The Nativity of St. John the Baptist

The feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is a double of the first class with an octave. The liturgical colour of the feast and its octave is white. The celebration of the feast on June 24th is ancient and was mentioned by the Council of Agde in 506 and is in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons, Ipse praeibit etc, proper to the feast, were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Ut queant laxis resonare fibris. The hymn famously rises through a scale in its verses: Ut (Doh), Resonare, Mira, Famuli, Solve, Labii. After the collect of the feast a commemoration was sung of the fifth Sunday after Pentecost. The Suffrage was omitted. At Compline the Dominical psalms were sung and the Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is proper Regem Praecursoris Dominum, Venite adoremus. The Office hymn is Antra deserti teneris sub annis. The antiphons, psalms and responsories are proper for all three nocturns. In the first nocturn the lessons are taken from the Incipit of the Prophet Jeremiah. In the second nocturn the lessons are from a sermon by St. Augustine on the saints and in the third nocturn the homily is from the writings of St. Ambrose on the first chapter of St. Luke's Gospel. The ninth lesson is of the Sunday. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons Elisabeth Zachariae etc are sung with the Sunday psalms. The rest of Lauds is proper to the feast with the Office hymn O nimis felix. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the Sunday.

At the Hours the antiphons of Lauds are sung with the Sunday psalms. At Prime (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii) the lectio brevis is Reges videbunt and the Dominical preces are omitted.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Mass is proper, De ventre. The Gloria is sung, after the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the Sunday. The Creed is sung as it falls on a Sunday this year. The preface if of the Trinity and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Second Vespers the antiphons sung at Lauds are sung again with the psalms from Vespers for the Common of Apostles. The hymn Ut queant laxisis again sung, the rest of the Office is proper to the feast. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. William and of the Sunday. The Suffrage is omitted. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the octave has been abolished. At Mattins there is no ninth lesson of the Sunday. At Mass the last Gospel is In principio. At Vespers there is no commemoration of St. William.

Icon: A Russian icon of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist from Wikipedia.

IV Sunday after Pentecost

The fourth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The chapter was O altitudo, from Romans, and the Office hymn was Jam sol recedit igneus. This chapter and hymn are used now on all of the 'green' Sundays. After the collect of the Sunday the Suffrage of the Saints was sung. At Compline the Dominical preces were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Dominum qui fecit nos and the 'summer' Office hymn Nocte surgentes is sung. In the first nocturn the lessons are taken from the First Book of Kings. In the second nocturn the lessons are from a sermon of St. Augustine and in the third nocturn the homily is from St. Ambrose on the Gospel account from St. Luke on the huge catch of fish at the lake of Genesareth. At Lauds the Office hymn is Ecce jam noctis. After the collect of the Sunday the Suffrage of the Saints is sung.

At Prime Quicumque and the Dominical preces are sung.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is A cunctis, the third collect is chosen by the Dean or rector. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

Vespers are of the Sunday. The Office hymn is Lucis creator optime. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Ephrem and of SS Mark & Marcellianus. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Suffrage has been abolished. The Dominical preces are omitted at Compline and at Prime. Quicumque is omitted. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Mass there is a single collect. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal

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.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons as on the feast of the Sacred Heart, Suavi jugo tuo etc were sung, but not doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 115 & 129. The chapter was of the Sunday and the Office hymn of the feast, En ut superba criminum. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the Octave and of St. Margaret of Scotland. 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. Margaret and of the Octave of the Sacred Heart. 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. Margaret, the third collect of the Octave of the Sacred Heart. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Sacred Heart.

At Vespers the antiphons Unus militum etc, not doubled, are sung with psalms 109, 110, 115, 127 & 147. The Office hymn is again En ut superba criminum. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Barnabas, of St. Margaret and of the Octave of the Sacred Heart. 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 Octave of the Sacred Heart has been abolished. The liturgical colour of the day is green. At both Vespers there are no commemorations. Mattins is is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. Mass has a single collect and the preface of the Trinity.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi

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. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration of the Octave was sung. The Suffrage was omitted being within an Octave.  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 were 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 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 and of St. Francis Caracciolo.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi, and the Octave itself, have 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.