The 'O' Antiphons
The ‘O’ Antiphons
Beginning on the 17 December of each Advent season, and for the next seven days, a special antiphon known as an O Antiphon is read before the Magnificat during Evening Prayer. Sometimes called the Greater Antiphons, or the O’s of Advent (because they begin with that exclamation), the O Antiphons differ from the daily antiphons because they herald the coming birth of Christ. Originally written in Latin around the seventh or eighth centuries, these special antiphons express humanity’s desire and longing for God, a longing which has existed throughout the history of God’s people, from the beginning of time through Abraham, Moses and David, and fulfilled on the night when Emmanuel (God with us) was born. Each prayer begins with one of the seven titles attributed to Jesus’ Old Testament title for the Messiah.
More News
Salisbury Foodbank
Salisbury Foodbank. During August and September we collected rice pudding, tinned fruit, custard and tins of meat and fish for the Foodbank. The total...Read more
The responsibility of the leaders of nations
Pope Francis’ appeal during the Angelus on the 2 October is a call to stop the war machine that is dragging the world...Read more
St. Teresa of Avila 15 October
On Oct. 15, Roman Catholics celebrate the Spanish Carmelite reformer and mystic St. Teresa of Avila, whose life of prayer enriched the Church...Read more