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.