Trinity Compline
originated and was developed in southern Europe and the Middle East during the first 600 years of Christianity. At first, it was offered primarily by the monastic communities, but as Christian influence spread throughout Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, the daily offices found a place in local liturgical settings.
The Episcopal Church increasingly has also disovered the richness of the brief noonday and late Offices only since forms for these services appeard in The Book of Common Prayer, 1979. These "little offices", like Compline, were historically owned exclusively by set-apart religious communities and now have been claimed by the Church at large. The chanted liturgy and music of these services adds considerable beauty and depth of expression to the words we pray.