A day in the life of a Carthusian

This is a timetable of a typical week-day for a cloister monk. An average day which will vary from house to house, from monk to monk, and from one day to another. In grey are the conventual Offices in the Chapel.

Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers et Complines name the Offices which punctuate the day. Each canonical Office is accompanied (either preceeded or followed) by the Office of Our Lady, the Virgin Mary.

Time	Object	Precisions
11^h30pm	Rise Prayer in Cell	This nocturnal prayer in solitude is particularly appreciated by many.
0^h15am	Matins followed by Lauds	In the Chapel. This office last two to three hours depending on the day or the Feast.
	Lauds of our Lady	In cell. Praise to God with the Virgin Mary. Then back to sleep.
6^h30am	Rise	The time is approximate. To be ready for Prime.
7^h00am	Prime - Angelus	After the Angelus, the time is consecrated to Prayer or Lectio Divina (e.g. prepartion of the Mass readings).
8^h00am	Conventual Mass	In the Chapel.
	Thanksgiving Lectio Divina	Lectio Divina is a meditative reading of the Bible. This time can also be used for prayer.
10^h00am	Terce	Approximatively every two hours an Office is recited : Terce is one of them.
	Study or Manual Work	No manual work before Terce. It can be done morning and afternoon, or all at once.
12^h00am	Angélus Sext	Recitation of the Office of Sext
	Meal - Recreation	The time of recreation may be employed freely. reading, working, gardening, or enjoying the sun… when it shines.
2^h00pm	None	Recitation of the Office of None
	Manual Work (1 hr) Study	The time accorded to each depends on the individual in negociation with his Superior. (Prior or Novice Master)
4^h00pm	Vespers of Our Lady	Praise to God with the Virgin Mary.
4^h15pm	Vespers	In Church
	Collation Reading - Prayer	Reading of the Bible, a spiritual writer, or other appropriate material. The collation is a light meal, taken any time between Vespers and Complines.
6^h45pm	Angélus - Complines	Recitation of Complines, the last Office of the day.
7^h30pm	Bedtime	Advisable before 8^h00pm.