Inter-Hours


The Inter-Hours are brief services in the Daily Office of the Eastern Orthodox and Greek Catholic Churches. The Inter-Hours are called for during the Lenten seasons of the Church year. They are styled after the Little HoursFirst Hour, Third Hour, Sixth Hour, and Ninth Hour—only briefer.
The Inter-Hours are called for during the Lesser Fasts. The structure of each Inter-Hour is as follows:
The Fixed Psalms are as follows:
  • Inter-Hour of the First Hour—45, 91, 92
  • Inter-Hour of the Third Hour—29, 31, 60
  • Inter-Hour of the Sixth Hour—55, 56, 69
  • Inter-Hour of the Ninth Hour—112, 137, 139
The Inter-Hours are only done on "days with Alleluia"; that is to say, days when the services follow a Lenten format and, as a result, the Divine Liturgy may not be celebrated. According to present-day usage, the Inter-Hours are often said only on the first day of the Lesser Fasts.