Motto of Billimoria High School, Panchgani

The phrase pray and work (or 'pray and labor';

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''ora et labora'') refers to the Catholic monastic practice of working and praying, generally associated with its use in the

Rule of Saint Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...

History

"Ora et labora" (pray and work) is the traditional motto of the

Benedictines , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

. Benedict ..."was renowned for handing on to his monks a balanced way of life – particularly with respect to contemplative prayer and active work, "ora et labora". He recognized the danger of letting one dominate, and the benefit of having both side-by-side." St. Benedict's Rule prescribes periods of work for the monks for "Idleness is the enemy of the soul" (RB 48.1). Benedict viewed prayer and work as partners, and believed in combining contemplation with action. Some orders applied the concept directly to farm work and became an element in the movement towards land reclamation from rot and agricultural development in

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

. Other orders such as the

Humiliati The Humiliati (Italian ''Umiliati'') were an Italian religious order of men formed probably in the 12th century. It was suppressed by a papal bull in 1571 though an associated order of women continued into the 20th century. Origin The origin of ...

applied the concept to the production of woolen cloth using wheels in the period prior to the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

Present day examples

The phrase expresses the need to balance prayer and work in monastic settings and has been used in many religious communities from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

onwards. In addition to praying the

Liturgy of the Hours The Liturgy of the Hours (Latin: ''Liturgia Horarum'') or Divine Office (Latin: ''Officium Divinum'') or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the ...

, the Benedictine monks of St. Andrew Abbey teach at Benedictine High School and staff a retreat house. ''Ora et Labora'' is a publication of Benedictine High School and St. Andrew Abbey. While the monastic life of the monks of Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey is centered upon the liturgy, their primary occupation is teaching. They find this "a successful symbiosis of Cistercian life and apostolic mission". The Anglican sisters of the

Community of St. Mary The Community of St. Mary (CSM) is an Anglican religious order of nuns with independent houses located in Greenwich (village), New York, Greenwich, New York, Sewanee, Tennessee, Mukwonago, Wisconsin, and also in Malawi and the Philippines. Histor ...

in Greenwich, New York pray the Divine Office five times each day and raise Cashmere goats for wool.

Uses

An alternative rendering of the phrase, ''laborare est orare'' (literally "To work is to pray"), features prominently in

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. A leading writer of the Victorian era, he exerted a profound influence on 19th-century art, literature and philosophy. Born in Ecclefechan, Dum ...

's ''Past and Present'' (1843): "Admirable was that of the old Monks, Laborare est Orare'', Work is Worship.'" In 1818,

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...

was established in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, adopting the motto of ''Ora et Labora'' in 1870. This is also the motto of

Clan Ramsay Clan Ramsay is a Lowland Scottish clan.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Published in 1994. Pages ...

, of which the

Earl of Dalhousie Earl of Dalhousie, in the County of Midlothian, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, held by the Chief of Clan Ramsay. History The family descends from Sir George Ramsay, who represented Kincardineshire in the Scottish Parliament in 1617. ...

is the leader.Waite, P. (1997). ''Lives of Dalhousie University: 1925–1980, The Old College Transformed.'' McGill-Queen's Press. . page 98. In 1874,

Wesley College, Colombo Wesley College, Colombo, popularly known as "Wesley" or "The Double Blues" is a school providing primary and secondary education in Sri Lanka since 1874. Wesley College is a Methodist educational institution. History In 1858, Rev. Joseph Ri ...

, a high school in Sri Lanka, was founded by Methodist missionaries. It has been using "Ora Et Labora" as the motto since its inception. Ora et labora is the motto of

Melbourne Grammar School (Pray and Work) , established = 1849 (on present site since 1858 - the celebrated date of foundation) , type = Independent, co-educational primary, single-sex boys secondary, day and boarding , denomination ...

in Australia and the current motto of St. Joseph's Institution, an independent school in Singapore. It is also carved into the entry of The King's School Chapel,

Parramatta Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...

, Australia. It is also the motto of Infant Jesus Anglo Indian High School (IJHS),

Tangasseri Tangasseri or Thangassery is a heavily populated beach area on the shores of the Arabian Sea in Kollam city, Kerala, India. Location Tangasseri is located about from the city centre and from Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. Archaeologi ...

, Kollam, Kerala, India, the motto of the Chapel of St Olav in

Sandefjord Sandefjord () is a city and the most populous municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The municipality of Sandefjord was established on 1 January 1838. The municipality of Sandar was merged into Sandefjord on 1 January 1969. On 1 ...

in Norway and the motto of the St. Michael's Secondary School in

Penampang Penampang ( ms, Pekan Penampang) is the capital of the Penampang District in the West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 93,616 in 2010, with ethnic Kadazan as the majority. It contains, or is synonym ...

, Sabah, Malaysia. File:Uetersen Relief 05.jpg, Relief with the motto ''ORA ET LABORA'' (highlighted in gold)

Notes

Bibliography

* ''Ora et labora: prayer and action as cooperation with God'' by Robert Field, University of the South, 1993

External link