Holy Fools by Joanne Harris

A friend loaned me some nice summer novels and the first one I finished was Holy Fools, by Joanne Harris who wrote Chocolat, the novel that became a movie. Holy Fools is set in 17th-Century Brittany, on an island convent with a lax adherance to the monastic rules. I can't give a better review than the Amazon page so I won't. As a side dish to the story, however, I became interested in daily prayers of the Benedictine orders, what is now called the Divine Office.

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I wonder what it would be like to live in a society that stopped its work every few hours and prayed. I know that I could see this in action if I visited a muslim country, and I'm not sure that it would make all that much an improvement in how people treated each other. But thanks to the internet I was able to read all about the Divine Office and now have a list of the prayers that I can refer to if I ever decide to read "The Name of the Rose" again, or some other medieval monestary novel. The prayers are:

Matins and Lauds -- 2-3 a.m.
        Prime -- upon rising
        Terce -- 9 a.m.
        Sext -- Noon
        None -- 3 p.m.
        Vespers -- at sunset
        Compline -- before bed

I would never, ever pray these actual prayers, obviously. But I love the regularity of the pattern, and I love the complexity of psalms, and Saint's Days, and calls and responses. I'm sure, when I get around to founding my new religion, I'll require something like this of everyone. (I probably haven't mentioned this before, but founding a new religion is my projected retirement project. )