XXII Sunday after Pentecost and 3rd Sunday of October

The XXII Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite. It is also the third Sunday of October.

The rules of concurrence (basically what happens at Vespers between two Offices) mean that second Vespers of Saturday's feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin take precedence over first Vespers of the Sunday. The Sunday is commemorated (the antiphon at the Magnificat being Lugebat autem Judam). At Compline Te lucis is sung to the Marian tone and the Marian Doxology Jesu tibi sit gloria is used.

The Sunday's office begins with Mattins. As usual Mattins has three nocturns and nine lessons. The third nocturn lessons reflect on the Gospel, on what should be rendered unto Caesar. At Lauds the Suffrage of the Saints is sung. At Prime the Athanasian Creed, Quicumque vult, is sung, as are the Dominical preces.

Mass, as usual for Sundays, follows Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is for the interecesion of all the saints, A cunctis nos, the third collect is chosen by the celebrant, or by the Dean, from those that can be used, the Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

In Vespers a commemoration of the following feast of St. Edward the Confessor is made and the Suffrgage of the Saints is sung. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.


In the 'liturgical books of 1962' a familiar pattern is observed. The Marian Doxology has been stripped from Compline on Saturday. Mattins is axed down to one nocturn of three lessons, the Patristic lessons from the second nocturn being entirely omitted. The Suffrage of the Saints is not sung at Lauds, neither is the Athanasian Creed at Prime, nor are there preces. At Mass there is only one collect. In Vespers there is no commemoration at Vespers of St. Edward and no suffrage. At Compline the preces are not sung.

It is somewhat amusing, and certainly very sad from one perspective, to look at the Services scheduled for the famous and beautiful Collegiate Church of St. Peter in Westminster (Westminster Abbey) for next week (here) The Dean, Dr. Hall, his Canons, chaplains and staff maintain a choral tradition that it would be difficult to find emulated by the users of the 1962 liturgical books. One can only look with admiration and envy at those entries for days described as 'Octave of St. Edward the Confessor' praying, of course, that the Dean and his Chapter are granted a blessed Octave. What, one might ask, will the unfortunate users of the 'liturgical books of 1962' do in a church whose titular is St. Edward for the octave? Nothing! Such octaves were abolished by the 'Bugnini Commission' in 1955. Thankfully, some people have an understanding of Liturgical Tradition and some taste.

Art: Jerome Nadal, S.J. 1595 illustrations for the Gospels. We are grateful to Fr. Cusick for alerting us to these beautiful images.