V Sunday after Pentecost

The fifth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite. It is also, this year, the Sunday within the Octave of St. John the Baptist. The liturgical colour is green.

At Vespers yesterday the psalms of Saturday were sung. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of SS John and Paul and of the Octave of St. John the Baptist. The Suffrage of the Saints was not sung nor were the Dominical preces at Compline because of the occurring double feast and Octave.

At Mattins there are the usual three nocturns. The invitatory and hymn are as last Sunday. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Second Book of the Kings. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from St. Gregory the Great's Book on Morals. In the third nocturn the homily on St. Matthew's Gospel is from St. Augustine. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds a commemoration is sung of the Octave of St. John the Baptist. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted due to the Octave.

At Prime psalms 117, 118i & 118ii are sung. The Dominical preces are omitted due to the Octave.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Octave, there is no third collect - the general rule for Sundays within Octaves. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

As a result of Pius X moving the feast of St. John the Baptist to the Sunday preceding the feast of SS Peter and Paul in 1911 the rubrics allow for the celebration of the Mass of the feast on the Sunday to which it was formerly attached. All Masses, except the Conventual Mass, may be of St. John the Baptist celebrated in white vestments. The Mass De ventre is sung. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday, the Creed is sung (because of the Sunday), the preface is of the Blessed Trinity and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

Vespers are of the Sunday with a commemoration of the following feast of St. Irenaeus and of the Octave. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted at Vespers and the Dominical preces not sung at Compline because of the occurring double feast and Octave.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations or Suffrage at Vespers. The Octave of the Great Forerunner has been abolished. Mattins is cut down to one nocturn of three lessons. There are no commemorations or Suffrage at Lauds. At Prime there is neither Quicumque is sung nor the Dominical preces despite there being no commemorated double feast or Octave. Mass has a single collect.

Art: Jerome Nadal

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Today is the great feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. It is a double of the first class with an Octave. The liturgical colour for the feast and Octave is white. The celebration of the feast on June 24th is ancient and is mentioned by the Council of Agde in 506 and in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum. In the 1568 Breviary the feast appears as a double (of the first class) with Octave, the Octave also being found in the various pre-Tridentine uses. In 1911 Pius X moved the feast from the 24th June to the Sunday before the feast of SS Peter and Paul and then, in 1913 restored it to its traditional date. The feast was stripped of its Octave by Pius XII.

In some places a ceremony of the Blessing of Fires in honour of St. John the Baptist takes on the Vigil of the Feast. The Rituale contains a rite of blessing of fire, the newly lit fire being aspersed whilst the Vespers hymn Ut queant laxis is sung. In last Saturday's 'Daily Telegraph' Christopher Howse gave a fascinating glimpse of St. John's Eve in sixteenth century London from the writer John Stow who records that in addition to bonfires at every street corner "every man's door being shadowed with green birch, long fennel, St. John's wort, orpin, white lilies, and such like, garnished upon with garlands of beautiful flowers, had also lamps of glass, with oil burning in them all night; some hung out braches of iron curiously wrought, containing hundreds of lamps alight at once, which made a goodly show, namely in New Fish Street, Thames Street, &c."

The feast began with First Vespers yesterday. The antiphons, Ipse praeibit etc, were proper and sung the psalms of Vespers from the Common of Apostles. The rest of the Office is proper with the hymn Ut queant laxis resonare fibris. The hymn famously rises through a scale in its verses: Ut (Doh), Resonare, Mira, Famuli, Solve, Labii. There were no commemorations at Vespers. Compline of Sunday was sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is proper Regem Praecursoris Dominum, Venite adoremus. The Office hymn is Antra deserti teneris sub annis. The antiphons, psalms and responsories are proper for all three nocturns. In the first nocturn the lessons are taken from the Incipit of the Prophet Jeremiah. In the second nocturn the lessons are from a sermon by St. Augustine on the saints and in the third nocturn the homily is from the writings of St. Ambrose on the first chapter of St. Luke's Gospel. At Lauds the antiphons Elisabeth Zachariae etc are sung with the Sunday psalms. The rest of Lauds is proper to the feast with the Office hymn O nimis felix.

At the Hours the antiphons of Lauds are sung with the Sunday psalms. At Prime (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii) the lectio brevis is Reges videbunt.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Mass is proper, De ventre. The Gloria is sung, there is only one collect. The Creed is not sung, the common preface is sung. (In the various regional uses of the Old Roman Rite there were proper prefaces for both the Feast and its Vigil e.g. The Missal of Robert of Jumieges.)

At Second Vespers the antiphons sung at Lauds are sung again with the psalms from Vespers for the Common of Apostles. The hymn Ut queant laxis is again sung, the rest of the Office is proper to the feast. A commemoration is sung of the following feast of St. William. At Compline the Sunday psalms are sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the feast remains relatively unscathed. The antiphons are of course doubled at the Little Hours, Prime has the ferial lection brevis. At Mass there is the addition of the Creed. The Octave has been stripped away.

Those with a liking or interest in the music of Byrd, Gibbons and Hooper may be interested in this recording from BBC's Choral Evensong broadcast from Westminster Abbey yesterday afternoon. The service opens with Gibbons' stunningly wonderful This is the record of John.

Icon: A Russian icon of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist from Wikipedia.

Vigil of St. John the Baptist

The Vigil of St. John the Baptist is of simple rite. The liturgical colour is violet.

The Vigil begins with the Office of Mattins and Lauds. At Mattins the invitatory, hymn, antiphons and psalms are taken from the ferial psalter. The last three psalms, or rather three psalm-fragments, are from 'Feria quarta ad Matutinum, in III Nocturno II'. The lessons for the nocturn are proper to the Vigil and are taken from a homily of St. Ambrose on St. Luke's Gospel. The responsories are taken from the Wednesday after the IV Sunday after Pentecost. At Lauds the second schema is sung (a modified form of the ancient ferial Lauds) with psalms 50, 64, 100, Exsultavit cor meum and 145. The versicle and response after the hymn, and the antiphon on the Benedictus are of the Vigil. After the antiphon on the Benedictus has been repeated the Choir kneels and the ferial preces are sung. Following the preces the collect of the Vigil is sung followed by the Suffrage of the Saints.

At the Hours all is taken from the ferial psalter except the collect which is of the Vigil. At Prime psalm 96, displaced from Lauds, is sung after the psalms of Wednesday. The ferial chapter, Pacem et veritatem, is sung as are the Dominical and ferial preces the Choir kneeling. At the other Little Hours the ferial preces are also sung, kneeling.

Mass is sung after None. The ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle. The Mass is proper with the introit Ne timeas, Zacharia. There is no Gloria. The second collect is of the BVM, Concede nos, the third collect Ecclesiae, for the Church or for the pope. Benedicamus Domino is sung as the dismissal.

After Mass the liturgical colour changes as the great feast of the Forerunner begins with First Vespers.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the ferial preces are not sung at Lauds or Little Hours. At Prime the fourth psalm is not added, Pacem et veritatem has been abolished so the formerly feastal Regi saeculorum is sung. The Dominical preces are not sung either. At Mass, sung after Terce, there is only one collect and the dismissal is Ite, missa est.

IV Sunday after Pentecost

The fourth Sunday after Pentecost is the first 'green' Sunday since January 24th (not counting the anticipated fourth Sunday after Epiphany that was celebrated on the Saturday before Septuagesima) so time for sacristans to take out the best sets of green vestments.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Juliana of Falconeri and St. Silverius. The Suffrage of the Saints at Vespers and the Dominical preces at Compline were omitted at because of the occurring double feast.

At Mattins the invitatory is Dominum qui fecit nos and the 'summer' hymn Nocte surgentes is sung. In the first nocturn the lessons are taken from the First Book of Kings. In the second nocturn the lessons are from a sermon of St. Augustine and in the third nocturn from St. Ambrose on the Gospel of St. Luke on the huge catch of fish at the lake of Genesareth. At Lauds a commemoration of St. Silverius is sung followed by the Suffrage of the Saints.

At Prime Quicumque is sung as are the Dominical preces.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Silverius, the third collect is A cunctis. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

Vespers are of the Sunday with a commemoration of the following feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted at Vespers and the Dominical preces not sung at Compline because of the occurring double feast.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' both Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart are considered less important than in previous times and so both feasts have lost their Octaves. Users of the 1962 books have had two 'green' Sundays already. At Vespers there are no commemorations. Mattins is cut down to one nocturn of three lessons. There are no commemorations or the Suffrage at Lauds. At Prime neither Quicumque is sung nor the Dominical preces. Mass has a single collect.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Sunday within the Octave of the Sacred Heart

Sunday within the Octave of the Sacred Heart, the third Sunday after Pentecost, is of semi-double rite. The structure of the Office is as last Sunday and again the liturgical colour is white. The Gospel pericopes from St. Luke have the parable of the shepherd going after one sheep missing from his hundred strong flock.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of the feast of the Sacred Heart Suavi jugo tuo etc are sung. The antiphons are not doubled. The chapter is proper to the Sunday, the hymn as on the feast of the Sacred Heart. Commemorations were sung of St. John of St. Facundo, St. Anthony of Padua and the Octave of the Sacred Heart. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the Doxology Jesu tibi sit gloria, Qui Corde fundis gratiam, Cum Patre et almo Spiritu, In sempiterna gloria.

At Mattins the invitatory, hymn, antiphons and psalms are as on the feast of the Sacred Heart but the antiphons are not doubled. In the first nocturn the lessons are a continuation of the First Book of the Kings. The responses are of the Octave. In the second nocturn the lessons are from the Encyclical of Pius XI in 1928 that, inter alia, gave the feast an Octave. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Gregory on St. Lukes Gospel. At Lauds the antiphons Unus militum etc are sung, as on the feast, with the Dominical psalms. Commemorations are sung of St. Anthony of Padua and the Octave.

At the Hours the hymns have the Doxology Jesu tibi sit gloria etc. The antiphons from Lauds are sung. At Prime the feastal psalms are sung (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii). In the short responsory the versicle Qui Corde fundis gratiam is sung. The lectio brevis is of the Sunday, Deus autem.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Anthony, the third collect of the Octave. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Sacred Heart.

At Vespers the antiphons and psalms of the feast are sung. The chapter is of the Sunday, the hymn of the feast. Commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Basil, St. Anthony and the Octave.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Octave has gone, having been abolished by Pius XII in 1955. It is an interesting example of discontinuity in successive pontificates. In 1928 Pius XI had instituted a privileged third order Octave for the feast (the last Octave to be created) but his immediate successor removed it along with most of the other Octaves barely a quarter century later. So in the 1962 books today returns to being a green Sunday. At Vespers there are no commemorations. Mattins is stripped down to one nocturn of three lessons. Lauds has no commemorations. Mass has one collect etc.

My newly acquired 1962 Missale Romanum

No, I have not finally flipped and there is no need for a straight-jacket! A parcel arrived on Wednesday morning containing a rather nice set of Monastic Breviaries from 1884 and an interesting, though I would certainly not describe it as nice, altar edition of the 1962 Missale Romanum.

The current game (what would Eric Berne have to say?) played out on a host of 'Traddieland' Blogs of pretending that the 1962 Missale Romanum is somehow 'the ancient Mass', the 'Gregorian Mass', the 'Tridentine Mass', the 'TLM' or 'The Mass of Ages' etc ad nauseam and that its use extended until Paul VI's 1970 Missale Romanum dropped out of a clear blue sky is both highly innacurate and indeed offensive to those of us who value truth and integrity. However, perhaps it is time to look at what happened to the 1962 MR between 1962 and the promulgation of the Novus Ordo Missae by Paul VI in 1969. Over 300 posts on this blog have, generally, looked at how the 1962 rite differs from the rite that preceded it so it may be useful to consider looking briefly at what followed the 1962 rite.

As a starting point let us look at my latest acquistion. It is a 1962 edition of the Missal published in the United States of America in 1964. On the title page, above) the date of publication can be seen. Following this is a Decree from the Episcopal Conference of the USA followed by a decree addressed to the same Episcopal Conference of the USA from the Consilium, Protocol No. 622/64, stating inter alia what parts of the Mass may be celebrated in the vernacular. Interesting to note the familiar name of the Secretary. Then one finds Quo primum, Cum sanctissimum, Si quid est, Rubricarum instructum and Novum rubricarum, the 1962 rubrics etc.





After the usual contents turning of the pages brings one to the First Sunday of Advent. This is what one finds:


Note that the introit, re-named 'antiphon at the introit' in the 1962 MR (the term used for the first time in the Ordo Hebdomadae Sanctae Instauratus in 1956) and later books, is in English. The collect and other orations remain in Latin but the Epistle, Gradual, Alleluia, Gospel, 'antiphon at the offertory' and 'and antiphon at communion' are also in the vernacular.



Turning to the Ordo Missae one finds Judica me and Psalm 42 in Latin. Judica me, as we shall see in subsequent posts, was cut for all days in the '1965' rite but its inclusion here indicates this is a 1962 edition of the Missal. However, turning the page one finds the Kyrie and Gloria in English.




Then the introduction to the proclamation of the Gospel is also in English as is the Creed. All is then back in Latin until the Sanctus.



The Canon remains in Latin but the Pater noster, Agnus Dei, dismissal and blessing are in English.



So here we have an example of a 1962 Missal which has seen a significant number of texts vernacularised but with no other structural changes. It seems the 'Mass of Ages' would be better described as the Mass of the Age. Later in 1964 came the next stage of the reform which structurally altered the Ordo Missae, and much more besides. This will be discussed in further posts.

As to this edition of the 1962 MR it will be joining its stable mates firmly upside-down on my shelves.

The Octave Day of Corpus Christi

The Octave Day of Corpus Christi is of greater double rite. Only the feasts of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist and SS Peter and Paul can be celebrated on the Octave Day. Other Doubles of the First Class are transferred if they fall on this day.

At Vespers yesterday the antiphons Sacerdos in aeternum etc were sung, doubled, with the psalms, chapter and hymn etc as on the feast. The antiphon on the Magnificat was O quam suavis est as at First Vespers of the feast itself. A commemoration was sung of St. Margaret Queen of Scotland.

At Mattins all is sung as on the feast except the lessons. In the first nocturn these continue to be read from the first Book of the Kings. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from a Sermon of St. Cyrill of Jerusalem and in the third nocturn the homily is from St. Cyrill of Alexandria. The responsories are those of the feast, that have been used thoughout the Octave. At Lauds all is sung as on the feast but, in addition, a commemoration of St. Margaret is sung.

The Mass Cibavit is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Margaret, the Sequence Lauda Sion is sung, the Creed is sung and the preface is of the Nativity.

The Caeremoniale Episcoporum directs, C.E. Lib II, Cap. XXXIII, #34, directs that a Procession with the Sacrament take place after Vespers on the Octave Day of Corpus Christi. However, with changes in made in the first part of the twentieth century Second Vespers were no longer celebrated and replaced by First Vespers of the Sacred Heart.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' of course the Octave Day has gone. Today becomes a III class feast without first Vespers, with a single nocturn etc.

A re-ordered Sanctuary of the 1950s

Purusing the Web after reading Arthur Crumly's post on the Liturgical Movement and reform I found the following interesting site of The Liturgical Institute detailing history of the American movement and biographical information about some of its members.

The photograph above comes from the pages noting the contribution of Reynold Hillenbrand at the church of the Sacred Heart, Hubbard's Woods, Illinois. The caption explaining the photograph reads:

'Hillenbrand is shown at left [the photograph is to the left of the caption on the website] in Sacred Heart Church after the 1957 parish renovation. As a pioneer of liturgical reform, Hillenbrand sought permission to say Mass “facing the people” in the late 1950s, shown here in the short interim period when tabernacles were still placed on altars.'

Hillenbrand's church had been renovated/re-ordered/ changed in line with 1950s thinking on matters liturgical. Below is a 'before' photograph followed by an 'after' one with text from the website between them.

'The 1957 renovation of Sacred Heart Church was Hillenbrand’s most significant intervention in the parish’s physical plant. Hillenbrand knew well the artistic leaders of the Liturgical Movement, and was himself a member of the Board of Directors of Liturgical Arts magazine. Hillenbrand was greatly influenced by the architectural standards of the day, which saw the altar, freestanding tabernacle, crucifix and rear wall hanging to constitute the “liturgical altar.” His renovation, which did not occur without significant resistance on the part of some parishioners, reveals the somewhat radical influence of the dominant architectural establishment, which considered historical styles “fakery” and preferred singularity of image to multiplicity. The Gothic high altar was given to St. Mary’s Church in Fremont Center, Illinois (where it remains today) and side altars were removed so as to have only one altar in the church. The crucifix and sculptures of the Blessed Virgin and Saint Joseph were completed by Ivan Mestrovic. Hillenbrand’s signature intervention was the “Vine and Branches” sculpture by Joseph O’Connell on the rear wall of the sanctuary, a reminder to the people of their status as Mystical Body of Christ. The baptistery was moved to the front of the church to reinforce the connection between baptism and Eucharist. While Hillenbrand’s renovation was certainly foreign to the architectural lines of the existing church, it nonetheless preserved the use of high quality marble for the altar and sanctuary and the highest level of craft, reiterating the importance of the sacred building and sacral action.'

Yet another example of what was happening during the 1950s yet why is it on so many 'Traddy' blogs we read over and over again about the unchanging 'TLM', the 'wicked Council' and 'no reform before Paul VI'?

The Vigil of Pentecost in photographs

Saint Gertrude the Great have posted some photographs of the Vigil of Pentecost celebrated there in May. I believe these photographs are unique in being the only set currently available on the Web showing the celebration of the Vigil of Pentecost. For for those who have never seen the Vigil celebrated a most valuable resource.

The photographs show the celebration of the function at the faldstool but the structure of the service can be followed from the post here on the celebration of this magnificent Vigil.

Hopefully, in the fullness of time, many more Vigils of Pentecost will be celebrated across the globe.

Within the Octave of Corpus Christi

The days within the Octave of Corpus Christi are of semi-double rite.

Everything is sung as on the feast except the antiphons are not doubled and the lessons at Mattins. In the first nocturn the lessons are from the First Book of the Kings. In the second nocturn sermons from SS Chrysostom, Cyprian and Ambrose are read on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. In the third nocturn the homilies on Monday and Tuesday are from St. Augustine and on Wednesday from St. Hilary. Commemorations are sung at Lauds of any occurring feasts.

At Mass Cibavit is sung. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is Concede nos, the third collect Ecclesiae for the Church or Deus omnium. (When a double feast is simplified and is commemorated at Lauds then these prayers are omitted and the feast commemorated. Semi-doubles and simples replace the collects of the season at Mass.) The Sequence Lauda Sion may be sung. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Nativity.

Vespers are as on the feast, except that the antiphons are not doubled.

A common practice in former times was for both Mass and Vespers to be celebrated coram Sanctissimo, with the Sacrament exposed for both.

Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi

Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi, the Second Sunday after Pentecost, is of semi-double rite. Today the altars and vestments of the traditional Roman rite are of the finest white in honour of the Octave of the feast of the Sacrament of the LORD's Passion, Death and Resurrection.

At Vespers yesterday the antiphons and psalms were as on the feast of Corpus Christi. The antiphons Sacerdos in aeternum etc, not doubled, were sung with psalms 109, 110, 115, 127 & 147. The chapter was of the Sunday, the hymn and the following versicle & response were of the feast. The antiphon on the Magnificat and collect were of the Sunday followed by commemorations of the Octave, St. Norbert and St. Boniface. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation, Jesu tibi sit gloria, Qui natus es de Virgine, Cum Patre et almo Spiritu, In sempiterna saecula.

At Mattins the invitatory is Christum Regem adoremus dominantem Gentibus: Qui se manducantibus dat spiritus pinguedinem. The Office hymn is Sacris solemnis. The antiphons and psalms are as on the feast of Corpus Christi. The lessons are proper to the Sunday. In the first nocturn they are taken from the First Book of Kings. In the second nocturn they are taken from a sermon of St. Chrysostom to the people of Antioch and the homily in the third nocturn is from St. Gregory on St. Luke's Gospel. At Lauds the antiphons are those sung on the feast of Corpus Christi, Sapientia etc. The chapter is of the Sunday, the hymn as on the feast. The antiphon on the Benedictus and collect are of the Sunday. Commemorations are sung of the Octave and of St. Norbert.

At the Little Hours the hymns are sung to the same tone as on the feast of the Nativity of the LORD (there of course being a deep link between the Incarnation and Corpus Christi) with the Doxology Jesu tibi sit gloria etc. At Prime the festal psalms are sung (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii), the versicle in the short responsory is Qui natus es for the feast and Octave, the short lesson is Filioli mei, of the Sunday.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Octave, the third collect of St Norbert. The Creed is sung and the preface is that of the Nativity.

In Collegiate and Cathedral Churches a Mass of the feast is sung after None with Gloria, second collect of the Sunday, the Sequence Lauda Sion, Creed, preface of the Nativity and last Gospel of the Sunday. After this a Procession is made as on the feast.

At Vespers the antiphons and psalms are as at Second Vespers of the feast. The chapter is of the Sunday, the hymn, versicle & response of the feast and the antiphon on the Magnificat and collect of the Sunday. Commemorations are sung of the Octave and St. Norbert.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi has been abolished. The Second Sunday after Pentecost is celebrated as a 'green' Sunday. Mattins is stripped down to one nocturn of three lessons. There are no commemorations at either Vespers, Lauds or Mass. The hymn tones are not those of the Nativity, the Doxology has gone, the versicle at Prime has gone as has the preface of the Nativity to be replaced by the common preface. A rubric in the 1962 missal does allow two 'votive Masses II class' where a procession takes place in the 'seven days following the feast'.

Ironically, in the 1970-2002 rite in many countries some of the former character of the Sunday within the Octave has been restored where the External Solemnity or the feast itself is observed on this Sunday and white vestments are again used. Few people realise that in the 1911 changes Pius X actually moved Corpus Christi from the Thursday after Trinity Sunday to the Second Sunday after Pentecost in his Motu proprio De diebus festis of 2 July 1911, AAS III (1911) p.305. Someone in the SRC obviously managed to reason with Pius X and the Motu proprio was substantially reversed (a ray of hope for the current time?) by a decree of the SRC twenty-two days later, Evulgato Moto proprio Sanctissimi of 24 July 1911, AAS III (1911) p. 350, where the feast of Corpus Christi was restored to the Thursday after Trinity but not as a Holyday of Obligation. Corpus Christi was renamed Commemoratio Solemnis Sanctissimi Corporis Domini Nostri Iesu Christi in the process and arrangements made for the External Solemnity to be observed on the following Sunday, with particular rules, as outlined above, in Cathedral and Collegiate Churches. Benedict XV eventually restored Corpus Christi as a holyday etc along with reversing several other liturgical innovations of Pius X.

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi is a Double of the First Class with a privileged Octave of the Second Order.

Celebration of the feast began with First Vespers yesterday afternoon. The antiphons Sacerdos in aeternum etc were sung with psalms 109, 110, 115, 127 & 147. The chapter, hymn, versicle and response, antiphon on the Magnificat and collect are all proper feast. There were no commemoration. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation, Jesu tibi sit gloria, Qui natus es de Virgine, Cum Patre et almo Spiritu, In sempiterna saecula.

At Mattins the invitatory is Christum Regem adoremus dominantem Gentibus: Qui se manducantibus dat spiritus pinguedinem. The Office hymn is Sacris solemnis. The antiphons and psalms are proper at each of the nocturns. In the first nocturn the lessons are taken from the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas and the homily in the third nocturn is from St. Augustine on St. John's Gospel. At Lauds the antiphons, a different set to those sung at Vespers, are proper, Sapientia etc. These are sung with the Dominical psalms. The Office hymn is Verbum supernum.

At the Hours the antiphons from Laudes are sung with the festal psalms. The Office hymns are sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation. At Prime (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii) the versicle Qui natus es is inserted into the short responsory and the lectio brevis is Quicumque manducaverit panem etc.

The Mass, Cibavit eos, is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the Sequence Lauda Sion is sung, the Creed is sung and the preface is of the Nativity. Two large altar breads are placed on the corporal and consecrated. After the consecration the rubrics for Mass coram Sanctissimo are followed, with the celebrant not turning his back on the altar. Ite, missa est, the blessing and last Gospel are said as normal. After Mass the celebrant exchanges his chausuble for a cope and a Procession takes place. The Caermoniale Episcoporum gives detailed instructions for the Procession (indeed so detailed they forsee the bishop having to excommunicate persons who cannot agree their respective position in procession!) It also sanctions the practice of Mass and Vespers coram Sanctissimo during the Octave.

At Second Vespers all is at First Vespers except the antiphon on the Magnificat which is proper. A commemoration is sung of St. Francis Caracciolo.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the hymns of the Hours do not have their Doxology changed in honour of the Incarnation. At Prime the versicle is of the season, not of the Incarnation, and the chapter is of the season too. At Mass the common preface is sung. When a Procession takes place Benedicamus Domino is sung instead of Ite, missa est, the blessing and last Gospel are omitted. At Second Vespers there is no commemoration. The Octave has been abolished.

The Master of Ceremonies blogs

The most competent MC I have ever met is Mr. Arthur Crumly who, more importantly, also happens to be a good friend of long standing.

Arthur has recently started blogging. I very much hope he will write something about what was actually practiced in England as the changes happened in due course.

Meanwhile a rather interesting post on the pre-Conciliar stages of the reform can be found here. I think I can honestly claim to be the person who alterted Arthur to H.A. Reinhold's fascinating book. I would, with due respect, suggest Arthur has a few dates out and some of the changes he describes happened earlier e.g. bidding prayers appeared in the 1965 Ordo Missae (there is a clue for the Competition still waiting serious entries!)

At the start of his post Arthur writes:

The reform of the Roman Liturgy, which had been substantially unchanged from the time of St Gregory the Great (Pope from September 3rd 590 to March 604), began much earlier than the Second Vatican Council and indeed had nothing to do with that Council.

I couldn't agree more.