St. Sylvester of Rome

Today is the feast of St. Sylvester I Pope and Confessor. The feast is of double rite and the liturgical colour of the day is white.

At Mattins in the first nocturn the Epistle to the Romans continues to be read. The second nocturn lessons are historical and in the third nocturn the homily is Sint lumbi from the Common of Confessor non-Pontiffs with the responsories of Confessor-Pontiffs. At Lauds the antiphons and psalms are taken from the Psalter for Fridays and a commemoration of the Octave of the Nativity is sung.

At the Little Hours the hymns have the Doxology and melody in honour of the Incarnation. The antiphons and psalmody are from the ferial psalter. At Prime the lectio brevis is Fungi sacerdotio.

At Mass, Sacerdotes tui, the Gloria is sung, a commemoration of the Octave of the Nativity made, the Credo is sung and the preface and communicantes in the Canon are of the Nativity.

Vespers are first Vespers of the Circumcision without any commemorations.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' today is a day within the Octave of the Nativity. At Mattins the antiphons and psalmody are festal but there is only one nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds a commemoration of St. Sylvester is made. At the Little Hours ferial antiphons and psalms are used, the hymns do not have the tone or Doxology in honour of the Incarnation. The Mass is Puer natus with a commemoration of St. Sylvester in Low Masses only. Vespers are the same as the Old Rite.

The icon is from the All Merciful Saviour Mission's selection of icons of Western Saints.