The feast of St. Mark the Evangelist is a Double of the Second Class, transferred this year from the Monday in the Paschal Octave
St. Mark was particularly close to St. Peter. He is one of the Four Evangelists and is traditionally represented by a lion (as can be seen in the icon above) as it is one of the four beasts in the Prophecy of Ezechiel. St. Mark preached in Egypt and was martyred in Alexandria. The Greater Litanies, now associated with St. Mark's feast, have no real connection and this year the Procession of the Greater Litanies took place on the Monday of the Paschal Octave.
At Mattins the invitatory, hymn, antiphon on the psalms of each nocturn are from the Common of Apostles. In the first nocturn the lesson are the Incipit of the Book of the Prophet Ezechiel, Et factum est trigesimo anno etc., from the Common of Evangelists in Paschaltide. The responsories are also from this Common. In the second nocturn lessons four and five are from St. Jerome on ecclesiastic writers, the sixth lesson is from St. Gregory's writing on Ezechiel. In the third nocturn the homily is from the Common of Evangelists along with the responsories. The eighth and ninth lessons may be read as one and the ninth lesson is of the commemorated feast of St. Monica. The Te Deum is sung.
At Lauds the antiphons Sancti tui etc from the Common of Apostles are sung with the Dominical psalms (Pss. 92, 99, 62, Benedicite & 148). A commemoration of St. Monica is sung after the collect of the feast.
At the Hours the hymns have the Doxology of Paschaltide. At Prime the festal psalms are sung (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii).
Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the St. Monica. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Apostles.
Vespers are second Vespers of the feast with commemorations of the following feast of St. Pius V and of St. Monica.
In the 'liturgical books of 1962' St. Mark's feast is not transferred and is not celebrated this year. St. Monica is celebrated as a III class feast with a single nocturn Mattins etc.
Art: A Coptic icon of St. Mark from Wikipedia.
Would you please explain why St. Mark was translated to May 4 and Ss. Philip & James to May 2 instead of the other way around?
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your site. I am grateful for your informatiave defense of the traditional Roman rite.
Thanks,
Downey
D.W.Downey,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind words, much appreciated.
The rules for the transfer of feasts are quite complex. The most clear explanation, IMHO, is given Wuest's 'Matters Liturgical' and Aertnys ' Compendium Liturgiae Sacrae'. When several feasts are transferred the basis for sorting the order is a) higher rite; b) greater solemnity; c)quality of primary or secondary; d) dignity and e) dignity.
SS P & J are a feriated feast and so has greater solemnity than St. Mark.
As to the order this year I examined four Ordines for 1943 (the only year since the 1911-13 reform that both feasts were transferred). In those three had SS P&J first, one had St. Mark first. In addition the calendar published in 'The Tablet' for had SS P & J before St. Mark. A colleague in the USA found another Ordo for 1943 that had SS P & J first also.
Do you know Stercky's Manual?
ReplyDeleteF.G.S.A.,
ReplyDeleteYes, I have both it and 'Les Fonctions Pontificales' and Le Vavasseur's originals for both and some of his other works too.