As a part of this month's lesson for our Candidates, we discussed the Dominican practice of chanting the Salve Regina and O Lumen following the hour of compline. Like other religious Orders founded prior to the Council of Trent, the Order of Preachers have maintained their own pre-Tridentine liturgical practice including a Dominican Divine Office and a Dominican Rite with its own missal. Although following Vatican II many practices have been standardized and some Orders have altered or abandoned their older liturgies, the Dominican liturgical tradition is alive and well today.
The following links provide some further reading and some excellent YouTube video to better illuminate the sacred traditions contained within the Dominican liturgy.
Dominican Liturgy Blog: http://dominican-liturgy.blogspot.com/
A blog maintained by Fr. Augustine Thompson, OP of the Western Province USA; many instructional videos. Check the left column for more readings and downloads.
Evening Prayer at San Domenico (Bologna, Italy): Link to YouTube Video
Where better to pray an Hour than in the Rosary Chapel of the basilica which houses the tomb of St. Dominic. The friars pray the hour in Latin. The O Lumen begins at about the 4:00 mark. The video is a little dark (and has an annoying ticking sound), but worth a look.
Wikipedia entry for the Basilica of San Domenico
Dominican Salve Regina and O Lumen (Cork, Ireland): Link to YouTube Video
The complete Salve Regina and O Lumen sequence filmed at the Dominican church of St. Marys at Pope's Quay in Cork, Ireland. This video is excellent!
Link to Dominican's of Pope's Quay Blog
