Daily Schedule
A Normal Day
The Carthusian goes to bed very early, between 7:30 and 8:00 in the evening. Four hours later, at 11:30 p.m., he gets up and starts his day.
After washing up and praying for a while in the oratory of his hermitage, at 0.15 am, the bell of the tower summons the monks to the night prayer in the church. They are Matins and Lauds, sung prayers, composed of psalms, readings from Sacred Scripture and from the Holy Fathers, intercessions and prayers for the needs of the world and the Church. This long liturgical office of the night is much appreciated by the monks, when the silence of the night invites a more fervent prayer . It lasts until 2.15 and 3.00 in the morning.
Back at his hermitage, the Carthusian makes a brief prayer to the Virgin Mary in his oratory and goes to bed without delay. At 6:30 in the morning he gets up and spends those first hours in prayer. At 8:00 the community gathers in the church for Mass, which is always sung.
The morning is spent in the hermitage dedicated to study, meditative reading of the Holy Scripture, manual work. Lunch is at 11:30 and the afternoon is only interrupted to sing the liturgical office of Vespers in the church.
12:00pm | Rise |
|
12:15am | To Church | Night Office : Matins |
| On return to cell | Prayers (Option : Maternal; Paters & Aves; Psalms) – return to sleep |
6:00am | Rise | Prime – Prayer time – Lectio divina |
7:00am | Brother’s Chapel | Brother’s mass – (optional) |
7:45am | To Church | Angelus |
7:45am | In Church | Conventual mass |
| On return to cell | Bread and tea for those who want |
| In cell | Terce |
9:30am | Work |
|
11:45am | Angélus |
|
11:45am | In cell | Sext |
| Meal- Recreation | The time of recreation may be employed freely. |
| In cell | Recitation of the Office of None before going to work |
1:30pm | Manual Work | until 4pm |
4:00pm | Return to cell | Free time |
5:00pm | To Church | Vespers |
| On return to cell | Free time – light evening meal |
7:00pm | Angélus – Compline | Recitation of Complines before going to bed |
8:00pm | Bedtime | Advisable before 8:15pm. |
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