St. James the Apostle

The feast of St. James the Apostle is a Double of the Second Class. The liturgical colour of the day is red. St. James, often referred to as St. James the Great to distinguish him from St. James the Less (May 1st), suffered martyrdom by the sword under Agrippa I. His remains were tranferred to Santiago di Compostella in northern Spain, resulting in the city becoming a major pilgrimage site in Medieval times.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Apostolorum Dominum, venite adoremus. The antiphons In omnem terram etc are sung with the psalms from the Common of Apostles. In first nocturn the lessons are Sic nos existimet homo from the former Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. In the second nocturn the lessons are proper to the feast. In the third nocturn the homily is taken from St. Chrysostom's sixty-sixth sermon on St. Matthew's Gospel. At Lauds the antiphons Hoc est praeceptum meum etc are sung with the Sunday psalms. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of St. Christopher.

At the Hours the antiphons from Lauds are used. At Prime the feastal psalms are sung (Pss. 53, 118i, 118ii). The lectio brevis is Ibant Apostoli.

Mass is sung after Terce. The introit is Mihi autem nimis. The Gloria is sung, (in private Masses the second collect is of St. Christopher). The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Apostles.

Vespers are of the feast with a commemoration of the following feast of St. Anne.

Follows of the 'ancient use' 'liturgical books of 1962' did without first Vespers of St. James yesterday. The Little Hours have the ferial psalms, the lectio brevis at Prime is of the season. At Vespers there is no commemoration of St. Anne.

Icon: Eighteenth century Russian icon of St. James from Wikipedia.