XXIV Sunday after Pentecost

The twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour, until Vespers this year, is green. This year it is the third Sunday of November and the Sunday within the Octave of All Saints. As this year the number of Sundays after Pentecost is greater than twenty-four, twenty-six, the texts for today and next Sunday are taken from the V and VI Sundays after Epiphany respectively, combined with the introit, gradual etc from the twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost. This year the second Sunday of November and its week are omitted.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The Office hymn was Jam sol recedit igneus. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Muro tuo for the Saturday before the third Sunday in November. After the collect of the Sunday (taken from the texts for the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany) commemorations were sung of the Octave Day of All Saints and of the SS Forty Crowned Martyrs. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted due to the Octave as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum etc and the Office hymn is Primo die. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of the Prophet Daniel. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Athanasius’ book to Virgins. In the third nocturn (from the text for the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany) the homily is from St. Augustine on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Aeterne rerum Conditor. After the collect of the Sunday commemoration are sung of the Octave Day of All Saints and the SS Forty Crowned Martyrs. The Suffrage is omittted..

At Prime, Pss. 117, 118(i) & 118(ii) both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted.

Mass is sung after Terce. The introit, gradual, Alleluia verse, offertory and communion texts are those of the twenty-third Sunday. The rest of the texts are those appointed for the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Octave Day of All Saints, the third collect is of the SS Forty Crowned Martyrs. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

After None there is a colour change to white and first Vespers of the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Archbasilica are sung. The antiphons Domum tuam, Domine etc are sung, doubled, with Pss.109, 110, 111, 112 & 147. The Office hymn is Caelestis urbs Jerusalem. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday and the Octave Day of All Saints. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at either Vespers. The second Sunday of November and its week are always omitted. The Octave of All Saints has been abolished. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is only one collect. Vespers are of the Sunday, not of the following feast.

All Saints

The feast of All Saints is a Double of the First Class with an Octave. The universal celebration of this feast developed from the dedication of the Pantheon in Rome, on May 13th, 610, to St. Mary and the Martyrs. In some places, and in the Byzantine East to this day, a celebration of All Saints took place after Trinity Sunday. The celebration of the feast spread and Gregory IV transferred the feast and dedication to November 1st in 835. Louis the Pious spread the celebration throughout his empire and the feast entered the Universal Calendar. Sixtus IV gave the feast an Octave in the fifteenth century. The liturgical colour for the feast, and its Octave, is white. The twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost, and this year the first Sunday of November, is commemorated in the Office and at Mass. The feast was preceded by a Vigil yesterday. 

At Vespers, yesterday afternoon, the antiphons Vidi turbam magnam etc were sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. The Office hymn was Placare, Christe, servulis. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday was sung (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Vidi, Dominum for the Saturday before the first Sunday of November). At Compline the Dominical psalms were sung and the Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is proper to the feast and octave, Regem regum Dominum venite adoremus, Quia ipse est corona Sanctorum omnium, and the Office hymn is Placare, Christe, servulis. In the first nocturn the antiphons Novit Dominus etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 1, 4 & 8. The lessons are taken from the book of the Apocalypse. In the second nocturn the antiphons Domine, qui operati etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 14, 23 & 31 and the lessons are taken from a sermon of the Venerable Bede. In the third nocturn the antiphons Timete Dominum etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 33, 60 & 96. The homily on St. Matthew's Gospel is from St. Augustine. Today the eighth and ninth lessons of the feast are read together and the ninth lesson is the homily for the Sunday which is a commentary of St. Hiliary on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons Vidi turbam magnam etc are sung, doubled, with the Sunday psalms (Pss. 99, 92, 62, Benedicite & 148) and the Office hymn is Salutis aeterne dator.  After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung.

At Prime and the Hours the antiphons Vidi turbam magnum etc are sung in the usual order. At Prime, Pss. 53, 118(i) & 118(ii), the lectio brevis is proper to the feast, Benedictio et claritas,.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Blessed Trinity and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At second Vespers the antiphons Vidi turbam magnam etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 115. The Office hymn is Placare, Christe, servulis. After Benedicamus Domino etc the verse Fidelium is omitted and the choir sits as the festive white is removed and is exchanged for the black of mourning. Vespers of the Dead are then sung in choir. These begin with the antiphon Placebo Domino in regione vivorum sung, doubled, with Pss. 114, 119, 120, 129 and 137. Requiem aeternam etc is sung at the end of each psalm in place of Gloria Patri etc. After the psalms there is a versicle and response but no hymn. After the antiphon on the Magnificat the choir kneels for a Pater noster, some versicles and the collect. Following the 1911-13 changes Compline takes a special form, newly created in that reform, 'Compline of the Dead', with Pss. 122, 141 and 142.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' both the Vigil and Octave of All Saints have been abolished. At Mattins there is no ninth lesson of the Sunday.  At Prime the lectio brevis is of the season and at the Little Hours the antiphons are doubled. At Mass the last Gospel is In principio. The 'double Vespers' has been abolished and Vespers for the Dead will not be sung until tomorrow afternoon.

Christ the King - XXII Sunday after Pentecost

The feast of Christ the King is a Double of the First Class and its liturgical colour is white. This year it is also the twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost and the fourth Sunday of October.  The Sunday is commemorated in the Office and at Mass.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Pacificus etc were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Te saeculorum Principem. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday was sung (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Exaudiat Dominus for the Saturday before the fourth Sunday of October. The Suffrage was omitted. At Compline the Dominical psalms were sung and Te lucis was sung with the Doxology Jesu, tibi sit gloria, Qui sceptra mundi temperas, Cum Patre et almo Spiritu, In sempiterna saecula. The Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Jesum Christum, Regem regum Venite adoremus and the Office hymn Aeterna Imagao Altissimi. In the first nocturn the antiphons Ego autem etc are sung, doubled, with Pss.2, 8 & 23. The lessons are taken from St. Paul's Epistle to the Colossians. In the second nocturn the antiphons Sedebit etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 28, 44 & 46. The lessons are taken from Pius XI's encyclical Quas primas. In the third nocturn the antiphons Benedicentur in ipso are sung, doubled, with Pss. 71, 88i, 88ii. The homily on St. John's Gospel is taken from the writings of St. Augustine. The ninth lesson is the homily appointed for the twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, a homily from St. Hiliary on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons Suscitabit etc are sung, doubled, with the Dominical psalms. The Office hymn is Vexilla Christus inclyta. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung.

At the Hours the Doxology Jesu, tibi sit gloria etc is sung with the hynms. At Prime, Pss. 53, 118(i) & 118(ii), and the Hours the antiphons Suscitabit etc are sung in the usual order. The versicle in the short responsory is Qui primatum in omnibus tenes and the lectio brevis In ipso.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday, the Creed is sung. The preface is proper to the feast and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers all is sung as at first Vespers except the versicle & response and the antiphon on the Magnificat which are proper to second Vespers. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' at Vespers there was no commemoration of the Sunday (if it were to be commemorated it would be the fifth Sunday of October). At Compline Te lucis was sung with the ordinary Doxology. At Mattins, in the third nocturn, the third psalm (Ps. 88ii) gets stripped of over half its verses. Verses Tu vero repulisti... to Benedictus Dominus in aeternam, fiat, fiat, 39 - 53, are omitted. The former eighth lesson is split into two to provide an eighth and ninth lesson as the homily of the Sunday is omitted. At Lauds there is no commemoration of the Sunday. At Prime and the Hours the Doxology for the feast is omitted. At Prime the lectio brevis is of the season. At Mass there is no commemoration of the Sunday and the last Gospel is In principio. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Image: Christ the King, detail from the Ghent Altarpiece, Jan van Eyck

St Luke the Evangelist - Mission Sunday

The feast of St. Luke the Evangelist is a Double of the Second Class and its liturgical colour is red. St. Luke was probably born in Antioch in Syria and was a physician. He is the author of the Gospel that bears his name and the Acts of the Apostles. He is one of the Four Evangelists and is traditionally represented by an ox. St. Luke is believed to have died at the age of 84 in Boeotia, and his tomb was located at Thebes. The twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, and the third Sunday of October is commemorated at Vespers, Mattins, Lauds and Mass. The third Sunday of October is also Mission Sunday and, as noted below, an oratio imperata pro re gravi is ordered to be added to all Masses following a rescript of the SCR of April 14th, 1926.

At first Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Hoc est praeceptum meum etc were sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Exsultet orbis gaudiis. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Margaret Mary and of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Lugebat autem Judam for the Saturday before the third Sunday of October. The Suffrage was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Apostolorum Dominum, * Venite adoremus and the Office hymn is Aeterna Christi munera. In the first nocturn the antiphons In omnem terram etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 18, 33 & 44. The lessons are from the common of Evangelists and are the Incipit of the Book of the Prophet Ezechiel, In the second nocturn the antiphons Principes populorum etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 46, 60 & 63. The lessons are proper to the feast and are taken from St. Jerome's Book on Ecclesiastical Writers. In the third nocturn the antiphons Exaltabuntur etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 74, 96 & 98. The lessons are again from the Common of Evangelists and a homily from St. Gregory on the Gospels. The ninth lesson is of the Sunday. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Hoc est praeceptum meum etc., are sung, doubled, with the Dominical psalms (Pss. 92, 99, 62, Benedicite & 148). After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung. The Suffrage is omitted.

At the Hours the antiphons of Lauds are sung in the usual order. At Prime, Pss. 53, 118(i) & 118(ii), the lectio brevis is Ibant Apostoli and the Dominical preces are omitted.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday, the third collect is Deus, qui nos homines (from the Votive Mass for the Propagation of the Faith). The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Apostles and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At second Vespers the antiphons Juravit Dominus etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 112, 115, 125 & 138. The Office hymn is Exsultet orbis gaudiis. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Peter of Alcantara and of the Sunday. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the 'green' Sunday takes precedence over the feast of St. Luke. This year the third Sunday of October is omitted and today becomes the fourth Sunday (this happens when the third Sunday falls on a date from 18th to 21st October). At Vespers the antiphon on the Magnificat was Exaudiat Dominus for the Saturday before the fourth Sunday of October. There were no commemorations. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds a commemoration of St. Luke is sung. At Mass the collect Deus, qui nos homines is added to the collect of the Sunday under a single conclusion. At Low Masses a commemoration of St. Luke is said. The last Gospel is In principio. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

St. Luke from an early seventeenth century Armenian Gospel Bodleian Library MS. Arm. d.13. Armenian Gospels-0043-0" by Unknown - The Bodleian Library, University of Oxford. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 via Commons.

Maternity of the BVM

The feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Double of the Second Class and its liturgical colour is white. The feast was instituted in the Universal Calendar in 1932 by Pius XI in honour of the fifteenth centenary of the Council of Ephesus where Mary had been defined as Mother of God. The feast had been granted to Portuguese dioceses in the eighteenth century and by the time of the 1911-13 reform the feast was being kept in almost all local calendars for celebration on the second Sunday of October (with the introit Salve sancta parens otherwise textually the same). The Gospel is St. Luke's account of finding the young Christ in the Temple debating with the doctors of the law. The twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, and second Sunday of October, is commemorated at Vespers, Mattins, Lauds and Mass.

At Vespers yesterday the antiphons Beata es, etc, proper to the feast, were sung doubled with Pss. 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147. The Office hymn was Ave, maris stella. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday was sung (the antiphon on the Magnificat was Refulsti sol for the Saturday before the second Sunday of October). The Suffrage was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation, Jesu, tibi sit gloria etc.

At Mattins the invitatory is Maternitatem beate Marie Virginis celebremus * Christum Filium adoremus Dominum and the Office hymn is Caelo Redemptor praetulit. In the first nocturn the antiphons Benedicta tu etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 8, 18 & 23 from the Common. The lessons in the first nocturn are from the Book of Ecclesiasticus. In the second nocturn the antiphons Specie tua etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 44, 45 & 86. The fourth and fifth lessons are from a sermon by St. Leo on the Nativity of the LORD and the sixth lesson is from the writings of Pius XI. In the third nocturn the antiphons Gaude, Maria Virgo etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 95,96 & 97. The lessons are from a homily by St. Bernard, the ninth lesson is of the commemorated Sunday,

At Lauds the antiphons Beata es etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 92, 99, 62, Benedicite and 148. The Office hymn is Te, Mater alma Numinis. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung.

At Prime and the Hours the hymns are sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation. At Prime, Pss. 53, 118(i) & 118i(i) the verse in the short responsory is Qui natus es and the lectio brevis is In plateis.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the BVM (Et te in Festivitate) and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers all is sung as at first Vespers except that the antiphon on the Magnificat is Maternitas tua etc. After the collect of the feast of commemoration of the Sunday is sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the 'green' Sunday takes precedence over the feast. The hymns of the Hours have the ordinary Doxology. At Vespers on Saturday there were no commemorations. Sunday Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. The feast is commemorated at Lauds and Low Masses only. Vespers are of the Sunday without any commemorations.

XIX Sunday after Pentecost

The nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the first Sunday of October. The Gospel pericopes contain the parable of the wedding feast from St. Matthew's Gospel with the sobering concluding words of the LORD Multi enim sunt vocati, pauci vero electi.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The Office hymn was Jam sol recedit igneus. The antiphon on the Magnifcat was Adaperiat Dominus for the Saturday before the first Sunday of October. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus and of St. Francis of Assisi. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins, from this Sunday, the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum and the Office hymn is Primo die. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the First Book of the Machabees. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from the book of St. Ambrose's Book of Offices. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Gregory on St. Matthew's Gospel. At Lauds the Office hymn is Aeterne rerum. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus is sung. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted.

At Prime, Pss. 117, 118(i) & 118(ii), both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Francis of Assisi. Today there is no third collect. The Creed is sung and the the preface of the Blessed Trinity.

Prior to the reform of 1911-13 the first Sunday in October was the feast of the Most Holy Rosary of the BVM. All Masses, except the Conventual Mass (although a Double of the Second Class the feast had special privileges), may be of the feast. The Mass Gaudeamus is sung in white vestments. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday and the third collect is of St. Francis of Assisi. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Blessed Virgin and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers, Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113, the Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following Office of St. Placid & Companions and of St. Francis of Assisi. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at either Vespers. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is but a single collect. Two Masses of the Rosary may be celebrated, only one of them a High or sung Mass. The Sunday is commemorated but not St. Francis and the last Gospel is In principio.

Art: Jerome Nadal

XVIII Sunday after Pentecost

The eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the fifth Sunday of September. The Gospel pericopes from St. Matthew relate the healing of a paralytic, both by being forgiven his sins and being physically healed by the LORD.

As Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The Office hymn was Jam sol recedit igneus. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Domine, Rex omnipotens for the Saturday before the fifth Sunday of September. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration was sung of SS Cosmas & Damian follwed by the Suffrage of the Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Dominum qui fecit nos and the Office hymn is Nocte surgentes. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the book of Esther. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from St. Ambrose's Book of Offices. In the third nocturn the lessons are a homily from St. Peter Chrysologus on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Aeterne. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of SS Cosmas & Damian followed by the Suffrage of the Saints.

At Prime, Pss. 117, 118(i) & 118(ii), both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are sung.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of SS Cosmas & Damian, the third collect is A cunctis. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

At Vespers, Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113, the Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following Office of St. Wenceslaus and of SS Cosmas & Damian followed by the Suffrage of the Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' today is the fourth Sunday of September. At Vespers on Saturday the antiphon was Adonai, Domine and there were no commemorations. The Suffrage of the Saints and the Dominical preces have been abolished. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is but a single collect. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal