St. Gabriel of the Seven Dolours - Ember Friday in Lent

The feast of St. Gabriel of the Seven Dolours is of double rite and its liturgical colour is white. Today is also Ember Friday in Lent.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Confessorum Dominum etc and the Office hymn is Iste Confessor. In the nocturns the antiphons Suscitavit Dominus etc are sung, doubled, with the psalms appointed for Mattins of Friday. In the first nocturn the lessons are taken from the Common of Confessor Non-Bishops , Justus si morte etc, from the second place followed by their responsories as the Ember Friday is without occurring Scripture. In the second nocturn three hagiographic lessons proper to the feast are read. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Bede on St. Mark's Gospel. The ninth lesson is of the Ember Friday and a homily from St. Augustine on St. John's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Exaltate etc are sung with psalms 98, 142, 84, Vere tu es Deus & 147. The Office hymn at Lauds is Jesu, corona celsior. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the Ember Friday with the antiphon on the Benedictus, Angelus Domini etc., the versicle Angelus suis etc and respond Ut custodiant etc. The collect is proper to the Ember Friday, Esto, Domine etc.

At Prime the lectio brevis is Justum deduxit.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Ember Friday. The preface is of Lent and the last Gospel is of the Ember Friday.

Private Masses may be of the Ember Friday. There is neither Gloria nor Creed. The second collect is of St. Gabriel of the Seven Dolours. The preface is of Lent, an Oratio super populum is said after the last post-Communion and the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino.

In Cathedral and Collegiate churches two Masses are celebrated. The feast of St. Gabriel of the Seven Dolours is celebrated after Terce. The Gloria is said, the preface is of Lent and the last Gospel is In principio. Mass of the Ember Friday is sung after None. The ministers wear violet folded chasubles and four candles are on the altar. The Mass is proper. The second collect is A cunctis, and the third collect is Ominopotens. The choir kneels for the orations and from the Canon through to the Fraction as is usual on penitential days. The preface of Lent is sung and there is the Oratio super populum. The dismissal is Benedicamus Domino sung by the deacon facing the altar.

At Vespers there is a commemoration of the Lenten feria. As the Office of the Ember Friday ended at None the commemoration consists of the antiphon on the Magnificat, Hoc est testimonium etc, the versicle Rorate caeli etc, its respond, Aperiatur terra etc and the collect of the preceding Sunday, Aurem tuam etc. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung, the choir standing.

Following the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Ember Friday is II class and takes precedence over the III class feast of St. Gabriel. At Mattins the three lessons are the homily for the Ember Friday from St. Augustine. At Lauds the second schema of psalms is used. The ferial preces are sung and there is a commemoration of St. Gabriel. Although the second schema of Lauds is sung the fourth psalm is not added at Prime and the ferial chapter Pacem et veritatem is replaced by the festal (!) Regi saeculorum. The ferial preces are omitted at Prime and the Hours. At said Masses there is a commemoration of St. Gabriel. The penitential kneeling is reduced. The dismissal is Ite, missa est and the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle. One strange feature of 1962 Ember Wednesdays and Fridays is that whilst traditionally the Ember Day liturgy ended with the Mass sung after None, in the 1962 books Vespers becomes formally part of the Ember Day. On this Ember Friday in Lent that makes no practical difference. At Vespers the ferial preces are sung but the Suffrages are omitted.