XV Sunday after Pentecost

The fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the fifth Sunday of August. The Gospel pericopes sung at Mattins and Mass are from the seventh chapter of St. Luke's Gospel recount the raising by the LORD from the dead of the son of the widow of Nain.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The Office hymn was Jam sol recedit igneus and the antiphon on the Magnificat was Observa, fili for the Saturday before the fifth Sunday of August. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Joseph Calasanctius, of St. Augustine and of St. Hermes. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted due to the double feasts. At Compline the Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Dominum qui fecit nos and the Office hymn is Nocte surgentes. In the first nocturn the lessons are taken from the book of Ecclesiastes. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. John Chrysostom. In the third nocturn the lessons are a homily from St. Augustine on St. Lukes's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Ecce jam noctis. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of St.Augustine and St. Hermes. The Suffrage of the Saints is omittedd.

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 St. Augustine, the third collect is of St. Hermes. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Holy 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 the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, of St. Augustine and of St. Sabina. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' today is the fourth Sunday of August. At Vespers the antiphon on the Magnificat is Sapientia for the Saturday before the fourth Sunday of August. There are no commemorations at either Vespers. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn, the first and second lessons are those that were read last Sunday in the traditional Roman rite. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is only one collect.

XIV Sunday after Pentecost

The fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the fourth Sunday of August and also the Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption of the BVM. The pericopes from St. Matthew's Gospel contain the passages about the 'lilies of the field' and seeking first the Kingdom of God.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The Office hymn was Jam sol recedit igneus, sung with the meloday and Doxology of the Incarnation, Jesu tibi sit gloria etc. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Sapientia for the Saturday before the fourth Sunday of August. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Bernard, of St. Jane Frances Fremiot and of the Octave. The Suffrage was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation. All hymns of Iambic metre are sung with this Doxology throughout the Octave.

At Mattins the invitatory is Dominum qui fecit nos and the Office hymn isNocte surgentes. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of Ecclesiasticus. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Gregory's Book of Morals. In the third nocturn the homily on St. Matthew's Gospel is from St. Augustine. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Ecce jam noctis. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of St. Jane Frances Fremiot and of the Octave. The Suffrage is omitted.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Jane Frances, the third collect is of the Octave. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Holy Trinity.

Prior to the reform of 1911-13 the Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption was the feast of St. Joachim. Father of the BVM. Today one Mass, other than the Conventual, may be sung of St. Joachim in white vestments. The Mass is Dispersit, the Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday, and third collect of St. Jane Frances Fremiot. 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 Office of the Octave Day of the Assumption, of St. Jane Frances Fremiot, and of SS Timothy & Others. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' today is the third Sunday of August. The Octave of the Assumption has been abolished. At Vespers on Saturday the antiphon on the Magnificat was Omnis sapientia. There were no commemorations. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. The first two readings are from the Book of Wisdom. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is a single collect. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal

XIII Sunday after Pentecost

The thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the third Sunday of August. The Gospel pericopes from St. Luke's Gospel tell of the LORD and the ten lepers, only one of which thanked Him for being healed. The Vigil of the Assumption was anticipated yesterday.

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 Omnis sapientia for the Saturday before the third Sunday of August. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration was sung of St. Eusebius followed by the Suffrage of the Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Dominum qui fecit nos and the Office hymn is Nocte surgentes. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of Wisdom. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from the Book of Morals by St. Gregory the Great and in the third nocturn the homily on St. Luke's Gospel is from St. Augustine. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Ecce jam noctis. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of St.Eusebius followed by the Suffrage of the Saints.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Eusebius and the third collect is A cunctis. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Holy Trinity.

At Vespers there is a colour change to white and first Vespers of the Assumption are sung. The antiphons Assumpta est Maria etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147. The chapter is from the feast In omnibus requiem and the Office hymn is the magnificent Ave, maris stella the first verse of which is sung kneeling. At Compline Te lucis is sung to the tone of Incarnation with the Doxology Jesu, tibi sit gloria etc.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil of the Assumption is omitted this year. At Vespers there are no commemorations nor Suffrage. Today is the second Sunday of August not the third. Mattins has a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. Prime loses both Quicumque and the preces. At Mass there is a single collect. At Vespers the mutilations of the 1950s result in a new chapter, hymn, O prima Virgo and collect. At Compline Te lucis is sung with the ordinary Doxology.

Art: Jerome Nadal

St. Lawrence

The feast of St. Lawrence is a Double of the Second Class with a Simple Octave in the Universal Kalendar. St. Lawrence is, least amongst many other things, Patron of the Saint Lawrence Press. St. Lawrence's body is interred in the basilica of St. Lawrence-without-the-Walls in Rome. St. Lawrence was the first of the seven Roman deacons and known for his generosity to the poor. He was martyred in 258, according to tradition, on a grid iron and asked his tormentors to turn him over as his flesh was fully roasted on the one side. The liturgical colour of the feast is red. St. Lawrence is listed in the Communicantes of the Canon. The feast is ancient and appears in the Leonine and other early sacramentaries. The feast was preceded by a Vigil yesterday. The Vigil was commemorated in the Office and Mass of St. John Mary Vianney. Private Masses may have been of the Vigil with a commemoration of the occurring feast (and of St. Romanus). In Cathedral and Collegiate foundations there were two Masses: the first after Terce was of St. John Mary Vianney without any commemoration of the Vigil but with a commemoration of St. Romanus and the second, after None, was of the Vigil without any commemoration of the feasts with the second collect Concede and the third collect Ecclesiae and Benedicamus Domino as the dismissal.

The stone on which the body of St. Lawrence was laid after his martyrdom in San Lorenzo fuori le mura, Rome. Image: Wikipedia

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Laurentius ingressus est martyr etc were sung, doubled, with the psalms from the Common of Apostles, Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Deus, tuorum militum. The chapter, antiphon on the Magnificat and collect were proper, the rest of the Office was taken from the Common of Martyrs. After the collect of the feast a commemoration was sung of St. John Mary Vianney. The Suffrage was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline. At Compline the Dominical psalms were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Beatus Laurentius, Christi Martyr, triumphat coronatus in caelis: Venite, adoremus Dominum and the Office hymn is, again, Deus, tuorum militum. In the first nocturn the antiphons Quo progredis etc are sung with psalms 1, 2 & 3. The lessons in the first nocturn are from the Book of Eccesiasticus. In the second nocturn the antiphons Beatus Laurentius etc are sung with psalms 4, 5 & 8. The lessons are from a sermon of St. Leo on St. Lawrence. In the third nocturn the antiphons Strinxerunt etc are sung with psalms 14, 16 & 20. The lessons in the third nocturn are from a sermon of St. Augustine on St. John's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons Laurentius ingressus est martyr etc are sung with Dominical psalms and the Office hymn is Invicte Martyr, unicum.

At Prime and the Hours the antiphons from Lauds, Laurentius etc., are sung with the festal psalms. At Prime the Dominical preces are omitted and the lectio brevis is Potens est autem.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung and the common preface is sung.

At second Vespers the antiphons Laurentius etc are again sung, at this Office with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 115. The V&R are proper to the feast. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the feast loses first Vespers. St. John Mary Vianney has been moved to the 8th August. The Vigil has gained Vespers that had the ferial antiphons and psalms but with the collect of the Vigil. At Compline the antiphons and psalms of Tuesday were sung. The Octave has been abolished. At the Hours the antiphons and psalms are from the ferial Psalter. At Prime the lectio brevis is of the season.

XII Sunday after Pentecost

The twelfth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour, from Mattins onwards, is green. This year it is the second Sunday of August.

Vespers yesterday afternoon were second Vespers of the feast of the Transfiguration of the LORD. The antiphons Assumpsit Jesus etc were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Quicumque Christum quaeritis. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Ego in altissimis for the Saturday before the second Sunday of August) and of St. Cajetan. The Suffrage was omitted. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the Doxology Jesu tibi...Qui te revelas etc and the Dominical preces'

At Mattins the invitatory is Dominum qui fecit nos and the Office hymn isNocte surgentes. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the book of Ecclesiastes. In the second nocturn the lessons are from a sermon of St. Chrysostom. In the third nocturn the homily on the Gospel is from the writings of the Venerable Bede. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Ecce jam noctis. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of St. Cajetan and of St. Donatus. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted.

At Prime both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Cajetan and the third collect is of St. Donatus. The Creed is sung and the preface is that of the Blessed Trinity.

At Vespers the Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following feast of SS Cyriacus and Others and of St. Cajetan. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the first Sunday of August is today. At Vespers yesterday the commemoration of the Sunday was by the antiphon Sapientia. At Compline Te lucis was usng with the ordinary Doxology. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is but a single collect. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal