Sunday 30 August 2009

XIII Sunday after Pentecost


Today is the thirteenth Sunday after Pentectost and the first Sunday of September. It is of semi-double rite. The Gospel pericope contains the story of the ten lepers being made clean with only one, a Samaritan, returning to the LORD to give thanks and receiving the comforting words from the LORD 'Surge, vade; quia fides tua te salvum fecit.'

At Vespers on Saturday the Pars Autumnalis of the Breviary began. Vespers were sung with the antiphon on the Magnificat being Cum audisset Job of the Saturday before the first Sunday of September, the canticle being sung in the corresponding tone 1f. Commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, and of St. Rose of Lima and SS Felix and Adauctus. The Dominical preces were omitted at Compline due to the occurring double feasts.

Mattins has, of course, three nocturns. In the first nocturn are the Incipit of the Book of Job. In the second nocturn the lessons are from the Book of Morals by St. Gregory the Great and in the third nocturn the homily on St. Luke's Gospel is from St. Augustine. At Lauds commemorations are sung of St. Rose of Lima and SS Felix and Adauctus.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Rose of Lima, the third of SS Felix and Adauctus. The Creed is sung and the preface that of the Sunday.

At Vespers commemorations are sung of the following Office of St. Raymund Nonnatus and St. Rose of Lima.

The fifth week of August is omitted this year.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' at Vespers on Saturday the antiphon on the Magnificat was Observa, fili with the canticle sung in tone 6F. No commemorations were sung at Vespers. St. Rose of Lima and SS Felix and Adauctus are simply excised this year. Mattins is stripped down to one nocturn of three lessons, no commemorations are sung at Lauds. Mass has but one collect and no commemorations are sung at Vespers. For the entire month of September the '62ists will have different Mattins lessons in the first nocturn to those following traditional praxis.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Wednesday 26 August 2009

More on the Assumption

The comment section on the earlier post for the Fourth Day within the Octave of the Assumption would not allow me to enter the text below so I have decided to make it a separate post.

I am still awaiting some information from my Coptic contact. However my Byzantine rite contact was explaining that a whole series of lessons, seven in fact, should be read (but never are in parish usage) during Mattins at an 'All Night Vigil' for a Great Feast. Rather frustratingly my contact has not yet found the references for these. Some are scriptural whilst others patristic. As much of the Byzantine Office for the feast was composed by St. John Damascene one would predict some strong parallels with the traditional Roman rite.

However, one of these lessons, the sixth, the Synaxarion, is far more easily accesible being found in Menaion. The following is for the feast of the Dormition (Assumption):

When Christ our God was well pleased to take to himself his own Mother, three days before he told her through an Angel of her translation from the earth. It is the moment, he said, to take my Mother to myself. Do not then be any way troubled by this, but accept my word with joy, for you are coming to immortal life. And she, in her longing for her translation to her Son, went up the mount of Olives with haste to pray (for it was her custom to go up there to pray). Then there took place a marvel; for the plants on the mount bowed themselves down of their own accord and like living slaves accomplished fitting reverence to their Lady. After her prayer she returned home and at once the whole house was shaken. She prepared many lights and having given thanks to God she invited her relatives and neighbours. She swept the house and prepared the couch and everything needed for the burial. She explained everything which had been told her by the Angel about her translation to heaven and as confirmation of her words showed the reward that had been given her, which was a palm branch [from Paradise]. But the women who had been summoned on hearing this poured out lamentations and tears and lamented with cries of grief. When they ceased their lament they begged her not to leave them orphans. She assured them that when she had passed over she would watch over and protect not only them but the whole world. Much of their grief was assuaged by these words of consolation which she spoke to the bystanders. Then she gave instructions about her two tunics, that the two poor widows who were customarily with her and known to her and who received from her what was required for their nourishment should take one each.

While she was detailing and arranging this, there suddenly came the sound of mighty thunder and the arrival of many clouds from the ends of the earth bringing Christ’s disciples together to the house of God’s Mother. Among them also were the Hierarchs, wise in God, Denys the Areopagite, Hierothoes and Timothy. When they learned the reason of their presence together they spoke to her as follows: While we saw you, Lady, remaining in the world, like our Master and Teacher himself, we were comforted; but how shall we now bear the suffering? But since by the wish of your Son and God you are passing over to the regions beyond the world, we rejoice for the things that have been so disposed for you. As they said this they wept profusely. But she answered them: Friends and Disciples of my Son and God, do not turn my joy to sorrow, but bury my body just as I have arranged it on the bed.

When these things had been completed, Paul the inspired vessel of election arrived. He fell at the feet of God’s Mother, worshipped and opening his mouth uttered a great eulogy of her, saying: Hail, Mother of life and subject of my preaching. For though I never saw Christ, in seeing you I seem to see him. Then the Virgin took leave of all. She lay down on the bed and arranged her all-pure body as she wished. She prayed for the conservation of the world and for peaceful life. She filled them too with blessing through her, and so committed her spirit into the hands of her own Son and God.

At this Peter began the funeral hymns. The rest of the Apostles took up the bier and accompanied the body that had received God to the grave, some going in front with lamps and hymns, others following behind. At this the rulers of the Jews stirring up some of the crowd persuaded them to try to upset the bier on which the life-giving body had been placed and to throw it to the ground. But already punishment came upon those who dared such things, and they were all smitten with blindness. One of them, who attempting even greater folly had touched the sacred bier, was deprived of both his insolent hands. They were severed by the sword of punishment and left hanging from the bier. He remained a pitiable sight until, after he had come to belief with his whole heart and found healing, he was restored to health as before. So too part of the covering of the bier, when placed on those who had been blinded and come to belief, gave them healing. When the Apostles reached Gethsemane they laid the live-giving body in the grave and remained there for three days responding to the unceasing voices of the Angels.

But when, by divine dispensation, one of the Apostles, who had been absent from the burial of the life-giving body, arrived on the third day, he was greatly grieved and distressed that he had not been found worthy of what they had. All his fellow Apostles, who had been found worthy, by a common vote opened the tomb for the sake of the Apostle who had been absent, so it seemed good to all, for him also to venerate that all-blameless body. When they looked they were amazed. For they found it empty of the holy body, and containing only the winding sheet, which remained as a consolation for those who were about to grieve and for all the faithful, and as a sure witness of the Translation. For even until today the tomb hewn from the rock is visible and venerated, and remains empty of a body, to the glory and honour of our most blessed Lady, Mother of God and ever-virgin Mary.

At whose holy intercessions, O God, have mercy and save us, as you are good and love mankind.


Look familiar? The translation is from the Anastasis site of the (Greek Orthodox) Archimandrite Ephrem Lash

Sunday 23 August 2009

XII Sunday after Pentecost


Today is the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost and the fourth Sunday of August. It is of semidouble rite. The Gospel from St. Luke contains the parable of the Good Samaritan.

At Vespers yesterday commemorations of the preceding Office, the Octave Day of the Assumption, and of St. Philip Benizi were sung. The preces were omitted at Compline due to occurring double Offices.

At Mattins in the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit (the beginning) of the Book of Ecclesiaticus. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from the Book of Morals by St. Gregory the Great and in the third nocturn the homily on the Gospel is from the writings of the Venerable Bede.

At Lauds a commemoration of St. Philip Benizi is sung. At Prime both Quicumque and the preces are omitted due to the occurring double feast.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Philip Benizi. The Creed is sung and the preface is that of Sunday.

Vespers are first Vespers of St. Bartholomew the Apostle. The antiphons and psalms are from the Common of Apostles. A commemoration of the Sunday is sung after the collect of the feast.

The Vigil of St. Bartholomew was anticipated yesterday as common Vigils cannot occur on a Sunday. At Mattins the ninth lesson was of the Vigil, a commemoration of the Vigil was sung at Lauds and at Mass there was a commemoration and proper last Gospel. Private Masses may have been sung of the Vigil in violet vestments.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' St. Philip Benizi simply gets omitted and there are no commemorations at Lauds or Vespers. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. Vespers are of the Sunday without any commemoration of St. Bartholomew.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Tuesday 18 August 2009

Fourth Day within the Octave of the Assumption



The fourth day within the Octave of the Assumption is of semi-double rite. It is the only day within the Octave to now be celebrated as such due to the inclusion of double feasts of saints who had a particular devotion to the BVM.

The Office is as on the Feast itself, but the antiphons and psalms come from the Psalter for Tuesday. All hymns of Iambic metre are sung to the Marian Doxology and tone.

At Mattins in the first nocturn the lessons are taken as on the feast from the Canticle of Canticles with its exquisite poetry and symbolic language. The responsories of the feast are used. A section of the third lesson illustrates the beauty of the texts:

Favus distillans labia tua, sponsa, mel et lac sub lingua tua; et odor vestimentorum tuorum sicut odor thuris. Hortus conclusus soror mea sponsa, hortus conclusus, fons signatus. Emissiones tuae paradisus malorum punicorum cum pomorum fructibus, cypri cum nardo.

Thy lips, my spouse, are as a dropping honey comb, honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments, as the smell of frankincense. My sister, my spouse, is like a garden enclosed, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up. Thy plants are a paradise of pomegranates with the fruits of the orchard. Cypress with spikenard. (Translation by the nuns of Stanbrook Abbey)


In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from the Second Discourse of St. John Damascene on the Dormition of the Mother of God and are again beautiful and rich in their didactic content.

An ancient tradition has been handed down to us, that, at the time of the glorious falling-asleep of the blessed Virgin, all the Apostles, who were wandering throughout the world preaching salvation to the Gentiles, were caught up aloft in the twinkling of an eye, and met together in Jerusalem. And when they were all there, a vision of Angels appeared to them, and the chant of the heavenly powers was heard; and so with divine glory she gave up her soul into the hands of God. But her body, which bore God in an effable manner, being lifted up amid the hymns of Angels and Apostles was laid in a tomb in Gethsemane. There for three whole days the angelic song was heard. (Lesson IV)

But after three days, the chant of the Angels ceased, and the Apostles who were present (for Thomas, the only one who had been absent, came after the third day, and wished to adore the body which had borne God) opened the tomb; but they could by no means find her sacred body in any part of it. But when they only found those garments in which she had been buried, and were filled with indescribable fragrance which emanated from them, they closed the tomb. Amazed at this wonderful mystery they could only think that he, who had been pleased to take flesh from the Virgin Mary, to be made man, and to be born though he was God the Word, and the Lord of glory, he who had preserved her virginity without stain after childbirth, should also have been pleased to honour her pure body after her death, keeping it incorrupt, and translating it into Heaven before the general resurrection. (Lesson V)


In the sixth lesson St. John lists those present who had seen the body of the Virgin, including in addition to the Apostles, Timothy bishop of Ephesus (recipient of the Pauline Epistles), Dionysisus the Areopagite and Hierotheus.

In the third nocturn the lessons are from the 27th Sermon of St. Augustine on the Words of the Lord. The ninth lesson is for St. Agapitus the Martyr.

At Lauds a commemoration of St. Agapitus is sung. At Prime Qui natus es is sung in the short responsory, the lectio brevis is In plateis.

Mass is sung after Sext. The Conventual Mass is that of the 'resumed' Mass of Pentecost XI which could not be celebrated due to the occurrence of St. Joachim's feast on Sunday. According to Additiones I, #6 this Mass is of simple rite without Gloria and without Creed. The second collect is of the Octave and the third collect is for St. Agapitus. As the Gloria is not sung Benedicamus Domino is sung as the dismissal and the colour of the vestments is green.

However, 'private' Masses may be of the Octave. The defintion of 'private' is actually quite complicated and suffice it to say, for the moment, that a High Mass may be a private Mass. In the Mass of Octave, glorious Gaudeamus, the Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the resumed Sunday, the third collect is for St. Agapitus, the Credo is sung, the preface is of the BVM. As the Sunday's Gospel was read as a proper last Gospel on the feast of St. Joachim it is not read as last Gospel today.

Vespers are of the following feast of St. John Eudes with a commemoration of the Octave.

In the rocky horror service books of course the Octave has been done away with. No Marian Doxology at the hymns, no Qui natus es etc. There remains a 'fourth class' feria wherein St. Agapitus gets a commemoration at Lauds and Low Mass. Somewhat ironically the same Mass, Pentecost XI is said but with Ite, missa est even though the Gloria has not been sung. Vespers is ferial.

The Icon is from the Coptic Church of St Menas in Cairo, taken from an interesting site featuring a range of Coptic Icons and texts. The Icon shows the Apostles and Fathers around the, now, empty tomb of the BVM.

Sunday 16 August 2009

St. Joachim


Today is the feast of St. Joachim, father of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a Double of the Second Class. Happily falling on a Sunday this year the feast is celebrated on the Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption, the place of its recent celebration. After 1911-13 the feast is celebrated on August 16th. Today is also the 11th Sunday after Pentecost and third Sunday of August which is commemorated in the liturgy. White is the liturgical colour of the day.

In pre-Trent times the feast was commonly celebrated on the 20th March. The feast was suppressed by Pius V in the Tridentine Missal and Breviary and re-instated by Gregory XIII in 1584. In 1623 the feast gained a proper Office and was transferred to the Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption by Clement XII in 1738. Leo XIII raised the feast to a double of the second class in 1879. The 1948 Pian Commission discussed joining the feast with that of St. Anne, which indeed happened in due course (c.f. Memoria sulla riforma liturgica, ## 108, 178).

Although the day within the Octave is not commemorated hymns of Iambic metre still take the Marian Doxology and tone and Qui natus es is sung at Prime.

At Mattins the lessons in the first nocturn are taken from the Common of Confessor non-Pontiffs, Beatus vir, with their responsories. In the second nocturn the lessons are proper to the feast. The fourth lesson is from the Discourse on the Praises of the Virgin by St. Epiphanius, the fifth and six lessons from a Discourse on the Birth of the Virgin by St. John Damascene. In the third nocturn the lessons are again from St. John Damascene. In the better praxis the ninth lesson is joined with eighth, to form a longer eighth lesson, and the ninth lesson is of the commemorated Sunday. The ninth lesson is therefore the Gospel fragment Exiens Jesus and the homily of St. Gregory Quid est... Again the better praxis it to combine the three lessons of the homily as one lesson, the ninth.

At Lauds a commemoration of the Sunday is sung. Prime is festal, as noted above Qui natus es is sung in the responsory because of the Octave and the lectio brevis is Justum deduxit.

Mass is sung after Terce, preceded by the Asperges. The Gloria is sung, the second collect of the Sunday, the Creed is sung, the preface is that of Sunday and the last Gospel is also of the Sunday.

At Vespers commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Hyacinth and of the Sunday.

In the rocky horror service books the liturgy of the XI Sunday is celebrated in green. There are no proper Doxologies or tones as the Octave has been wiped away. Mattins is its usual chopped-down form of three lessons for a Sunday. At Lauds a commemoration of St. Joachim is sung. At Low and Conventual Masses St. Joachim gets commemorated, but not in others. However at Vespers there are no commemorations.

Art: Icon of SS Joachim and Anna from the Greek Church

Saturday 15 August 2009

The Assumption of the Mother of God


The feast of the Assumption is a Double of the First Class with an Octave.

At Mattins the lessons in the first nocturn, since the time of Pius V, are taken from the Canticle of Canticles, are particularly rich with vibrant, sensual, imagery:

Osculetur me osculo oris sui, quia meliora sunt ubera tua vino, fragrantia unguentis optimis. Oleum effusum nomen tuum; ideo adolescentulae dilexerunt te. Trahe me: post te curremus in odorem unguentorum tuorum. Introduxit me rex in cellaria sua; exsultabimus et laetabimur in te memores uberum tuorum super vinum. Recti diligunt te. Nigra sum, sed formosa, filiae Jerusalem, sicut tabernacula Cedar, sicut pelles Salomonis.

Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth: for thy breasts are better than wine, smelling sweet of the best ointments. Thy name is as oil poured out: therfore young maidens have loved thee. Draw me: we will run after thee to the odour of thy ointments. The king hath brought me into his storerooms: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, remembering thy breasts more than wine: the righteous love thee. I am black but beautiful, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Cedar, as the curtains of Solomon.(1st lesson)


In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. John Damascene's second discourse on the Dormition of the Virgin:

"This day the holy and animated ark of the living God, she who conceived in her womb her Creator rests in the temple of the Lord, which was not made with hands. And her ancestor David leaps, and with him the Angels lead the dance, the
Archangels make celebration, the Virtues ascribe glory, the Principalities exult, the Powers rejoice together, the Dominations are joyful, the Thrones keep holiday, the Cherubim utter praise, the Seraphim proclaim her glory. This day the Eden of the new Adam receives the living Paradise, wherein the condemnation was made void, wherein the tree of life was planted, wherein our nakedness was covered." (4th lesson)

In the third nocturn the homily on the Gospel fragment is from St. Augustine's 27th Sermon on the Words of the Lord. The responsories after the lessons are particularly beautiful today.

At Lauds six pluvialistae in pariti assist the Hebdomadarius. The antiphons are those of Vespers and the psalms those used on Sundays, the old festal Lauds. At Prime the hymn is sung with the Doxology proper to the BVM and proper tone. In the short responsory Qui natus es de Virgine is sung today and throughout the Octave, the lectio brevis is In plateis. At the Hours the hymns are sung to same tone for feasts of the Blessed Virgin.

Festal Mass is celebrated after Terce. The Rituale gives a Blessing of Herbs for this day which takes place immediately before Mass with Psalm 64, a series of versicles and responses, three collects, whose florid style, reminiscent of those for the Blessing of Palms, suggests a Gallican origin. The Caeremoniale prescribes six candles on the altar and the Graduale four cantors, if this is possible. In some diverse places the custom of the cantors wearing copes and the acolytes tunicles on great feasts is observed.

The Mass formulary Gaudeamus is particularly beautiful set of texts. The Gloria is sung, the Epistle a sublime cento from the Book of Wisdom that also forms the chapters at the Office. The gradual Propter veritatem is very ancient. The Credo is sung and the preface that of the BVM. The composer Nicholas Wilton has set one of the chant verses, Optimam partem (communion), to two delightful arrangements.

In the afternoon Second Vespers are sung with a commemoration of tomorrow's feast of St. Joachim, father of the BVM and of the third Sunday of August. Compline is again festal with the proper Doxology at Te lucis.

The rocky horror service books (aka 'the liturgical books of 1962') have seen considerable wreckovation of the once beautiful feast. At Mattins in the first nocturn the first lesson is taken from Genesis and then, curiously, the second and third from the former Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. In the second nocturn the magnificent writing of St. Damascene is shortened by the inclusion of a sixth lesson from Pius XII's writings. The third nocturn has a homily of St. Peter Canisus on the new gospel pericope introduced in 1950. Lauds sees the affliction of a new chapter, a pedestrian and ugly hymn replacing O gloriosa virginum, and new collect. At Prime the lectio brevis is Dominus autem dirigat, of the season. At Prime and the Hours the tone of the hymns is that for greater feasts, not the BVM and the special Doxology is omitted. The 1950 mass is again banal and ugly compared with the ancient texts. At Vespers no commemoration is made of St. Joachim whose feast is not celebrated tomorrow. The Octave was abolished in 1955. Yet more tosh...

On a positive note there are a growing number of places in the world where the traditional liturgy is being celebrated. For that, and for other diverse blessings - Gaudeamus omnes in Domino!

Art: Icon from the Melkite tradition in Australia.

Friday 14 August 2009

Vigil of the Assumption

The Vigil of the Assumption is of simple rite. Traditionally it has been a day of fasting and abstinence in the West (in many Eastern rites a far stricter fast of preparation takes place from the beginning of August).

At Mattins there is one nocturn with three, proper lessons from St. Chrsostom. At Lauds the Second Scheme of psalms is used (the original ferial psalms before the 1911-13 reform), the ferial preces are sung followed by a commemoration of St. Eusebius M and the Suffrage of the Saints in the form used for feasts of the BVM. At Prime and the Hours ferial preces are sung. These are sung whilst kneeling. At Prime the fourth psalm is added, as is the case when the Second Scheme of Lauds is sung, and the chapter is the ferial Pacem .

Mass is sung after None. Violet vestments are worn, the ministers wearing dalmatic and tunicle not folded chasubles. The Mass is proper, Vultum tuum, the Gloria is not sung. The second collect is of St. Eusebius and the third collect is Deus, qui corda, of the Holy Ghost. As it is a 'kneeling day' all in choir kneel for the orations and from the Sanctus to the response after Pax Domini. As is the rule when the Gloria is not sung Benedicamus Domino is chanted as the dismissla by the deacon facing the altar rather than Ite, missa est.

First Vespers of the feast are sung with the dulcid and stunningly beautiful hymn Ave, Maris stella. A proper Doxlogy is sung at hymns of Iambic metre to the tone used on feasts of the Blessed Virgin for the Octave. In parts of Southern Italy mimetic burial processions take place in honour of the Virgin's repose vrey similar to the more widespread burial processions of the Lord on Good Friday.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' as usual much has been lost. At Lauds the ferial preces are omitted as is the Suffrage. At Prime only three psalms are sung, the chapter is the festal Regi saeculorum and the ferial preces are omitted. The ferial preces are omitted at the other Hours.

At Mass the collect for the Holy Ghost is omitted. The dismissal is Ite, missa est and the period of kneeling at Mass has been shortened.

Sunday 9 August 2009

X Sunday after Pentecost


The tenth Sunday after Pentecost is, as per all 'green' Sundays, of semi-double rite. It is also the second Sunday of August. The Gospel of the Sunday contains the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.

The Vigil of St. Lawrence was celebrated, by way of anticipation, yesterday as common Vigils are never celebrated on a Sunday. At Vespers yesterday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of SS Cyriacus, Largus & Smaragdus, of St. John Mary Vianney and St. Romanus. The commemoration of the double feast of St. John Mary Vianney meant that neither the Suffrage was sung nor were there Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins there are the usual three nocturns. In the first nocturn the Incipit, or beginning, of the Book of Ecclesiastes are read. In the second nocturn the lessons are from a sermon of St. Chrysostom against those keeping concubines and in the third nocturn a homily of St. Augustine of Hippo - Sermon 36 on the words of the LORD. The responsories in the third nocturn are Domine, pater etc given for the Sundays of August. At Lauds commemorations are sung of St. John Mary Vianney and St. Romanus. At Prime Quicumque and the Domnical preces are omitted due to the occurring double feast.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. John Mary Vianney, the third of St. Romanus. The Creed is sung and the preface is that of the Blessed Trinity.

Vespers are first Vespers of the Feast of St. Lawrence with commemorations sung of the Sunday and St. John Mary Vianney. The antiphons are proper to the feast and the psalmody that used for first Vespers of Apostles.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' St. John Mary Vianney has been moved to the 8th August. The Vigil of St. Lawrence is omitted as it falls on a Sunday and the novel rubrics do not allow for its anticipation. There are no commemorations on Saturday. Mattins is cut down to one nocturn of three lessons. There are no commemorations at Lauds nor are there any at Mass. Vespers are of the Sunday without any commemoration of St. Lawrence. Such tosh...

Art: Jerome Nadal

Sunday 2 August 2009

IX Sunday after Pentecost

Today is the ninth Sunday after Pentecost and the first Sunday of August. It is of semi-double rite. The first Sunday of August is the Sunday closest to the Kalends of August. If, for example, August 1st were a Monday the first Sunday would actually be on July 31st. In the Breviarium Romanum the collects and third nocturn lessons for the VII Sunday and following Sundays are given after the lessons for the fifth week of August.

At Vespers yesterday commemorations were sung of St. Peter's Chains, St. Paul, St. Alphonsus de Liguori and St. Stephen I.

At Mattins in the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit, or beginning, of the Proverbs of Solomon with their responsories, not the lessons given for the IX Sunday. In the Breviary these texts for the first Sunday of August are printed after the 11th week of Pentecost. The reason for this is that the time after Pentecost can be either shorter or longer depending on the date of Easter. In the second nocturn the lessons are from a treatise of St. Ambrose on Psalm 118 - the 'psalm of the Law'. In the third nocturn the lessons are a homily of St. Gregory and the responsories are Domine, pater etc those given for the 1st to 3rd Sundays of August. These, as noted above, can be found in the section of the Breviary after the fifth week of August.

At Lauds commemorations are sung of St. Alphonsus and St. Stephen. At Prime Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted because of the occuring double feast.

Mass follows Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Alphonsus, the third collect of St. Stephen. The Creed is sung and the preface that of Sunday.

At Vespers commemorations are sung of the following feast of the Finding of the Body of St. Stephen and St. Alphonsus.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Feast of St. Peter's Chains is abolished so no commemoration of that, or anything else, at Vespers. Mattins is chopped down to one nocturn of three lessons. St. Alphonsus and St. Stephen are not commemorated at Lauds or Mass. At second Vespers there is no commemoration of the Finding of the Body of St. Stephen - that feast has been abolished too.