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Canonical Hours
The seven fixed times of daily prayer — sanctifying every hour of the day and night.
The canonical hours are the seven fixed prayer times that sanctify the daily cycle: Midnight Office, Orthros (Matins), First Hour, Third Hour, Sixth Hour, Ninth Hour, and Vespers — with Compline concluding the day. Together they fulfill the injunction to 'pray without ceasing' (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The full cycle is observed in monastic communities; in parishes, Orthros and Vespers are the most commonly served. Each hour is connected to a specific event in the Passion and Resurrection narrative.