Saturday 27 December 2008

St. John Apostle and Evangelist

Today is the feast of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, it is a double of the second class with a simple octave.

The Office is again proper. As for all days until Epiphany hymns of Iambic metre have the special Doxology and tone in honour of the Incarnation. Mattins has three nocturns and the Nativity of the LORD is commemorated at Lauds, Mass and Vespers.

At Mass the Gloria and Credo are sung. The preface and communicantes are of the Nativity.

Vespers are of the Nativity but from the chapter of St. John. A commemoration of tomorrow's feast of the Holy Innocents is made and of the Octave of the Nativity.

In pre-1911 practice the day within the octave of St. Stephen's feast was also commemorated at Lauds, Mass and Vespers.

Following the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Doxology in honour of the Incarnation is omitted in the hymns of the Little Hours. At the Little Hours ferial antiphons and psalms are used. Vespers is of the Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity. No commemoration of the Octave is made nor is there any commemoration of the Holy Innocents.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tommorow for the 12/28 sunday in the octave of Christmas, is there to be a commemoration of the holy innocents at lauds and vespers??

Rubricarius said...

No. Tomorrow IS the feast of the Holy Innnocents with a commemoration of the Octave of the Nativity of the LORD. The 1962ists will have some peculiar practice in its place.

Kevin said...

Anticipating tomorrow's post, can you explain why this semi-duplex Sunday is transferred while other semi-duplex Sundays like the ones post Pentecost are suppressed?

Rubricarius said...

Kevin,

Excellent point. I will make some comments on this for the post on the 'Sunday' on 30th December.