A Very Little Office of Compline: Night Prayer for Children

Alex Resch shares her thoughts about praying Compline with little ones using a new prayer book designed especially for families with young children. 

A Very Little Office of Compline: Night Prayer for Children 

By B.G. "Odo" Bonner, Obl. OSB; illustrated by Gwyneth Thompson-Briggs

Published by TAN Books

The Liturgy of the Hours (also known as the Divine Office) is one of the many treasures of our Catholic faith. The different hours can be prayed at different times of the day, and I love how even busy families can find an hour to pray together. When my son was a baby, I discovered a simple and enjoyable way to pray the Divine Office with him. As he grows older, I would like to ease him into praying parts of the full Divine Office. Thankfully, B.G. "Odo" Bonner, Obl. OSB, has compiled and adapted the Night Prayer for children in his new book A Very Little Office of Compline: Night Prayer for Children. 

What is Night Prayer (Compline)? 

Night Prayer (or Compline) is probably the most approachable way for families to get into praying the Divine Office. Night Prayer is the last prayer of the day, and it is said right before going to sleep. It takes about 9 to 12 minutes to pray. This is definitely a family routine and practice worth pursuing in your home. You are uniting your prayers with the Universal Church and sending everyone to bed with Holy Mother Church’s comforting hymns and songs in their heads. However, setting a new prayer routine with children (that lasts more than 20 seconds!) can be tricky. This is where A Very Little Office of Compline: Night Prayer for Children comes in to help you out. 

A Lovely Prayer Book for Little Hands 

This book reminds me of a sweet children’s missal we inherited from my husband’s uncle. The hard black cover with gold writing is traditional and pretty, and it is the perfect size for little hands. The pages within feel smooth and high quality. I think this book would make a lovely Baptism gift, or a special gift for a toddler.  

The illustrations by Gwyneth Thompson-Briggs are gorgeous. They look like a watercolor style that is colorful and just simple enough for little eyes to enjoy. My favorite picture is the wheel in the very beginning that shows when to pray the different hours of the Divine Office. The accompanying poem on the opposite page is also my favorite poem in the book! 

The Prayers in this Book 

As per the inside cover: The prayers in this book are adapted “from the Latin-English Monastic Diurnal, 8th Edition from St. Michael’s Abbey, and the Latin-English pamphlets for all 8 offices from Abbey Editions, the imprint of Clear Creek Abbey.” The Compline prayers are actually adapted into beautiful rhymes and poems in this book.  

This book is similar to how the full Bible is adapted into children’s Bibles. For example, children’s Bibles don’t have the exact, word-for-word story of Adam and Eve, but the story is adapted for young children with language that they can understand. This is how I would describe this book.   

For instance, this book contains various poems inspired by the Psalms that would be prayed during Compline. The Kyrie and Our Father are not adapted into poems. Their original forms are included in the book. The little collection of Marian Antiphons (which include the Salve Regina and Regina Caeli) are also adapted into short poems. I do wish that the original versions of the Salve Regina and Regina Caeli (or, at least parts of them) were included to help the child learn these prayers.  

This book is made up of the following parts: Incipit, Lectio Brevis, Confiteor (simplified poem), 3 Psalms, Hymn, Little Chapter and Verse, Versicle, Kyrie, Our Father, Nunc Dimittis, Collect, Final Blessings, and 4 Marian Antiphons. 

How to Use this Book 

My kids always love holding their own prayer books and devotionals during prayer time, so this book would be perfect for pre-readers to hold to follow along. They can look at the lovely pictures as the older children and parents lead the Compline prayers for that day.  

Or, if you have little ones that go to bed early before family prayer time, this book could be used to pray with them. The rhythmic and charming poems would be soothing and relaxing to fall asleep to.  

You could also enjoy the poems in the book at any time with your little one. It would make a great Mass or Adoration book for your child to look at and enjoy. It is the perfect size to tuck into a purse or diaper bag. 

Is this a book you'd like to read? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2025 Alex Resch
Images: (interior illustration) TAN Books; all others Canva