Dear Isabel:

1) The Divine Office is for everyone, but only clergy and religious are required to pray it.

When one does pray the Divine Office the whole Church (on earth, in purgatory, and in heaven) pray your intentions with you. This makes the Divine Office the most powerful prayer, second only to the Holy Mass. 

The Divine Office is more powerful than devotional prayers, such as the rosary, in which its recitation is by oneself or with a small group. There is great grace in that, but in the Divine Office billions of people are praying with you, plus the official Church herself.

2) Laity are not expected to pray all the hours. Rather, you pray whatever you can. Which Hour you pray depends upon when you are available. Here is a general schedule that we have in our Rule of St. Michael.

We suggest a range of times that surround the traditional times (in bold) because people have various schedules. But, each Hour of the Divine Office must be prayed at the hour of the day to which it is intended.

Thus, laity pray the proper Office for the time of day to which they are available.

Vigils/Matins (Office of Readings): 2am - 4am (3am) (Office of Readings may be said anytime)

Lauds (Morning Prayer): 5am - 8am (6am)

Tierce (Mid-Morning): 8:30am - 10am (9am)

Sext (Noontime): 11:30am - 1pm (12pm)

None (Mid-Afternoon): 2:30pm - 4pm (3pm)

Vespers (Evening): 4:30pm - 7pm (6pm)

Compline (Night): 7:30pm - 10:30pm (9pm) (or before retiring for the night whenever that is)

Vigils and Lauds are often said together. Vespers and Compline may also be said together if necessary. Lauds and Vespers (the “hinge” prayers) are the most important of the Hours if all Hours cannot be met.

You only pray the hours you can. For example, if you are working 8am-5pm, you skip all the day prayers (Tierce, Sext, and None). If you do not wake in the morning 9am, then you skip Lauds and pray Tierce as the first Hour of the day.

Just do the Hours to which you are available.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary