sing a saint or noting some special
prerogative or wonderful gift of grace. The Church's collects record the
wonderful gifts of St. John Chrysostom ("the golden-mouthed"), St. Peter
Chrysologus ("qui ob auream ejus eloquentiam Chrysologi cognomen adeptus
est") (_Rom. Brev_.). Sometimes the nation or earthly home of a saint is
given in a collect to distinguish one saint from another. This is seen
in the case of saints bearing the name of Mary, which if used absolutely
or unqualifiedly refers to the Mother of God. See the collects for St.
Mary Magdalen, St. Mary of Egypt, etc.

The collect or prayer is placed at the end of the Hours to collect or
gather up the fruits of all the prayers that precede; to beg from God
that His grace may follow our actions as it precedes them; that the
prayer may be a shield and buckler against all temptations which may be
encountered. The prayers at Prime and at Compline never vary, to remind
us, the old writers tell us, that all our acts should be invariably
referred to God. In the early ages of the Church, all public prayers,
both in Mass and in Office were offered up by both priests and people
with outstretched arms. This practice is observed still, in a certain
way, in Mass.

_Benedicamus_ is the prayer to thank God for all His graces.

_Fidelium animae_. This prayer is said after every Hour, unless where
the hour is said in choir and followed immediately by Mass. It Is
omitted, too, before the Litany.

De Precibus (Title XXXIV.). These are prayers which are said at some of
canonical Hours, before the collect or oratio. They commence with Kyrie
eleison or Pater Noster. They consist of versicles and responses and
these differ from other versicles and responses, which are generally
historic, e.g., In omnem terram exivit sonus eorum, Amavit eum Dominus
et laudavit eum. But the versicles and responses of the _preces_ are
always a call to God or an exhortation to praise God (e.g., Fiat
misericordia tua, Domine), super nos, Quemadmodum speravimus in te (see
Prime, infra, page 193). These prayers are of great antiquity, mention
of them being found in the works of Amalare (ninth century).

They are said in some Offices in Vespers, Compline, Lauds, Prime and
Little Hours. Before the reform of the Breviary by Pope Pius X,, the
Preces at Vespers contained six short prayers and the Psalm, Miserere.
In the new Breviary nine short prayers are given in the Preces--the six
former prayers being reta