Quinquagesima Sunday

Quinquagesima Sunday is a semi-double of the second class and its liturgical colour is violet. The Gospel pericopes are taken from St. Luke and give the account of the giving of sight to the man born blind.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms were of Saturday, the chapter, antiphon on the Magnificat and collect were proper to Quinquagesima Sunday. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Cyrill of Alexandria and of St. Scholastica. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted due to the double feasts as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins, as on the previous two Sundays, the antiphons and psalms are those used on Sundays throughout the year. In the first nocturn the lessons are again from Genesis and this Sunday concern the story of Abraham. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Ambrose on the Book on the Patriarch Abraham and in the third nocturn the lessons are a homily from St. Gregory on St. Luke's Gospel of the man blind from birth whose sight was restored by the LORD. The blind man is a figure of the human race according to St. Gregory. A ninth responsory, Caecus sedebat secus viam etc, is sung in place of the Te Deum.

At Lauds the 'second scheme' of psalms is sung: Pss. 50, 117, 62, Benedictus es and 148. The antiphons at Lauds are proper for Quinquagesima Sunday, Secundum multitudinem etc, as are the antiphon at the Benedictus and the collect. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of St. Scholastica. The Suffrage is omitted due to the commemorated double feast.

At all the Hours the antiphons and chapters are proper to Quinquagesima Sunday. At Prime the order of psalmody is that used when the second schema of Lauds is sung, i.e. Pss. 92, 99 (displaced at Lauds) and the usual first two divisi of Ps. 118. The Dominical preces are omitted due to the commemorated double feast at Lauds.

In Mass the Gloria is omitted, the second collect is of St. Scholastica. There is no third collect. A Tract is sung after the Gradual, the Credo is sung , the Preface is of the Blessed Trinity and Benedicamus Domino is sung as the dismissal by the deacon facing the altar. The ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle.

At Vespers the antiphons and psalms are those used on Sundays, the chapter is proper to the Sunday as is the antiphon at the Magnificat. The Office hymn is Lucis creator, this is sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of the following feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Scholastica. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted as are the Domincal preces at Compline. At Compline Te lucis is sung with the melody and tone of the Incarnation.

Following the 'liturgical books of 1962', at Vespers there are no commemorations and the Suffrage has been abolished. At Compline there are never preces. Mattins is reduced to one nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there is no commemoration of St. Scholastica. The Suffrage has been abolished. At Prime Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii are sung, as on major feasts, and there are never preces. At Mass there is a single collect and Benedicamus Domino is supressed in favour of Ite, missa est. At Vespers there are no commemorations. Te lucis is sung with the ordinary melody and the ordinary Doxology.

Art: Jerome Nadal