St. Andrew the Apostle

The feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the 'First Called', is a Double feast of the Second Class. It was preceded yesterday by a Vigil. According to St. John's Gospel St. Andrew was a disciple of St. John the Baptist, whose testimony first led him and St. John the Evangelist to follow Jesus. St. Andrew at once recognised Christ as the Messiah. St. Andrew preached the Gospel in Asia Minor and, according to Eusebius, as far as Kiev. St. Andrew is the patron saint of such diverse countries as Scotland and Russia. According to tradition he was crucified at Patras in Achaea. Devotion to St. Andrew was strong in the medieval period and many Western Kalendars such as the venerable Sarum Rite had an octave for the feast. In the Roman liturgy clearly St. Andrew was once regarded as more important than in modern times hence his inclusion in the Libera nos.

The celebration of his feast began yesterday afternoon with first Vespers. The proper antiphons Salve, crux pretiosa etc were sung with the psalms for the Common of Apostles, Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Exsultet orbis gaudiis. The Suffrage was omitted. At Compline the Sunday psalms were sung and the preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Apostolorum Dominum, * Venite adoremus and the Office hymn is Aeterna Christi munera. In the first nocturn antiphons proper to the feast, Vidit Dominus etc., are sung with the psalms 18, 33 & 44. The lessons are from St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans. In the second nocturn the antiphons Dignum sibi Dominus etc are sung with psalms 46, 60 & 63 and the lessons are hagiographical. In the third nocturn the antiphons Non me permittas Domine etc are sung with psalms 74, 96 & 98. The homily on St. Matthew's Gospel is from the writings of St. Gregory. At Lauds the antiphons sung at Vespers, Salve, crux pretiosa etc., are sung with the Dominical psalms.

At the Horae Minores the antiphons Salve, crux pretiosa etc are sung with festal psalmody. At Prime (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii) the first entry in the Martyrology is Dominica prima Adventus etc and the lectio brevis is Isaias enim dicit.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the Creed is sung and the preface is of the Apostles.

At second Vespers the antiphons Salve, crux pretiosa etc are sung with psalms 109, 112, 115, 125 & 138. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the first Sunday of Advent. At Compline the Dominical psalms are sung and the Dominical preces are omitted. The Pars Hiemalis of the Breviary begins with this Vespers. The Marian Antiphon after Compline is Alma Redemptoris.

In the 'vetus ordo' aka 'liturgical books of 1962' yesterday's Vigil is abolished as are first Vespers for St. Andrew's feast. Compline yesterday had the ferial psalms. At Prime and the other Horae Minores ferial antiphons and psalms are sung and the lectio brevis is of the season. Vespers are of the first Sunday of Advent with a commemoration of St. Andrew, so this year a feast of an Apostle is without Vespers entirely - very trad!

XXVII and Last Sunday after Pentecost

The twenty-seventh and last Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. It is also the fifth Sunday of November. The texts are those in the Breviary and Missal for the twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost. The Gospel pericopes from St. Matthew contain the prophetic words of the LORD concerning the last days and the coming of the Antichrist.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The Office hymn was Jam sol recedit igneus. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Super muros tuos for the Saturday before the fifth Sunday of November. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Clement, of St. John of the Cross and of St. Chrysogonus. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted due to the double feasts as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum etc and the Office hymn is Primo die. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Prophet Micheas. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Basil on the thirty-third psalm. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Jerome on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Aeterne rerum Conditor. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of St. John of the Cross and of St. Chrysogonus. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St John of the Cross, the third collect is of St. Chrysogonus. The Creed is sung and the preface of the Blessed Trinity.

Vespers are of the Sunday. The Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following Office of St. Catharine and of St. John of the Cross. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline due to the occurring and concurring double feasts.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at Vespers. Mattins is cut down to one nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is a single collect. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal Nadal's image of the Antichrist enthroned whilst the clergy and people give him false worship.

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XXVI Sunday after Pentecost

The twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the fourth Sunday of November. Texts for the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany are used along with those from the twenty-third Sunday.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The Office hymn was Jam sol recedit igneus. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Qui caelorum for the Saturday before the fourth Sunday of November. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Gertrude and of St. Gregory Thaumaturgus. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted due to the double feast as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum etc and the Office hymn is Primo die. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of the Prophet Osee. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Augustine's City of God. In the third nocturn (from the propers for the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany) the homily is from St. Jerome on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Aeterne rerum Conditor. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of St. Gregory Thaumaturgus followed by the Suffrage of the Saints.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The introit, gradual, Alleluia verse, offertory and communion texts are those of the twenty-third Sunday. The rest of the texts are those of the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, the third collect is A cunctis. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

Vespers see a colour change to white and first Vespers of the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of SS Peter and Paul are sung. The antiphons Domum tuam, Domine etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 and 147. The Office hymn is Caelestis urbs Jerusalem. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday and of St. Gregory Thaumaturgus. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted due to the double feast as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at first Vespers. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations and no Suffrage. Quicumque is only sung on Trinity Sunday and the preces are always omitted. At Mass there is only one collect. Vespers are of the Sunday without any commemorations.

XXV Sunday after Pentecost

The twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the third Sunday of November. Texts for the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany are used along with those from the twenty-third Sunday. This year the second Sunday of November and its week are omitted.

Vespers yesterday afternoon were second Vespers of the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. The antiphons Domum tuam, Domine etc were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 and 147. The Office hymn was Caelestis urbs Jerusalem. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Muro tuo for the Saturday before the third Sunday of November) and of St. Andrew Avellino. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted due to the double feasts as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum etc and the Office hymn is Primo die. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of the Prophet Daniel. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Athanasius' Book to Virgins. In the third nocturn (from the propers for the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany) the homily is from St. Augustine on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Aeterne rerum Conditor. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of St. Andrew Avellino and SS Tryphon and Others. The Suffrage is omitted due to the occurring double feast.

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 introit, gradual, Alleluia verse, offertory and communion texts are those of the twenty-third Sunday. The rest of the texts are those of the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Andrew Avellino, the third collect is of SS Tryphon and Others. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

Vespers are of the Sunday. The Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Martin, of St. Andrew Avellino and of St. Menna. The Suffrage is omitted due to the occurring and concurring double feasts.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at Vespers. Mattins is cut down to one nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is only one collect. Vespers are of the Sunday without any commemorations. The second Sunday of November and its week are always omitted.

XXIV Sunday after Pentecost

The twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the first Sunday of November and the Sunday within the Octave of All Saints. As this year the number of Sundays after Pentecost is greater than twenty-four, twenty-seven in fact, the texts for the twenty-fourth Sunday found in the Breviary and Missal are used on the last Sunday after Pentecost. For the three Sundays before that some of the texts of the Sundays that were not celebrated after the Epiphany are used. So today some of the texts from the fourth Sunday after the Epiphany are used with other texts from the twenty-third Sunday.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The Office hymn was Jam sol recedit igneus. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Vidi Dominum for the Saturday before the first Sunday in November. After the collect of the Sunday (taken from the propers for the fourth Sunday after the Epiphany) a commemoration was sung of the Octave of All Saints. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted due to the Octave as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum etc and the Office hymn is Primo die. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of the Prophet Ezechiel. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Gregory's Exposition on the Prophet Ezechiel. In the third nocturn (from the propers for the fourth Sunday after the Epiphany) the homily is from St. Jerome on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Aeterne rerum Conditor. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of the Octave of All Saints.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The introit, gradual, Alleluia verse, offertory and communion texts are those of the twenty-third Sunday. The rest of the texts are those of the fourth Sunday after the Epiphany. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Octave. There is no third collect being a Sunday within an Octave. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

In places where the External Solemnity of All Saints is observed the Mass Gaudeamus is sung in white vestments. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday, the Creed is sung, the preface is of the Blessed Trinity and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

Vespers are of the Sunday. The Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Charles Borromeo, of the Octave of All Saints and of SS Vitalis and Agricola.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at Vespers. Mattins is cut down to one nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is only one collect. Vespers are of the Sunday without any commemorations. The Octave of All Saints has been abolished.

All Souls

All Souls' Day is of Double rank. Since 1917 it has a standing almost like that of a primary Double of the First Class of the Universal Church. Only if it falls on a Sunday is it transferred to the following Monday. The day gained an independent Office after the 1911-13 reform. Prior to then Vespers, Mattins and Lauds of the Dead was sung in addition to the Office of the second day within the Octave of All Saints (as indeed was the Office of the Dead sung on the Mondays of Lent and Advent and certain other days). The reforms of Pius X gave the day its own Office with the creation of Little Hours of the Dead and some adjustments to the lessons of Mattins. The day excludes the occurrence of any other Office.

At Mattins the invitatory and psalms are those used for Mattins of the Dead. The invitatory is Regem cui omnia vivunt, * Venite adoremus. In the first nocturn the antiphons Dirige etc (hence the English term Dirge) are sung with psalms 5, 6 & 7. As at Vespers yesterday Requiem aeternam is sung in place of Gloria Patri at the end of each psalm. The lessons are taken from the Book of Job. The first lesson, Parce mihi, is the first lesson from the Office of the Dead but the second and third lessons are now proper to the day in their current arrangement. Homo natus de muliere etc, the second lesson (the fifth lesson before 1911), is highly poignant being familiar as a Funeral Sentence in the Book of Common Prayer, its source being the Sarum Office. In the second nocturn the antiphons In loco pascuae etc are sung with psalms 22, 24 & 26. The lessons in the second nocturn are new and taken form the book of St. Augustine on the care for the Dead. In the third nocturn the antiphons Complaceat etc are sung with psalms 39, 40 and 41. The lessons are from the First Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (pre-1911 these too were taken from the Book of Job). At Lauds the antiphons Exsultabunt etc are sung with psalms 50, 64, 62, Ego dixi and 150. After the antiphon on the Benedictus has been sung at the end of the canticle the choir kneels, as at Vespers yesterday, and a Pater noster is said followed by a series of versicles and their responses and the collect Fidelium.

The Hours have a special form. At Prime the Office begins after the silent recitation of the Pater, Ave and Credo with psalms 87, 27 & 31 without antiphons. Although the Miserere is sung at Lauds the displaced psalm is not transferred to Prime as on other days. At the reading of the Martyrology a special preamble is read, Hac die Commemoratio Omnium Fidelium Defunctorum..., before the announcement of the next day Tertio Nonas Novembris.etc. The psalms are sung either to the tone in directum or to a tone introduced with the Office of All Souls Day. Terce follows a similar, simplified, form and has psalms 37i, 37ii & 55. Sext has psalms 69, 84 & 85 and None psalm 101 divided into three sections. The Office of the day ends with None.

In the Universal Church three Masses may be celebrated by every priest on this day. This practice was first observed in Spain with an indult from Benedict XIV and extended to the Universal Church by Benedict XV in 1915 after the carnage of the First World War. The accepted practice of Collegiate churches is for the first Mass to be celebrated after Lauds, the second after Prime and the third after None. In all three Masses the sequence Dies irae is sung and the preface of the Dead is sung. Common practice is to have the Absolution of the Dead at a catafalque after the principal Mass.

Vespers see a colour change to green and the antiphons and psalms of Saturday are sung. The Office hymn is Jam sol recedit igneus. The antiphon on the Magnificat is Vidi, Dominum for the Saturday before the first Sunday of November. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of the Octave of All Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted due to the Octave.

In 'the liturgical books of 1962' the sequence Dies irae may be omitted in the second and third Masses when they are not sung. The last Gospel is omitted when the Absolution takes place. Vespers of the Dead, which are usually sung in the afternoon of All Souls' day are omitted this year. Vespers are 'green', as in the traditional rite, but with any commemorations.

All Saints

The feast of All Saints is a Double of the First Class with an Octave. The universal celebration of this feast developed from the dedication of the Pantheon to St. Mary and the Martyrs. This dedication took place on May 13th, 610. In some places, and the in Byzantine East to this day, a celebration of All Saints took place after Trinity Sunday. The celebration of the feast spread and Gregory IV transferred the feast and dedication to November 1st in 835. Louis the Pious spread the celebration throughout his empire and the feast entered the Universal Calendar. Sixtus IV gave the feast an Octave in the fifteenth century. The liturgical colour for the feast, and its octave, is white.

At Mattins the invitatory is proper to the feast and octave, Regem regum Dominum venite adoremus, Quia ipse est corona Sanctorum omnium, and the Office hymn is Placare, Christe, servulis. In the first nocturn the antiphons Novit Dominus etc are sung with psalms 1, 4 & 8. The lessons are taken from the book of the Apocalypse. In the second nocturn the antiphons Domine, qui operati etc are sung with psalms 14, 23 & 31 and the lessons are taken from a sermon of the Venerable Bede. In the third nocturn the antiphons Timete Dominum etc are sung with psalms 33, 60 & 96. The homily on St. Matthew's Gospel is from St. Augustine. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons Vidi turbam magnam etc are sung with the Sunday psalms (Pss. 99, 92, 62, Benedicite & 148) and the Office hymn is Salutis aeterne dator.

At Prime the antiphon Vidi turbam magnum is sung with the festal psalms (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii), the lectio brevis is proper to the feast, Benedictio et claritas,. At the other Hours the same antiphons from Lauds are sung with the Dominical psalms.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria and Creed are sung.

At second Vespers the antiphons Vidi turbam magnam etc are sung with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 115. After Benedicamus Domino the verse Fidelium is omitted and the choir sits as the festive white is removed and is exchanged for the black of mourning. Vespers of the Dead are then sung in choir. These begin with the antiphon Placebo Domino in regione vivorum. Psalms 114, 119, 120, 129 and 127 are sung. Requiem aeternam etc is sung at the end of each psalm in place of Gloria Patri etc. After the psalms there is a versicle and response but no hymn. After the antiphon on the Magnificat the choir kneels for a Pater noster, some versicles and the collect. Following the 1911-13 reform Compline takes a special form, created in the 1911-13 reform, 'Compline of the Dead' with psalms 122, 141 and 142.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' at Prime the lectio brevis is of the season and at the Little Hours the antiphons are doubled. Vespers of All Saints are sung but not Vespers of the Dead as they, rather strangely, get treated as Vespers of All Soul's Day. Sunday Compline is sung. The Octave (and the Vigil) have been abolished.