The Little Hymnodic Office of Saint Philip Neri

A collection of short prayers for calling to mind the life and example Our Holy Father St Philip and invoking his intercession throughout the day.

The Little Hymnodic Office of St Philip Neri was first published in Florence in 1878. Each hour begins with a short verse of a Latin hymn; together these verses trace the whole of St Philip’s life in the course of a single day. Each hymn is followed by an antiphon and collect. This edition presents the full Latin text alongside a new English translation.

The translation of the hymn at each hour has been adapted from A Rhymed Life of Saint Philip Neri by Fr Ralph Kerr. All other texts — versicles, responses, prayers, and collects — are newly and faithfully translated, with care to preserve both the tone and rhythm of the original.

Little hymnodic offices were a common form of devotion in the 18th and 19th centuries. While they follow the structure of the canonical hours, they are much shorter than the Divine Office, and contain no psalms. Their purpose was to foster regular, affectionate recollection of God and his saints throughout the day.