Sunday 30 August 2020

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 first Sunday of September. 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 Office of this Sunday marks the beginning of the Pars Autumnalis of the Breviary. The fifth Sunday of August and its week are omitted this year.

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 Cum audisset Job for the Saturday before the first Sunday of September. After the collect of the Sunday commemoration were sung of the preceding feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, of St. Rose of Lima and of SS Felix & Adauctus. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

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 Job. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Gregory's Book of Morals. 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 commemorations are sung of St. Rose of Lima & of SS Felix & Adauctus. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted.

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. Rose of Lima, the third collect is of SS Felix & Adauctus. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Holy Trinity.

At Vespers the antiphons and psalms of Sunday (109, 110, 111, 112 & 113) are sung. The Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Raymund Nonnatus and of St. Rose of Lima. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' at Vespers the antiphon on the Magnificat was Observa, fili for the Saturday before the fifth Sunday of August. There were not commemorations. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is a single collect. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Sunday 23 August 2020

XII Sunday after Pentecost


The twelfth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour, until Vespers this year, is green. It is also the fourth Sunday of August. The Vigil of St. Bartholomew was anticipated yesterday, the Octave Day of the Assumption.

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...Qui natus etc. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Sapientia for the Saturday before the fourth Sunday of August). After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration was sung of the preceding Office of the Octave Day of the Assumption and of St. Philip Benizi. The Suffrage was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline. Te lucis was sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation.

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 Ecclesiasticus. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from the Book of Morals by St. Gregory the Great. In the third nocturn the homily on St. Luke's 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 a commemoration is sung of St. Philip Benizi. 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. Philip Benizi. Today there is no third collect. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

In the afternoon there is a colour change to red and first Vespers of the feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle are sung. The antiphons Hoc est praeceptum meum etc are sung, doubled, with the psalms from the Common of Apostles (Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116). The Office hymn is Exsultet orbis gaudiis. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday and of St. Philip Benizi. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil of St. Bartholomew has been abolished as has the Octave of the Assumption. Yesterday Vespers were of the Immaculate Heart of Mary with a commemoration of only the Sunday. At Compline Te lucis had the ordinary Doxology. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is a single collect. At Vespers, of the Sunday, there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Sunday 16 August 2020

St. Joachim, Father of the BVM


The feast of St. Joachim, father of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Double of the Second Class and its liturgical colour is white. This year the feast falls on both its current date of celebration, August 16th, and on its former day of celebration the Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption. Today is also the XI Sunday after Pentecost and third Sunday of August which is commemorated at Vespers, Mattins, Lauds and Mass. Although the day within the Octave is not commemorated hymns of Iambic metre still take the Marian Doxology and tone and Qui natus es is sung at Prime in the short responsory. Following the reforms of 1911-13 the Octave of St. Lawrence is mostly latent.

In pre-Trent times the feast was sometimes celebrated on the 20th March. The feast was suppressed by Pius V in the Tridentine Missal and Breviary and re-instated by Gregory XIII in 1584. In 1623 the feast gained a proper Office and was transferred to the Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption by Clement XII in 1738. Leo XIII raised the feast to a double of the second class in 1879. The 1948 Pian Commission discussed joining the feast with that of St. Anne, which indeed happened in due course (c.f. Memoria sulla riforma liturgica, ## 108, 178).

Yesterday afternoon second Vespers of the feast of the Assumption were sung. The antiphons Assumpta est Maria etc were sung, doubled, with the psalms from the Common of the BVM (Pss. 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147). The Office hymn was Ave maris stella. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Hodie Maria Virgo caelos ascendit: gaudete, quia cum Christo regnat in aeternum. After the collect of the feast, the sublime Famulorum tuorum, commemorations were sung of St. Joachim and of the XI Sunday after Pentecost (the antiphon on the Magnifcat being Omnis sapientia for the Saturday before the third Sunday of August). At Compline the Sunday psalms were sung and Te lucis is sung with the proper Doxology and tone.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Confessorum Dominum, Venite adoremus and the Office hymn is Iste Confessor. In the first nocturn the antiphons Beatus vir etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 1, 2 & 3. The lessons in the first nocturn are taken from the Common of Confessor non-Pontiffs, Beatus vir, etcwith their responsories. In the second nocturn the antiphons Invocantem etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 4, 5 & 8 and the lessons are proper to the feast. The fourth lesson is from the Discourse on the Praises of the Virgin by St. Epiphanius, the fifth and six lessons from a Discourse on the Birth of the Virgin by St. John Damascene. In the third nocturn the antiphons Domine etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 14, 20 & 23. The lessons, from the Common, are again from St. John Damascene. The ninth lesson is of the Sunday. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons Domine, quinque talenta etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 92, 99, 62, Benedicite & 148. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung.

At the Hours the antiphons of Lauds are used in the usual order. At Prime (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii) Qui natus es is sung as the verse in the responsory because of the Octave and the lectio brevis is Justum deduxit.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect of the Sunday, the Creed is sung, the preface is that of Sunday and the last Gospel is also of the Sunday.

At Vespers the antiphons Domine, quinque talenta are sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn is Iste, Confessor. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Hyacinth and of the Sunday.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the XI Sunday after Pentecost takes precedence over the feast of St. Joachim. The Octaves of the Assumption and of St. Lawrence have been abolished. At Vespers yesterday there was no commemoration of St. Joachim. At Compline the ordinary Doxology was sung. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn. At Lauds a commemoration of St. Joachim is sung. At Low and Conventual Masses a commemoration is made of St. Joachim. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Sunday 9 August 2020

X Sunday after Pentecost


The tenth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour, until Vespers, is green. This year it is the second Sunday of August. The Gospel pericope from St. Luke is of the parable of the Pharisee and Publican. The Vigil of St. Lawrence the Deacon 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 Ego in altissimis for the Saturday before the second Sunday of August. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of SS Cyriacus, Largus & Smaragdus, of St.John Mary Vianney and of St. Romanus. The Suffrage was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

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 by St. Chrysostom. In the third nocturn the lessons of the homily are from St. Augustine's 36th sermon on the words of the LORD. 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. John Mary Vianney and of St. Romanus. The Suffrage is omitted.

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. John Mary Vianney, the third collect is of St. Romanus. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Holy Trinity.

In the afternoon there is a colour change to red and first Vespers of the feast of St. Lawrence are sung. The antiphons Laurentius ingressus etc are sung, doubled, with psalms from the Common of Apostles, Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn is Deus, tuorum militum. The chapter, antiphon on the Magnificat and collect are proper. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday and of St. John Mary Vianney. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the feast of St. John Mary Vianney has been moved from the 9th August to the 8th so as not to impede the Vigil of St. Lawrence. However, this year the Vigil of St. Lawrence is entirely omitted. At Vespers there are no commemorations. 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, of the Sunday, there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Sunday 2 August 2020

IX Sunday after Pentecost

The ninth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the first Sunday of August. The Gospel pericopes from St. Luke contain the account of the LORD casting out the money lenders in the temple.

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 Sapientia for the Saturday before the first Sunday of August. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding feast of St. Peter's Chains, of St. Paul the Apostle, of St. Alphonsus Liguori and of St. Stephen. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted. At Compline the Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Dominum qui fecit nos and the Office hymn isNocte surgentes. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipiunt of the Proverbs of Solomon. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from a tract of St. Ambrose on the 118th Psalm. In the third nocturn the homily on St. Luke's Gospel is from St. Gregory. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds after the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of St. Alphonsus Liguori and of St. Stephen. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted.

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. Alphonsus, the third collect is of St. Stephen. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

Vespers are of the Sunday (Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113) and the Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following Office of the Finding of the Body of St. Stephen the Protomartyr and of St. Alphonsus Liguori. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at either Vespers. The feasts of St. Peter's Chains and the Finding of the Body of St. Stephen have both been abolished. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is a single collect.