Q: At evening prayer, if the altar is to be incensed, is only a priest allowed to do it?
A: The only instruction about incensing the altar during the office is in the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours 261. It may be done at either morning or evening prayer during the gospel canticle. The rubric is declarative: “There may be an incensation of the altar,” without saying who does it. Consequently, incensation is not restricted to priests.