First Sunday of Advent

The first Sunday of Advent is a semi-double Sunday of the first class and its liturgical colour is violet. The liturgy of Advent is perhaps the most exquisite of the entire liturgical year with 'layers' of meaning for both the First and Second Comings of the LORD. There is a weave of expectant joy and penance to be found in the liturgical texts. The eschatalogical theme of last Sunday's Gospel continues with St. Luke's Gospel today and the Coming of the Divine Judge. From first Vespers of Advent Sunday the Pars Hiemalis of the Breviary begins. The Vigil of St. Andrew the Apostle was anticipated yesterday on Saturday.

During Advent bishops of the Roman rite exchange their violet choir cassocks for black ones (with train) which are worn with either a black mozzeta or black mattelletum with violet linings. Cardinals of the Court of Rome wear their 'winter' violet merino apparel (in contrast to their summer mourning dress of violet watered-silk) in place of their watered-silk scarlet dress.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons In illa die etc were sung with the psalms of Saturday. The Office hymn was Creator alme siderum. The Suffrage was omitted being Advent. At Compline the Dominical preces were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem venturum and this is sung in both the Dominical and ferial Offices of Advent until the third Sunday. The Office hymn is Verbum supernum. In the first nocturn the antiphons Veniet ecce Rex etc are sung with the usual psalms for Sunday. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the prophet Isaiah. In the second nocturn the antiphons Gaude et laetare etc are sung and the lessons are taken from the writing of St. Leo on the fast of the tenth month, the theme of which is preparing for the Coming. In the third nocturn the antiphons Gabriel Angelus etc are sung and the homily is from St. Gregory continuing the theme of Coming with his commentary on St. Luke's Gospel about the end times. A ninth responsory is sung and the Te Deum is omitted in the Office of Advent. At Lauds the antiphons proper to the first Sunday In illa die etc, are sung with the Dominical psalms. The hymn is En clara vox. The Suffage is omitted during Advent.

At Prime the first antiphon from Lauds, In illa die, is sung with the usual Dominical psalms (117, 118i, 118ii). In the short responsory the versicle Qui venturus es in mundum replaces Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris for all of Advent except when an occurring feast has a proper versicle. The Dominical preces are sung. At the other Hours the remaining antiphons of Lauds are sung in the usual order.

Mass is sung after Terce. During Advent for ferial and Dominical Masses in the Roman rite the deacon and sub-deacon do not wear the dalmatic and tunicle but violet folded chasubles, an ancient feature of the Roman liturgy. The Gloria in not sung, the second collect is Deus, qui de beate, the third collect is Ecclesiae. The Creed is sung, the preface that of the Blessed Trinity and, as the Gloria was not sung, the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino, sung by the deacon facing the altar, not turned towards the people.

At Vespers the liturgical colour changes to red and first Vespers of St. Andrew the Apostle are sung. The antiphons Salve, crux pretiosa etc, proper to the feast are sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. The Office hymn is Exsultet orbis gaudiis. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung. At Compline the Dominical preces are omtted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' so much has been excised from the Breviary that there are only two volumes not four and Advent Sunday marks the beginning of the Pars Prior, which runs until first Vespers of Trinity Sunday. The Vigil of St. Andrew is not anticipated as it has been abolished. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Prime there are no Dominical preces. At Mass the there is the novelty for the the Roman rite of the deacon wearing the dalmatic and the sub-deacon the tunicle in a penitential Mass of the season. Folded chasubles, so ancient and so quintessentially Roman, have been tossed aside. There is only one collect and the dismissal is Ite, missa est. Vespers are of the Sunday with no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal

XXVI and last Sunday after Pentecost

Today is the twenty-sixth, and last, Sunday after Pentecost. It is also the fifth Sunday of November. The liturgical colour is green. The Gospel pericopes from St. Matthew's Gospel contain the prophetic words of the LORD concerning the last days and the coming of the Antichrist. The texts of the twenty-fourth Sunday given in the Breviary and Missal are used.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The Office hymn was Jam sol recedit igneus sung with the Doxology and melody of the Incarnation, Jesu tibi sit gloria etc. 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 the Presentation of the BVM and of St. Cecilia. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted due to the double feasts as were the Dominical preces at Compline. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the Doxology and melody of the Incarnation.

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 a commemoration is sung of St. Cecilia. 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. Cecelia. Today there is no third collect. 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. Clement, of St. Cecilia and of St. Felicitas. 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' on Saturday the hymns at Vespers and Compline are sung with the ordinary Doxlogy. There are no commemorations at either Vespers. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is a single collect.

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

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 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. Josaphat and of St. Albert the Great. 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 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. Albert the Great. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The introit, gradual, Alleluia verse, offertory and communion texts are, again, 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. Albert the Great. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

Vespers are of the Sunday (Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113). The Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following Office of St. Gertrude and of St. Albert the Great. 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 either Vespers. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. Quicumque is only sung on Trinity Sunday and the preces are always omitted. At Mass there is only one collect.

Available soon!

Ordo 2016 will be available for despatch very soon. Please watch this space. A new cart for Ordo 2016 will be set up when it is available. It would be much appreciated if people did not order the 2015 edition hoping to get 2016.

It is gratifying and pleasing to see so many enquiries already about the 2016 edition. Ordo 2015 sold very well with many new customers from around the world as a new generation starts to understand the richness of the Roman liturgy and to follow the praxis of previous generations now gone to the LORD. November is, of course, a most suitable time to remember them.

On a different note if there is a bilingual Portuguese-English speaker willing to do a small amount of translation work for the website in exchange for a gratis copy of Ordo 2016 please do make contact.

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 third Sunday of November. As this year the number of Sundays after Pentecost is twenty-six the texts for the twenty-fourth Sunday found in the Breviary and Missal are used on the last Sunday after Pentecost and for this Sunday and the following one some texts are taken from those Sundays after the Epiphany that were not celebrated this year. So today these are taken form the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. The Gospel pericopes are the parable from St. Matthew's Gospel of the enemy sowing cockle in the planted field.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Muro tuo for the Saturday before the third Sunday of November. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the Octave Day of All Saints and of the Four Crowned Martyrs. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted due to the Octave as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins in the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of Daniel the Prophet. In the second nocturn the lessons are from the book of St. Athanasius to Virgins. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Augustine on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Aeterne. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the Octave Day of All Saints and of the Four Crowned Martyrs. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted due to the occurring double feast.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Octave Day, the third collect is of the Four Crowned Martyrs. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

At Vespers there is a colour change to white and first Vespers of the Dedication of the Basilica of Our Saviour are sung. The antiphons Domum tuam etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 147. The Office hymn is Caelestis urbs Jerusalem. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday and of the Octave Day of All Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at Vespers. Mattins is cut down to a single 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.

New CD of piano music by Nicholas Wilton

A friend of long-standing, of both The Saint Lawrence Press and of this writer, is the acclaimed composer of liturgical music Nicholas Wilton. Many readers will be familiar with Nicholas' first CD - which I wrote about last year. Nicholas won much acclaim for his liturgical music from, amongst others, Sir James Galway saying "This is one of my favourite CD's. Masterfully written, beautifully sung. It brings me closer to God. I have given it as a gift to many of my friends."

Now Nicholas has produced another CD this time featuring some of the compositions for piano that he has composed. I was delighted a couple of weeks ago on returning to London to find a autographed copy of the CD amongst my mail as a kind gift. The CD consists of eight short tracks of piano music composed between 1987 and 1989. As with his sacred music, these pieces show the influences of composers whom he most admired at the time; principally Chopin but also Scarlatti, Strauss, Mozart, Beethoven, Shostakovich and Liszt.

Individual tracks are available for download from the Tutti website. The CD is available direct from the composer and generous discounts are being offered for multiple purchases along with trade discounts. Nicholas has price lists available for UK, European and other International customers. Please contact him at sales@catholicmusic.co.uk .  Copies of his first CD are also available and attractive deals offered for buying both!

As an added incentive the first 250 copies of the CD are numbered and signed by the composer. With Christmas on the horizon this is an excellent opportunity for a lovely Christmas present - do please go and buy a copy - and download the tracks!

All Saints' Day

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. The XXIII Sunday after Pentecost, and this year the first Sunday of November, is commemorated at Vespers, Mattins, Lauds and Mass.

At Vespers, yesterday afternoon, the antiphons Vidi turbam magnam etc were sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. The Office hymn was Placare, Christe, servulis. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday was sung with the antiphon on the Magnificat being Vidi, Dominum for the Saturday before the first Sunday of November. The Suffrage was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

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 ninth lesson is of the Sunday. 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. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung.

At Prime and the Hours the antiphons Vidi turbam magnum etc are sung in the usual order. At Prime (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii) the lectio brevis is proper to the feast, Benedictio et claritas,.

Mass is sung after Terce. 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.

At second Vespers the antiphons Vidi turbam magnam etc are sung with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 115. The Office hymn is Placare, Christe, servulis. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the Sunday. 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 that reform, 'Compline of the Dead', with psalms 122, 141 and 142.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' both the Vigil and Octave of All Saints have been abolished. At Prime the lectio brevis is of the season and at the Little Hours the antiphons are doubled. At Mass the last Gospel is of the Sunday. The 'double Vespers' has been abolished and Vespers for the Dead will be sung in the afternoon of All Souls' Day.