Where each ribbon goes in the Liturgy of the Hours
Six sections, one fixed bookmark, and five to seven ribbons that move. What each one marks, and why the guide names sections rather than pages.
The four-volume Liturgy of the Hours is not read front to back. Each hour is assembled from several sections scattered through the book, and the ribbons exist so that you can turn between them without losing your place. Set them correctly once and the whole office falls into place.
This page explains what each ribbon marks, for all three layouts now in use. If you just want to know where they go today, the guide answers that on the front page.
1. The Ordinary, which never moves
The Ordinary holds the parts repeated at every hour: the opening versicle, the Glory Be, the general structure of each hour. It sits just before the Psalter. Mark it once and leave it. In the first edition this is usually a separate bookmark rather than one of the five ribbons; in the Second Edition it gets a ribbon of its own.
2. The Proper of Seasons
The seasonal section, and the first ribbon you move each day. In Ordinary Time it goes to the numbered week. In Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter it goes to the specific day within the season, because those seasons have proper texts for every day rather than only for Sundays.
3. The Psalter
The largest section in the book, and the one people most often lose. It runs on a four-week cycle, Week I to Week IV, with a full set of psalms and antiphons for every day and every hour. Move the ribbon to the current week, then to today within it. Working out which week it is is the single most common question about the office.
4. Night Prayer
Night Prayer runs on a one-week cycle rather than a four-week one, so it is the simplest ribbon to manage. Two things to know: on Saturday evening you use Sunday Night Prayer after Evening Prayer I, and on Sunday itself you use the form that follows Evening Prayer II. The Complementary Psalmody sits immediately after this section, which is why a five-ribbon layout can cover both with one ribbon.
5. The Proper of Saints
Arranged by calendar date. Keep the ribbon on today’s date whether or not there is a memorial. On a memorial or feast, the proper parts are here, and this section will also tell you which Common to use.
6. The Commons
Just after the Proper of Saints. Shared psalms, readings and prayers for categories of saints: martyrs, pastors, virgins, holy men and women, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. You are sent here by the Proper of Saints rather than going here first.
The three layouts side by side
Below is exactly where each ribbon sits today, September 14, 2026, in each layout.
Five ribbons, first edition
| # | Set it to |
|---|---|
| 1 | Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time |
| 2 | Psalter, Week IV, Monday |
| 3 | Night Prayer, Monday |
| 4 | The Exaltation of the Holy Cross |
| 5 | Commons |
Seven ribbons, Word on Fire Second Edition
| # | Set it to |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Ordinary |
| 2 | Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time |
| 3 | Psalter, Week IV, Monday |
| 4 | Complementary Psalmody, Monday |
| 5 | Night Prayer, Monday |
| 6 | The Exaltation of the Holy Cross |
| 7 | Commons |
Eight ribbons, Ascension Second Edition
| # | Set it to |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Ordinary |
| 2 | Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time |
| 3 | Psalter, Week IV, Monday |
| 4 | Complementary Psalmody, Monday |
| 5 | Night Prayer, Monday |
| 6 | The Exaltation of the Holy Cross |
| 7 | Commons |
| 8 | Your choice |
Why sections and not page numbers. Page numbering differs between printings, between publishers, and now between editions. Section names do not. A guide built on section names still works when you replace your books, which is about to matter a great deal. More on the Second Edition.
Seasons that break the pattern
- The Octave of Easter, where every day is a solemnity and the usual logic stops applying.
- The Sacred Triduum, three days with a structure of their own.
- The Christmas Octave, where feasts and the season compete for the same days.
Common questions
Where do the ribbons go in the Liturgy of the Hours?
In the classic five-ribbon layout: one at the Proper of Seasons for today, one at the Psalter for the current week and weekday, one at Night Prayer, one at the Proper of Saints on today’s date, and one at the Commons. A separate fixed bookmark stays at the Ordinary and never moves.
Which ribbon never moves?
The one at the Ordinary. It holds the parts repeated at every hour, it sits just before the Psalter, and once you have set it you leave it there for good. In seven- and eight-ribbon books the Ordinary gets a proper ribbon rather than a loose bookmark.
What do I do with the Proper of Saints on a day with no memorial?
Leave it on today’s calendar date anyway. Nothing there is used, but keeping it on the date means it is already right on the days that do have a memorial, and you never have to hunt for it.
Do the ribbon colors mean anything?
In the first edition they are simply different colors so you can tell them apart, and people assign them however they like. Ascension’s Second Edition prints its eight ribbons in liturgical colors, which is new.
Where is the Complementary Psalmody?
Immediately after Night Prayer. It holds extra psalms for anyone praying more than one of the Daytime hours. In a five-ribbon layout the Night Prayer ribbon covers it, since the two sections are adjacent. Seven- and eight-ribbon layouts give it a ribbon of its own.
What if my breviary has fewer ribbons than the layout needs?
Ribbon markers are sold separately and can be glued into the spine, and many people add two or three. Failing that, the sections that move least, the Ordinary and the Commons, are the ones to mark with a card or a slip of paper instead.