Monday 1 September 2008

St. Giles, Abbot

Today is a good example of a simple rank feast. The psalmody is ferial and the antiphons are not doubled. Only the first part of the antiphon is intoned before the psalm (to give the pitch of the psalm). Thus at Mattins for the first antiphon only the words Dominus de caelo are sung, then the psalm. The antiphons are sung in full after the Doxology at the end of each psalm.

At Mattins there is one nocturn with three lessons. At Lauds there is a commemoration of the Twelve Holy Brothers and the Suffrage of the Saints is sung. At Prime the Domincal preces are sung.

At Mass the Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the commemorated Office of the Twelve Holy Brothers and the third collect is A cunctis nos. Following the general rules a celebrant of a private Mass may add votive collects to those prescribed but only so that there is an odd number and the total does not excdeed seven: thus two or four votive collects may be added to those prescibed for today but not three. With so many things to pray for in today's world it is unfortunate there is general ignorance of this rule.

The Office of a simple rank feast ends after None. Vespers are therefore first Vespers of St. Stephen (a semi-double feast). The Suffrage of the Saints is sung and at Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

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