Why don't we pray "Our Father" after the conclusion of every hour?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-08

In the Coptic Orthodox tradition, the premise of this question depends on whether the hours of the Agpeya (the Book of Hours) are being prayed individually in private devotion or consecutively in liturgical assembly.

1. In Private Devotion, We Do Pray the "Our Father"

When praying a single canonical hour individually, the hour concludes precisely with the Lord’s Prayer. The prayer known as “The Conclusion of Every Hour” (“Have mercy on us, O God, and have mercy on us...”) explicitly ends with the deacon's or worshipper's petition:

“Make us worthy to pray thankfully: Our Father who art in heaven...”

Following this petition, the worshipper immediately recites the Lord's Prayer, followed by the concluding dismissal and the sign of the Cross. In this standard structure, the Lord's Prayer serves as the final seal of the entire hour.

Within a single hour, the Lord's Prayer is actually recited three times:

1. At the beginning: In the introductory prayers before the Thanksgiving Prayer.
2. In the middle: After the 41 chants of Kyrie eleison (ⲕⲩⲣⲓⲉ ⲉⲗⲉⲏⲥⲟⲛ) and the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy (ⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ), preceding the Absolution of the Hour.
3. At the end: Directly following “The Conclusion of Every Hour.”

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2. Why It Is Not Prayed After Each Hour When Hours Are Combined

If you notice that the “Our Father” (and the Conclusion of Every Hour itself) is omitted after a specific hour, it is because multiple hours are being joined together in sequence. This occurs frequently in the Church's liturgical life:

• Before the Divine Liturgy: The 3rd and 6th Hours are prayed together (or the 3rd, 6th, and 9th Hours on fasting days).
• Before Vespers: In monastic or liturgical practice, the 9th, 11th (Vespers), and 12th (Compline) Hours may be linked.
• During the Holy Pascha Week: The hours are prayed in continuous sequences.

When hours are linked consecutively:

• The Church does not break the spiritual momentum by repeating the full conclusion—the Absolution, the “Conclusion of Every Hour,” and the final “Our Father”—after each individual hour.
• Instead, the Psalms, Gospel, and Litanies of the first hour transition directly into the next hour.
• The Absolutions are recited, and then “The Conclusion of Every Hour” and the final “Our Father” are prayed only once at the very end of the entire group of hours.

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3. The Theological Principle: The Lord's Prayer as the Ultimate Seal

In Orthodox liturgical theology, the prayer taught to us by Christ Himself is the crown and perfection of all supplication. Every service, sacrament, and canonical prayer begins and ends with the Lord’s Prayer. Omitting the conclusion between linked hours is not a neglect of the Lord's Prayer, but an intentional liturgical economy so that the entire block of prayer is sealed as one continuous offering before the throne of God.