Sunday within the Octave of the Sacred Heart - Third Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday within the Octave of the Sacred Heart, the third Sunday after Pentecost, is of semi-double rite. The structure of the Office is as last Sunday and again the liturgical colour is white. The Gospel pericopes from St. Luke have the parable of the shepherd going after one sheep missing from his hundred strong flock. This year it is also the Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Vespers yesterday afternoon were second Vespers of the feast of St. John the Baptist. The antiphons Elisabeth Zachariae etc were sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Ut queant laxis. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the Sunday, of the Octave of the Sacred Heart and of St. William the Abbot. The Suffrage was omitted. At Compline the Dominical psalms were sung and Te lucis had the Doxology and tone of the Octave. The Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory, hymn, antiphons and psalms are as on the feast of the Sacred Heart but the antiphons are not doubled. In the first nocturn the lessons are a continuation of the First Book of the Kings. The responses are of the Octave. In the second nocturn the lessons are from the Encyclical of Pius XI in 1928 that, inter alia, gave the feast an Octave. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Gregory on St. Lukes Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons Unus militum etc are sung, as on the feast, with the Dominical psalms. The Office hymn is Cor, arca legem continens. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of St. William, of the Octave of the Sacred Heart and of the Octave of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The Suffrage is omitted.

At the Hours the hymns have the Doxology Jesu tibi sit gloria, Qui Corde fundis gratiam etc. The antiphons from Lauds are sung in the normal sequence at the Hours. At Prime the festal psalms are sung (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii). In the short responsory the versicle Qui Corde fundis gratiam is sung. The lectio brevis is of the Sunday, Deus autem.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. William, the third collect of the Octave of the Sacred Heart, the fourth collect of the Octave of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Sacred Heart.

As noted last Sunday in one of the many liturgical changes initiated by Pius X in 1911-13 the feast of St. John the Baptist was moved from its traditional date of 24th June to the fourth Sunday in June. Consequently, although the fest was restored to its correct date all Masses today, except the Conventual Mass, may be of the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist with a commemoration of the Sunday and Octave of the Sacred Heart and last Gospel of the Sunday.

At Vespers the antiphons Unus militum etc, not doubled, are sung with psalms 109, 110, 115, 127 & 147. The Office hymn is En ut superba criminum. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following feast of SS John and Paul, of St. William, of the Octave of the Sacred Heart and of the Octave of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The Suffrage is omitted. At Compline Te lucis has the Doxology and tone of the Octave, the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Octaves of the Sacred Heart and of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist have been abolished. The liturgical colour of the day is green. At Vespers on Saturday the Sunday, only, was commemorated. Mattins is is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. Prime has the Dominical psalms and Qui sedes etc in the short responsory. None of the hymns have the Doxology of the abolished Octave. Mass has a single collect and the preface of the Trinity. At Vespers the antiphons and psalms of Sunday are sung, there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi - Second Sunday after Pentecost

The Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi and the Second Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is white.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of the feast of Corpus Christi, Sacerdos in aeternum etc, were sung, not doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 115, 127 & 147. The chapter was of the Sunday, the hymn and the following versicle & response were of the feast. The antiphon on the Magnificat and collect were of the Sunday followed by commemorations of the Octave, of St. Ephraem and of SS. Mark & Marcellianus. The Suffrage is omitted.  At Compline Te lucis was sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation, Jesu tibi sit gloria, Qui natus es de Virgine, Cum Patre et almo Spiritu, In sempiterna saecula. The Dominical preces are omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Christum Regem adoremus dominantem Gentibus: Qui se manducantibus dat spiritus pinguedinem. The Office hymn is Sacris solemnis. The antiphons and psalms are as on the feast of Corpus Christi but the antiphons are not doubled.  The lessons are proper to the Sunday. In the first nocturn these are taken from the First Book of Kings. In the second nocturn they are taken from a sermon of St. Chrysostom to the people of Antioch and the homily in the third nocturn is from St. Gregory on St. Luke's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons are those sung on the feast of Corpus Christi, Sapientia etc. The chapter is of the Sunday, the hymn as on the feast. The antiphon on the Benedictus and collect are of the Sunday. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the Octave, of St. Ephraem and of SS Mark and Marcellianus. The Suffrage is omitted.

At the Little Hours the hymns are sung to the same tone as on the feast of the Nativity of the LORD (there of course being a deep link between the Incarnation and Corpus Christi) with the Doxology Jesu tibi sit gloria etc. At Prime the festal psalms are sung (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii), the versicle in the short responsory is Qui natus es for the feast and Octave, the short lesson is Filioli mei, of the Sunday.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Octave, the third collect is of St. Ephraem, the fourth collect is of SS Mark & Marcellianus. The Creed is sung and the preface is that of the Nativity.

In Collegiate and Cathedral Churches a Mass of the feast of Corpus Christi is sung after None with Gloria, second collect of the Sunday, the Sequence Lauda Sion, Creed, preface of the Nativity and last Gospel of the Sunday. After this a Procession is made as on the feast. Likewise in those countries where the External Solemnity of Corpus Christi is observed on the Sunday following the feast Masses are of the feast with a commemoration of the Sunday. Indeed for a few years in the second decade of the twentieth century Corpus Christi was, rather bizarrely, universally moved to the Sunday after Trinity by a motu proprio of Pius X, De Diebus festis (AAS 3, 1911, pp.305-306).

(Second section of the motu proprio: Note also the moving to Sundays of St. Joseph's March feast and the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist)

At Vespers the antiphons and psalms are as at Second Vespers of the feast except that the antiphons are not doubled. The chapter is of the Sunday, the hymn, versicle & response of the feast and the antiphon on the Magnificat and collect of the Sunday. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the Octave of Corpus Christi, of St. Juliana, of St. Ephraem and of SS Gervase and Protase.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi has been abolished. The Second Sunday after Pentecost is celebrated as a 'green' Sunday. Mattins is stripped down to a single of three lessons with the invitatory and antiphons of the Sunday. There are no commemorations at either Vespers, Lauds or Mass. The hymn tones are not those of the Nativity, the Doxology has gone, the versicle at Prime is Qui sedes. At Mass there is a single collect and the preface is of the Trinity. The Octave of Corpus Christi has been abolished.

Trinity Sunday

The Feast of the Most Holy Trinity is now a Double of the First Class having been raised to that rank in the reforms of 1911-13. Before that it was a Double of the Second Class and before that a double. Its origins appear to be as a local feast that originated in Liege in the tenth century with its celebration spreading in northern France and England. The Franciscan John Peckham revised the texts in the thirteenth century. In many local rites (and e.g., in the Dominican rite) Sundays were counted after Trinity rather than Pentecost, as indeed they still are in the BCP. The first Sunday after Pentecost is commemorated in the Office and Mass. This year the feast of St. Barnabas is omitted.

The feast began yesterday with first Vespers on Saturday afternoon marking the beginning of the Summer (Pars Aestiva) volume of the Breviarium Romanum. The Office is proper. The antiphons Gloria tibi Trinitas etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. The chapter, O altitudo, and Office hymn, Jam sol recedit, will be used at Vespers on Saturdays for all the Sundays after Pentecost. The antiphon on the Magnificat, Gratias tibi, Deus etc, and the collect are proper to the feast. A commemoration was sung of the first Sunday after Pentecost. After Vespers the antiphon Salve Regina etc was sung for the first time this year. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

At Mattins there are three nocturns. The invitatory is proper, Deum verum, unum in Trinitate, et Trinitatm in Unitate, Venite adoremus. In the first nocturn he antiphons, Adesto, unus Deus etc., are sung with psalms 8, 18 & 23. The lessons are taken from the sixth chapter of the Prophet Isaiah. In the second nocturn the antiphons, Te invocamus etc., are sung with psalms 46, 47 & 71, the lessons are taken from the Book of Bishop Fulgentius on faith. In the third nocturn the antiphons Caritas Pater est etc are sung with psalms 95, 96 & 97. The homily is from St. Gregory Nazianzen. The ninth lesson is of the first Sunday after Pentecost. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons, Gloria tibi, Trinitas etc., are sung with the Dominical psalms (92, 99, 62, Benedicite & 148). The Office hymn is Tu, Trinitatis Unitas. A commemoration is sung of the Sunday.

At Prime the festal psalms are sung (53, 118i & 118ii) under the antiphon Gloria tibi Trinitas. The Creed of St. Athanasius, Quicumque, is sung after the last stanza of Ps. 118. The lectio brevis is Tres sunt.

Mass is sung after Terce. Before Mass at the sprinkling of lustral water the antiphon Asperges me returns. The Mass is proper, Benedicta sit. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday, the Credo is sung, the preface that of the Most Holy Trinity (used for all Sundays not having a proper preface after 1752), and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

In second Vespers the antiphons Gloria tibi, Trinitas etc are sung with the Sunday psalms. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the following Office of St. John of St. Facundo an of the first Sunday after Pentecost.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' so much has been excised from the Breviary that four volumes are no longer needed. The 'Pars Altera' of the two volumes begins today. There is no commemoration of the first Sunday after Pentecost at Vespers, Mattins or Lauds. The eighth lesson is split into two to make a ninth lesson for the feast. At Prime Quicumque is sung on this Sunday alone in the 1962 rite, the lectio brevis is Dominus autem dirigat. At Mass there is no commemoration of the Sunday and no proper last Gospel. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Pentecost Sunday

Whitsun, the feast of Pentecost, is one of the greatest feasts in the Liturgical Year ranking next only to Pascha and, like the Queen of Feasts, is a Double of the First Class with a privileged Octave of the first order. The liturgical colour of the feast and its Octave is red. The feast of St. Francis Caracciolo is omitted this year.

After the beautiful and splendid ceremonies of the Vigil of Pentecost yesterday morning First Vespers of the feast were sung in the afternoon. On this great feast the rubrics require the most solemn celebration of Vespers with the Hebdomadarius assisted by six pluvialistae in pariti wherever possible. The solemn tone of Deus, in adjutorium is sung at Vespers, Mattins and at Lauds. The antiphons, Cum complerentur dies Pentecostes etc are proper and were sung with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. During the singing of the hymn, Veni, Creator Spiritus, all knelt during the first verse. All hymns of the feast and Octave have the Doxology Deo Patri sit gloria, Et Filio, qui a mortuis, Surrexit ac Paraclito, In saeculorum saecula. Veni Creator is sung in tone 8, the other hymns of the Office in tone 1. At Vespers there were no commemorations. At Compline Te lucis was sung as described above and the Dominical preces are omitted for the Octave.

Mattins for the feast, and Octave, is like Pascha in only having a single nocturn of three psalms and three lessons. The invitatory is Alleluia, Spiritus Domini replevit orbem terrarum, Venite adoremus Alleluia. The Office hymn is Jam Christus astra ascenderat. The antiphons Factus est etc are sung with psalms 47, 67 & 103. The lessons are from a homily of St. Gregory the Great on St. John's Gospel. At Lauds the antiphons, Cum complerentur dies Pentecostes etc, are the same as at Vespers and are sung with the Dominical psalms (Pss. 92, 99, 62, Benedicite & 148). The Office hymn is Beata nobis gaudia. There are no commemorations.

At Prime the festal psalms are sung (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii) under the antiphon Cum complerentur. In the short responsory the versicle Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, alleluia, alleluia is sung. The short lesson is Judaei quoque. At Terce instead of the usual hymn Nunc Sancte nobis the hymn Veni Creator is sung as it was at the third hour the Holy Ghost descended on the Apostles, as a Vespers the first verse is sung kneeling.

At Mass the Vidi aquam is sung for the last time this year and the aspersion takes place with Baptismal water taken after the blessing of the font yesterday (but before the infusion with Chrism!) The Gloria is sung and there is only one collect. After the Alleluia the beautiful sequence Veni, Sancte Spiritus is sung. The Credo is sung. The preface, Communicantes and Hanc igitur are proper to the feast and used throughout the Octave. According to the rubrics of the Gradulae four cantors lead the singing during Mass. In some places, particularly France, the practice found in so many medieval uses is followed where on great feasts the cantors wear copes and the Crucifer and acolytes tunicles.

At Second Vespers the antiphons Cum complerentur dies Pentecostes etc are sung with the Dominical psalms. The versicle and response and antiphon on the Magnificat are proper to Second Vespers. There are no commemorations.

Following the 'liturgical books of 1962' the hymns of Compline, Prime, Sext and None are sung to the solemn tone but do not have the Pentecost Doxology. The antiphons at the Little Hours are doubled.