XVIII Sunday after Pentecost

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

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the psalms of Saturday were sung. 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 Cyprian and Justina followed by the Suffrage of the Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces were sung.

At Mattins in the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of Esther. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Ambrose's book of Offices. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Peter Chrysologus on St. Matthew's Gospel. At Lauds, after the collect of the day, a commemoration is sung of SS Cyprian and Justina followed by the Suffrage of the Saints.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of SS Cyprian and Justina, the third collect is A cunctis. The Creed is sung as is the preface of the Blessed Trinity.

Vespers are of the Sunday, a commemoration is sung of the following Office of SS Cosmas and Damiana followed by the Suffrage of the Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' this is the fourth Sunday of September. At Vespers yesterday the antiphon on the Magnificat was Adonai, Domine. Mattins is cut down to only one nocturn the scriptural lessons are from the book of Judith. There are no commemorations at either Vespers, Lauds or Mass. At Prime there is no Quicumque, nor preces at either Prime or Compline.

Art: Jerome Nadal

St. Matthew Apostle and Evangelist

The feast of Saint Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist is a Double of the Second class. The liturgical colour of the feast is red. Yesterday a commemoration of the Vigil of the feast was made in the Office of SS Eustace and Companions with the ninth lesson of the Vigil at Mattins and commemoration of the Vigil at Lauds and Mass, and last Gospel of the Vigil at Mass. Private Masses were allowed of the Vigil with a commemoration of SS Eustace and Companions.

Celebration of the feast of St. Matthew began with first Vespers yesterday. The antiphons from the Common of Apostles were sung with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the preceding Office was sung. At Compline the Dominical psalms were sung.

At Mattins in the first nocturn the antiphons, psalms, lessons and responsories are all taken from the Common of Apostles. In the second nocturn the lessons are for the feast. In the third nocturns the homily on the Gospel is from St. Jerome's Commentary on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Office is festal and at Lauds the Sunday pslams are sung under antiphons from the Common of Apostles.

At the Little Hours the festal psalms are sung, those at Prime being as on feasts (53, 118(i) & 118(ii). At Prime the lectio brevis is Ibant Apostoli.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria and Credo are sung and the preface is that of the Apostles.

Second Vespers are sung of the feast with a commemoration of the following Office of St Thomas of Villanova.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil for the feast has been abolished. First Vespers have been abolished. The feast retains its three nocturns. At the Little Hours ferial psalmody is used. At Prime the short lesson is of the season. At Vespers (the only one) there is no commemoration of the following Office.

XVII Sunday after Pentecost

Today is the seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost and the fourth Sunday of September. The penitential last few, Ember, days have past - although in the 'EF' they will occur later this week. The Sunday is, as usual, of semi-double rite and the liturgical colour is green. The Gospel pericopes at Mattins and Mass come from the twenty-second chapter of St. Matthew and have the Pharisees asking the LORD what is the greatest commandment.

As noted in yesterday's post at Vespers on Saturday the antiphon on the Magnificat is Adonai, Domine of the Saturday before the fourth Sunday of September. A commemoration of the preceding Office of St. Joseph of Cupertino was sung after the collect of the Sunday followed by a commemoration of SS Januarius and Companions. The Suffrage was not sung because of the double feasts and likewise the Dominical preces were omitted at Compline.

At Mattins in the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of Judith. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Ambrose's book on Elias and fasting. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Chrysostom on St. Matthew's Gospel. At Lauds, after the collect of the day, a commemoration is sung of SS Januarius and Companions.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of SS Januarius and Companions. There is no third collect. The Creed is sung as is the preface of the Blessed Trinity.

Before the reform of 1911-13 the third Sunday in the month of September was the feast of the Seven Dolours of the BVM. Following that reform one Mass, other than the Conventual Mass, may be celebrated of the Seven Dolours. The Mass is celebrated in white vestments. Commemoration is made of the Sunday (and in said Masses of SS Januarius and Companions) and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

Vespers are of the Sunday, commemorations are sung of the following Office of SS Eustace and his Companions and of SS Januarius and Companions. The Suffrage is not sung neither are the Dominical preces sung at Compline due to the occurrence of double feasts.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' this is the third Sunday of September. At Vespers yesterday the antiphon on the Magnificat was Ne reminiscaris. Mattins is cut down to only one nocturn the scriptural lessons are from the book of Job. There are no commemorations at either Vespers, Lauds or Mass.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Ember Saturday - St Joseph of Cupertino

Today is Ember Saturday in September. It is also the double rite feast of St. Joseph of Cupertino. The liturgical colour is white.

At Vespers yesterday a commemoration was sung of the preceding Office of the Impression of the Stigmata of St. Francis. However, in the Traditional rite there is never a commemoration of an Ember Day at Vespers as the Office of an Ember Day ends with None.

At Mattins the lessons in the first nocturn are proper, taken from St. Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, with the responsories from the Common. In the second nocturn the lessons are historical. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Gregory. The ninth lesson is the homily from the Ember Saturday which again comes from the writings of St. Gregory. The three lessons of the Ember Saturday may be read as one. At Lauds a commemoration of the Ember Saturday is sung after the collect of the feast.

Mass, of St Joseph of Cupertino, is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Ember Saturday (the first collect after the Kyrie and invitation to pray - Omnipotens...), the common preface is sung and the last Gospel that of the Ember Saturday.

Private Masses may be of the Ember Saturday celebrated in violet vestments with the deacon and subdeacon wearing folded chasubles rather than dalmatic and tunicle. The Mass, sung after None, has the usual, ancient form, for Ember Saturdays. After the Kyrie there are a series of structural units comprising of the invitation Oremus, followed by Flectamus genua, Levate, a collect, O.T. reading and gradual. The first and second OT readings are from the Book of Leviticus. The third lesson is from Micheas the Prophet, the fourth from the Prophet Zachararias. The fifth is from the Prophet Daniel describing the LORD protecting Azarias and his two companions in the Babylonian fiery furnace. After the reading from Daniel instead of a gradual the hymn of the Three Men in fiery furnace is sung, Beneditus es, Domine, Deus patrum nostrorum and its collect Deus, qui tribus pueris. The feast of St. Jospeh of Cupertion is then commemorated with its collect being sung. A Tract is sung between the Epistle and Gospel. Mass then continues as usual (with of course kneeling for the orations and from the Canon through to the Fraction as usual on penitential days) with Benedicamus Domino as the dismissal.

In Cathedral and Collegiate Churches two Masses are celebrated. The Mass of the feast takes place after Terce without any commemorations. The Mass of the Ember Saturday is sung after None with the second collect (before the Epistle) of the Vigil and third collect A cunctis . The dismissal is Benedicamus Domino.

When orders are conferred the Tonsure is given after the Kyrie. After the first OT lesson Door-keepers are ordained; after the second, Readers; after the third, the Exorcists; after the fourth, the Acolytes; after the fifth, the Subdeacons; after the Epistle, the Deacons, and before the last verse of the Tract, the priests.

In the afternoon Vespers of the Sunday are sung, the antiphon on the Magnificat is Adonai, Domine of the Saturday before the fourth Sunday of September. A commemoration of the preceding Office of St. Joseph of Cupertino is sung after the collect of the Sunday followed by a commemoration of SS Januarius and Companions. The Suffrage is not sung because of the double feasts and likewise the Dominical preces are omitted at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' Ember Saturday is postponed by a week and when it does arrive may be celebrated in a typical cut down mini-version. St. Joseph of Cupertino gets cut down to a third class feast of three lessons. Scripture is from last Saturday. Vespers has the antiphon that was sung last Saturday in the Traditional rite, Ne reminiscaris. No commemorations are sung.

Coming soon...

Ordo 2011 is at the final proof stage and will be at the printers next week so watch this space!

2011 is an interesting year with Holy Pascha falling on the 24th April something that has not happened since 1859 and, before that, 1791. Pascha will not fall again on this date until 2095 which I will not be around to see.

As part of continuing improvement and at the request of a highly valued customer in the USA Ordo 2011 will have some additional information. On each day there will be an indication for the Canonical Hours of whether the psalmody is proper, Dominical or ferial. The Ordines the English publisher Burns Oates used to produce indicated this as no doubt did editions printed by other publishing houses.

The entries will indicate the psalms for the particular Hours. On major feasts this is, of course, relatively straight-forward but more complex on other days e.g. the feast of St. Agnes has proper psalms at Mattins, Sunday psalms at Lauds and ferial psalms at the Hours and proper psalms at Vespers. St. Clement has ferial psalms at Mattins and the Hours but Sunday psalms at Lauds and proper psalms at Vespers. Hopefully, the addition of indicative letters will help the increasing numbers of people discovering the richness of the Traditional rite.

Ember Friday - The Impression of the Stigmata of St Francis

Today is the Ember Friday in September, it is also the double feast of the Impression of the Stigmata of St. Francis. The liturgical colour of the feast is white.

At first Vespers yesterday a commemoration was sung of the preceding Office of SS Cornelius and Cyprian. In the Office hymm, Iste Confessor, a line in the first verse is proper to the feast.

At Mattins the lessons in the first nocturn are proper to the feast with the responsories from the Common. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from a commentary of St. Bonaventure. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Gregory the Great on St. Matthew's Gospel. The ninth lesson is of the Ember Friday and is also a homily from St. Gregory, but on St. Luke's Gospel (its three lessons may be read as one but the first suffices). A commemoration of the Ember Friday is sung at Lauds after the collect of the feast.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Ember Friday and the last Gospel that of the Ember Friday. Private Masses may be of the Ember Friday (the Ember Friday Masses do not have additional OT lessons unlike those of Wednesday and Saturday). The Mass is proper and celebrated in violet vestments, the ministers wearing folded chasubles. The feast of St. Francis is commemorated, Benedicamus Domino is sung as the dismissal.

In Cathedral and Collegiate Churches two Masses are celebrated. The Mass of the feast takes place after Terce without any commemorations or additional collects. The Mass of the Ember Day, with the ministers wearing folded chasubles, is sung after None with the second collect A cunctis the third at the choice of the Dean and Benedicamus Domino as the dismissal.

Vespers are first Vespers of St. Joseph of Cupertino with a commemoration sung of the preceding Office of the Impression of the Stigmata of St Francis. Ember Days are not commemorated at Vespers as their Office runs from Mattins to None inclusive.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Ember Friday is postponed to next week. The feast of the Impression of the Stigmata of St. Francis has been reduced to a commemoration in the ferial Office so three nocturns and the change in Iste Confessor etc vanish. The liturgical colour is green. Vespers on Thursday were of SS Cornelius and Cyprian with no commemorations. Mattins, with the lessons from the second week of September not the third, has but one nocturn. The feast of the Impression of the Stigmata of St. Francis is commemorated at Lauds. Vespers are ferial withhout a commemoration of the following Office. If today were an Ember Day in the 'Extraordinary Form' of the New Rite its antiphon on the Benedictus is used again at Vespers as antiphon on the Magnificat. Quite remarkably, and of course a complete committee-work fabrication, Ember Wednesdays and Fridays in the 'EF' get Vespers - how traditional is that?

When St. Bartholomew's Day precedes St. Bartholomew's Day

A reader posed a question regarding the celebration of the feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle a couple of weeks ago. The reader asked why the feast of St. Bartholomew was celebrated in Rome on the 25th August according to the 1568 Breviary and on the preceding day elsewhere. At the time I was unaware of the reason for the variation in praxis and decided to find out.

The Breviary I normally use, of 1910 vintage, indicated the 25th for Rome too. The HBS volume ‘Saints in English Calendars before A.D. 1100' contains kalendar information from twenty-seven MSS. Of those twenty-seven nineteen have St. Bartholomew on the 25th August. The 25th date is also given in a facsimile copy of the Vetus Missale Romanum Monasticum Lateranenses. A perusal of two editions of the Martyrologium Romanum on my shelves indicated that the variance had stopped with the Pius X reform. Searching the AAS (wonderfully now available on-line) I was able to find the relevant decree of the SRC dated 28th October 1913, AAS V (1913) pp.457-464. This decree, following Pius X's Abhinc duos annos, abolished the Roman practice of celebrating St. Bartholomew on the 25th (and St. Louis on the 26th) and ordered the celebration of the feasts on the days in the Universal Kalendar (V, 2.d). The decree did however allow for the external solemnity (of both) to be kept on the former days

Having still not found the reason for the variation in praxis I consulted three experts. Mr. Craig Toth in the USA found a reference that Carolingian Kalendars gave the day as the 25th which would explain some of the MSS dates. From Rome Mr. Gregory DiPippo noted that by the time of the Tridentine reform basically all local rites and the religious orders celebrated the feast of St. Bartholomew on the 24th but that in Rome a major celebration took place in Rome at the Basilica of St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island with the assistance of the Greek community in Rome. Both Mr. Toth and Mr. DiPippo suspected the Roman praxis had some relationship to the translation of relics.

The third expert, Abbot Cuthbert Johnson, replied to my enquiry and categorically stated that the celebration on the 25th in Rome was the feast of the translation of St. Bartholomew’s relics. At the same time Mr. Toth found a reference in Baronius’ edition of the Martyrology that give several, historic, dates for the celebration of St. Bartholomew and refers to the translation of his relics being celebrated on the 25th in Rome.

Finally, when back at ‘head office’ I looked at Gueranger and found:
‘The city of Rome celebrates the feast of St. Bartholomew to-morrow [25th], as do the Greeks who commemorate on the 25th August a translation of the Apostle’s relics. (…) The 24th of this month, consecrated by the use of most of the Latin churches, is the day assigned in the most ancient martyrologies, including that of St. Jerome. In the 13th century, Innocent III, having been consulted as to the divergence, answered that local custom was to be observed.’ (Ft. nt. Decretal. lib. iii. tit. xlvi, c. 2. Consilium.)

How sad that such a venerable praxis came to an end in 1913.

My grateful thanks to Abbot Cuthbert Johnson, Mr. Toth and Mr. DiPippo for the information they kindly provided.

Photograph of Church of St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island where some of St. Bartholomew's relics are enshrined from Wikipedia.

Ember Wednesday - The Seven Dolours of the BVM

Today is the Ember Wednesday in September or, sometimes, referred to as the Michaelmas Ember Wednesday. This year it is also the feast of The Seven Dolours, or Seven Sorrows, of the BVM which is a Double of the Second Class. The Ember Days are ancient liturgical celebrations and, traditionally, times of fasting and penance. Of the two feasts of The Seven Dolours, one on the Friday before Palm Sunday and this one, the Lenten celebration is significantly the older. The September celebration entered the Kalendar in the seventeenth century on third Sunday of September. The feast became a Double of the Second Class in 1908 and was moved in the 1911-13 reform to the Octave Day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Quo abiit etc were sung with the psalms from the Common of feasts of the BMV (Pss.109, 112, 121, 126 & 147). The Office hymn was Jam toto subditus vesper eat polo. After the collect of the feast a commemoration was sung of the preceding Office of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. At Compline the psalms were of Sunday and Te lucis sung to a special melodgy with the Doxology Jesu tibi sit gloria, Qui passus es pro servulis, Cum Patre, et almo Spiritu, In sempiterna saecula.

At Mattins the invitatory is Stemus juxta Crucem etc and hymn O quot undis lacrimarum. The antiphons at the nocturns are proper. In the first nocturn the lessons are from the Prophet Jeremiah. In the second nocturn the lessons are from a sermon on the twelve stars by St. Bernard. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Ambrose. The ninth lesson is of the September Ember Wednesday. Its three lessons may be read as one, the better practice, or just the first lesson read. The Te Deum follows. At Lauds the antiphons sung at Vespers yesterday are sung with the Dominical psalms. The hymn is Summae Deus clementiae. After the collect of the day commemoration are sung of the Ember Wedneday and the martyr St. Nicomedes.

At Prime and the Hours the hymns are sung to the melody of the proper Doxology and the antiphons of Lauds are sung with the Dominical psalms. At Prime the festal psalms are sung (Pss.53, 118i & 118ii), in the short responsory the verse Qui passus es propter nostram salutem is sung and the lectio brevis is proper, Deduc quasi.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Ember Wednesday, (in said Masses the third collect is of St. Nicomedes. The Sequence Stabat Mater is sung, the Creed is sung, the preface is of the BVM and the last Gospel is of the Ember Wednesday.

Vespers are Second Vespers of the feast. After the collect of the Day a commemoration is sung of the following feast of SS Cornelius & Cyprian. At Compline the Sunday psalms are sung and the feast's Doxlogy sung for the final time.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' Ember Wednesday is postponed a week due to the novel way introduced of calculating the first Sunday of the month. An interesting article about this change has been written by the esteemed Gregory DiPippo on the New Liturgical Movement site. The feast of the Seven Dolours loses first Vespers. There is, obviously, no ninth lesson of the Ember Day nor of St. Nicomedes (as is sung when September 15th is not an Ember Day). At the Hours the ferial antiphons and psalter are used. At Mass the last Gospel is In principio. There is no proper Doxology or melody at the Hours, at Prime the lectio brevis is ferial. Vespers are without any commemorations.

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Today is the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It is of greater double rite. The origin of the feast was the dedication of Constantine's basilica in Jerusalem in 335. The feast appears to have been celebrated in Rome since the seventh century. A double feast in the Tridentine Missal of 1570 it was raised to a greater double by Clement VIII.

At Mattins the invitatory is Christum Regem, pro nobis in Cruce exaltatum, Venite adoremus. The antiphons and responsories for the three nocturns are proper. The lessons in the first nocturn are taken from the Book of Numbers with the account of Moses and the brazen serpent, a prefigurement of the Cross. In the second nocturn the lessons describe the taking of the Cross from Jerusalem and its triumphant return. In the third nocturn the lessons are from a homily on the Passion of the Lord from St. Leo the Great.

At the Hours the 'Sunday' psalms are sung under the antiphons of the feast. At Prime the short lesson is proper, Humiliavit semetipsum.

Mass is sung after Terce and has the Gloria, Credo and preface of the Holy Cross.

Vespers are of the following feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin with a commemoration of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. A Doxology proper to the feast of the Seven Sorrows is sung at Compline and hymns of Iambic metre tomorrow.

Being the third week of September the Autumn Ember Days follow the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, beginning with Ember Wednesday tomorrow the rest of the week has largely penitential overtones.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' although the feast has been raised in rank to 'second class', connected with the abolition of the May feast of the Invention of the Holy Cross, it loses first Vespers. At the Little Hours the ferial psalter is used without the antiphons of the feast, at Prime the seasonal short lesson is sung. Vespers are of the Exaltation of the Cross without a commemoration of the following Office.

Icon from the Greek Catholic Church.

XVI Sunday after Pentecost

The sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite. This year it is the third Sunday of September so next week will contain the September Ember Days. The Gospel pericopes from St. Luke are of the LORD healing the man with dropsy on the Sabbath.

At Vespers yesterday the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Ne reminiscaris for the Saturday before the third Sunday in September. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration was sung of the occurring feast of the Holy Name of Mary. As this feast was commemorated the melody and Doxology of the Office hymn, Jam sol recedit igneus, was changed in honour of the Incarnation, Jesu tibi sit gloria etc. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the same Doxology and the Dominical preces were omitted because of the occurring double feast.

At Mattins there are the usual three nocturns. The invitatory and hymn are as sung on previous 'green' Sundays. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of Tobias. In the second nocturn the lessons are from a sermon of St. Leo on fasting in the seventh month. In the third nocturn the lessons are a homily from St. Ambrose on St. Lukes's Gospel. At Lauds a commemoration is sung of the feast of the Holy Name of Mary.

At the Hours the hymns are sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation. At Prime (Pss. 117, 118i & 118ii) both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted due to the occurring double feast. In the short responsory the verse Qui natus es is sung.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Holy Name of Mary. There is no third collect. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Holy Trinity and the last Gospel is of the Holy Name of Mary.

Vespers are of the Sunday. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of the feast of the Holy Name. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Sunday is the second Sunday of September. At Vespers on Saturday the antiphon on the Magnificat was In omnibus his, there were no commemorations or Suffrage. The feast of the Holy Name is simply omitted and the hymns therefore do not have the Doxology or tone of the Incarnation. As usual Mattins is cut down to one nocturn of three lessons. The first two lessons are from the Book of Job. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Prime both Quicumque and the preces are always omitted on 'green' Sundays. At Mass there is only one collect and the last Gospel In principio. At Vespers there are neither commemorations nor Suffrage.

Art: Jerome Nadal Note the delightful scene in the distance marked 'E' of the ass being rescued from a well.

The Nativity of the Mother of God

The Nativity of the Mother of God is a Double of the Second Class with, after 1913, a simple Octave.

The feast began with first Vespers yesterday afternoon. The proper antiphons Nativitas gloriosae etc were sung with the psalms from the Common of the BVM (Pss. 109, 112, 121, 126 & 127). The Office hymn was Ave, maris stella. At Compline, and at the other Hours, hymns of Iambic metre are sung to the melody of the Incarnation with the Doxology Jesu tibi sit gloria etc.

At Nattins the lessons in the first nocturn are the Incipit of the Song of Songs, with much exquisite imagery, with repsonories proper to the feast. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from a sermon of St. Augustine and in the third nocturn St. Jerome provides the homily on St. Matthew's Gospel. The ninth lesson is of St. Hadrian, a former perecutor of Christians who became a martyr himself. At Lauds the antiphons Nativitas gloriosae etc are again sung, this time with the psalms of Sunday Lauds. After the collect of the day a commemoration is sung of St. Hadrian.

At Prime the first of the antiphons used at Vespers and Lauds is sung with the festal psalms (Ps. 53, 118i & 118ii). In the short responsory the versicle Qui natus es is sung. The short lesson is In plateis.

Mass is sung after Terce. In some countries a blessing of seeds, figs, grapes or other fruits takes place (the fruits in question depending on the climate of the place in question). The introit is Salve, sancta Parens, the Gloria is sung, in said Masses the second collect is of St. Hadrian, the Creed is sung and the preface is of the BVM, Et te in Nativitate.

Vespers are of the feast. At Compline the Dominical psalms are sung and Te lucis has the proper Doxology.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the feast loses first Vespers, and on Wednesday Vespers were ferial. At Mattins there is no ninth lesson of St. Hadrian. At the Little Hours the hymns do not have the melody or Doxology of the Incarnation. At the Little Hours the ferial psalms are sung and at Prime the lectio brevis is of the season.

Icon: St. Michael's Ukranian Church, PA, USA

XV Sunday after Pentecost

The fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and is, this year, the second Sunday of September. The Gospel pericopes sung at Mattins and Mass are from the seventh chapter of St. Luke's Gospel recount the raising by the LORD from the dead of the on of the widow of Nain. The liturgical colour is green.

At Vespers yesterday the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The antiphon on the Magnificat was In omnibus his for the Saturday before the second Sunday in September. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration was sung of St. Laurence Justinian followed by the Suffrage of the Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces> were sung.

At Mattins there are the usual three nocturns. The invitatory and hymn are as sung on previous 'green' Sundays. In the first nocturn the lessons continue to be read from the Book of Job. In the second nocturn the lessons are from the Book of Morals by St. Gregory as last Sunday. In the third nocturn the lessons are a homily from St. Augustine on St. Lukes's Gospel. At Lauds a commemoration is sung of St. Laurence Justinian followed by the Suffrage of the Saints.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Laurence Justinian, the third collect is A cunctis. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Holy Trinity.

Vespers are of the Sunday. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of St. Laurence Justinian followed by the Suffrage of the Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Sunday is the first Sunday of September. At Vespers on Saturday the antiphon on the Magnificat was Cum audisset Job, there were no commemorations or Suffrage. As usual Mattins is cut down to one nocturn of three lessons. The first two lessons are the Incipit of the book of Job. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Prime both Quicumque and the preces are always omitted on 'green' Sundays. At Mass there is only one collect. At Vespers there are no commemorations or Suffrage. At Compline no preces.