Thursday 5 November 2009

Within the Octave

Apart from Wednesday of this week, and of course All Soul's Day, all the days are of the Octave of All Saints and of semi-double rite.

The Office is as on the feast except that ferial psalmody is used and, of course, the antiphons for the psalms are not doubled. At Mattins the first nocturn lessons are from the prophet Ezechiel, the begining of his book having been transferred from Sunday to Monday. In the second nocturn SS Bede, Bernard and Chrysostom provide the lessons and in the third nocturn the homilies are from St. Augustine.

At Mass the proper Gaudeamus is sung with Gloria and Creed. The second collect is of the Holy Ghost, Deus, qui corda and the third for the Church or pope.

On Tuesday the prescribed Mass was of the 'resumed Sunday' celebrated in green without Gloria and Creed with the second collect of the Octave and the third Deus, qui corda. With no Gloria the dismissal was Benedicamus Domino. 'Private' Masses on Monday were permitted of the Octave with a commemoration of the resumed Sunday and third collect Deus, qui corda.

On Wednesday the feast of St. Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan, was celebrated as a double. The Octave was commemorated at Vespers, Lauds and Mass and a commemoration made of SS Vitalis and Agricola.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' fourth class ferial days replace the former days once graced by the celebration of the Octave. St. Charles is reduced to a third class feast of three lessons. On Saturday the Saturday celebration of the BVM takes place.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Within Ocatves are the ferials psalms always used with the antiphons(not doubled) of the feast. Many office books say: all as on the feast i.e.the festal psalms and festal antt.. Can you give a general guideline on Ocatves.Thanks.
Alan Robinson

Rubricarius said...

Within Common Octaves the antiphons and psalms are of the current feria, the rest of the Office as on the feast itself.

During privilged Octaves (Easter, Pentecost, Christmas, Corpus Christi, Epiphany, Ascension and the Sacred Heart the antiphons and psalms from the feast are used during the Octave.

This distinction was introduced in 1913. Hitherto an Octave was an Octave and the psalms of the feast were used.

Hope that helps.

Zephyrinus said...

Dear Rubricarius. My first visit to your wonderful Blog. May I respectfully congratulate you ? It is divine to read how the Liturgy was before all the revisions. I feel as though I am at Chartres or Cluny in the 11th Century. Magnificent. Divine, indeed.

Rubricarius said...

Zephyrinus,

Thank you. It is good to know people appreciate the opus.

If I ever need inspiration I look at Dr. Barton's beautiful blog about English Medieval art:http://medieval-church-art.blogspot.com/

Zephyrinus said...

Dear Rubricarius. Most grateful for the pointer towards Dr. Barton's beautiful blog about English Medieval art:http://medieval-church-art.blogspot.com/
I have added it to my blog reading and find it fascinating. Thank you.