Church,
the Anglican Church of Australia, the Church of the Province of New Zealand
and the Anglican Church of Canada.
The invitation to the Lord's Prayer and the closing
sentences most often come from Midday Prayer in
Celebrating Common Prayer, although
other sources may be used..
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Suggestions for additions or other alterations to the OREMUS Calendar
should be sent to us.
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The cycle is available as a small book each year
published by:
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This cycle includes the names of all members of the list
at the time it was compiled. The grouping of members is
broadly geographical, so at the same time we are also
praying for those areas of our various churches.
The prayer cycle now extends over a two-month period and
is usually updated in monthly increments. The present
version of the List Cycle is compiled by Patti Scollay.
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Note that this is NOT the reply address of OREMUS posts.
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We are not trying to be obstructive by pointing this out:
it is simply the law and we work within the law.
Actually, many of the texts do have liberal reproduction
rights associated with them for use by Christian groups
for worship. For example, see the copyright notice at
the front of a copy of the New Revised Standard Version
of the bible. Some other copyright holders are happy to
give reproduction rights if you write and ask them, and
we have done this for some of the texts. The texts of the
American Book of Common Prayer are specifically placed
in the public domain and may be used by anyone for any
purpose.
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Subject: What has changed since the last version of
this FAQ?
Subject: What is OREMUS?
OREMUS is a form of daily prayer posted to the
EPISCOPAL features list (EPISCOPAL@dragon.com) and the
OREMUS meeting on ecunet (OREMUS.topic@ecunet.org) by
Simon Kershaw and Steve Benner. OREMUS can also be found on the WWW (see
below).
Subject: What does OREMUS mean?
The word OREMUS is Latin and means "Let us pray".
Subject: How is OREMUS pronounced?
Always three syllables.
Subject: Why is OREMUS posted?
OREMUS was first devised in November 1993, as a
response to a question on the ANGLICAN mailing list about
how individuals might keep the forthcoming Advent more
effectively.
Subject: How can I use OREMUS?
OREMUS is intended as a Daily Office which can be
used in various circumstances. Some people will print it
out to take home and use in the privacy of their own
home, perhaps sharing it with members of their family or
friends. Others will be able to set aside a few minutes
of privacy at their computer screen to say the Office.
Still others will create their own quietness in a busy
place for the necessary minutes. If you are able, it is
a great help to read it aloud, slowly and thoughtfully.
Subject: What are the sources of the components of
OREMUS?
OREMUS is assembled from an eclectic array of resources
and largely reflects the work of Steve Benner.
Subject: What Calendar is followed?
The Calendar is an eclectic one, but from
October 1995 it broadly follows that in Report on the Calendar,
Lectionary and Collects, 2000, supplemented
by feasts from other national churches of the Anglican
Communion, and elsewhere. You can see a copy of the
Calendar in the revised Report on the World-Wide Web at:
http://www.kershaw.demon.co.uk/lit2000/
cal/
which also contains the Collects and other propers
corresponding to this Calendar, together with other
resource material.
Subject: What is the Anglican Cycle of Prayer?
Each year, the Anglican Consultative Council publishes a
prayer cycle. In general, each Sunday, one Province or
Church of the Anglican Communion is prayed for. On
weekdays, the list cycles through the dioceses of the
Communion, usually covering two dioceses each day.
Archbishops and bishops are mentioned by name, but the
cycle is not just a cycle of prayer for our bishops
(important though that is). The cycle enables us to pray
for all our fellow Anglicans throughout the world. We
also share the same prayer subjects each day.
The book form contains maps of all the dioceses,
information about each province, and prayer requests from
many dioceses.
Forward Movement
Publications
412 Sycamore Street
Cincinatti,
Ohio 45202
U.S.A.
and:
Church House
Publishing
Church House
Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3NZ
England
Subject: What is the List Cycle of Prayer?
Each day in the OREMUS we pray for others on the lists
served by OREMUS. As we pray for one another, we are
reminded that all of us are real human beings and real
Christians behind our e-mail addresses; perhaps by praying
for one another we can build a stronger sense of
fellowship in this e-community of believers.
Subject: Can I add specific prayer requests?
Yes! If you would like a prayer request added to the OREMUS just
write to the compilers and ask.
Subject: How do I receive OREMUS? How do I stop?
OREMUS is posted each day to the list EPISCOPAL@dragon.com
To subscribe send the message
subscribe episcopal your name
to the address
listserv@dragon.com
To unsubscribe send the message
unsubscribe episcopal
to the same address.
Subject: When is OREMUS posted?
OREMUS is generally posted at 12 noon (Eastern Time Zone in the US) (1700 GMT) the day
before it is to be used. This should ensure that it
reaches all parts of the world at a reasonable time. In
addition, OREMUS can be found on the internet at
www.ely.anglican.org/oremus/.
Subject: Can I distribute the OREMUS to other people?
The OREMUS posting is protected by copyright. This is
because the texts of which it is composed are, in the
main, protected by copyright and the compilers have ensured
that they has permission to reproduce such texts. If you
wish to reproduce the texts you should ensure that you too
have that permission. The particular compilation of texts
in each OREMUS is also copyright: in this case the
copyright holders are Stephen Benner and Simon Kershaw
Subject: Where do I get more information?
You may contact the compilers via e-mail at:
Simon.Kershaw@Smallworld.co.uk
or benner.7@osu.edu.