St. Anne, Mother of the BVM

The feast of St. Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin, is a Double of the Second Class and its liturgical colour is white. The eighth Sunday after Pentecost is commemorated at Vespers, Mattins, Lauds and Mass. The feast was originally celebrated by the Franciscans and appears as a feast of nine lessons in the 1550 Breviarium Romanum. The feast was suppressed in the 1568-70 reform but was returned to the Kalendar in 1584 as a feast of double rite. The feast became a greater double in 1738 and a Double of the Second Class in 1879. Most of the texts for the feast are from the Common of Non-Virgins.

Vespers yesterday afternoon were second Vespers of the feast of St. James the Apostle. The antiphons Juravit Dominus etc were sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 112, 115, 125 & 138. The Office hymn was Exsultet orbis gaudiis. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of St. Anne and of the eighth Sunday after Pentecost. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted. At Compline the Dominical psalms were sung and the preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Laudemus Deum nostrum, in confessione beatae Annae and the Office hymn is Hujus oratu. In the first nocturn the antiphons O quam pulchra etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 8, 18, & 23. The lessons are Mulierem fortem etc from the Proverbs of Solomon. In the second nocturn the antiphons Specie tua etc are sung with Pss.44, 45 & 47. The lessons are proper to the feast from St. John Damascene. In the third nocturn the antiphons Nigra sum etc are sung with Pss. 95, 96 & 97. The homily is from the writings of St. Gregory on St. Matthew's Gospel. The ninth lesson is of the Sunday. At Lauds the antiphons Dum esset Rex etc are sung, doubled, with the Dominical psalms. The Office hymn is Fortem virili pectore. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung. The Suffrage is omitted.

At the Hours the antiphons from Lauds are sung in the usual order. At Prime the psalmody is festal 53, 118i & 118ii and the lectio brevis is Multae filiae.

At Mass the Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Trinity and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers the antiphons Dum esset Rex etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147. The Office hymn is Fortem virili pectore. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung. The Suffrage is omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the feast does not take precedence over the Sunday. At Vespers of St. James yesterday there was no commemoration of St. Anne.  Mattins of the Sunday is cut down to a single nocturn. At Lauds there is a commemoration of St. Anne. At said Masses there is a second collect of St. Anne. At Vespers there are no commemorations.