Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel

The feast of the Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel is of greater-double rite and its liturgical colour is white.

Mattins has three nocturns. The invitatory is Regem Archangelum Dominum, Venite adoremus and the Office hymn as at Vespers. In the first nocturn the antiphons Concussum est mare etc are sung with psalms 8, 10 & 14. The lessons are from the Prophet Daniel. In the second nocturn the antiphons Michael Archangeli etc are sung with psalms 18, 23 & 33. The lessons recount the apparition of St. Michael at Gargano at the time of Gelasius I. In the third nocturn the antiphons Angelus etc are sung with psalms 95, 96 & 102. The homily is from St. Hiliary on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Stetit Angelus etc are sung with the Dominical psalms. The Office hymn is Christe sanctorum decus Angelorum. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Octave of St. Joseph is sung.

At Prime and the Hours the hymns have the Doxology of Paschaltide. The antiphons from Lauds are sung in the usual order, at Prime the lectio brevis is Factum est praelium etc.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Octave of St. Joseph. The Creed is sung and the preface is of Paschaltide.

At Vespers the antiphons Stetit Angelus etc are sung with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 137. The Office hymn is Te, splendor, et virtus Patris, the Doxology of which is proper and not changed. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Gregory Nazianzen and of the Octave of St. Joseph. At Compline Te lucis is sung with the Doxology of Paschaltide and the Dominical preces are omitted due to the double feasts.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the feast of the Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel has been abolished from the calendar. The Octave of St. Joseph has been abolished too. Today is a IV class feria.