St Stephen the Protomartyr

The feast of St. Stephen the Protomarty is a Double of the Second Class with a simple Octave and its liturgical colour is red. The feast takes the place of the Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity which is observed on Thursday. Originally many saints, more than now, were celebrated around the Nativity of the LORD. These were described as the 'comites Christi' . e.g. St. James the Lesser and King David. In 'modern' calendars we are left with St. Stephen, St. John the Evangelist, and the Holy Innocents although St. David the King is in the Kalendar as a greater double on the 29th December in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. St. Stephen's celebration on this date is ancient probably dating back to the 3rd century.

At second Vespers of the Nativity yesterday afternoon a commemoration was sung of St. Stephen. At Mattins the invitatory is proper, Christum natum, qui beatum hodie coronavit Stephanum and the Office hymn is Deus, tuorum militum sung with the Doxology of the Incarnation. In the first nocturn the antiphons In lege Domini etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 1, 2 & 3 all from the Common of a Martyr. The lessons are from the Acts of the Apostles with responsories proper to the feast. In the second nocturn the antiphons Filii hominum etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 4, 5 & 8 and the lessons are from a sermon of St. Fulgentius on St. Stephen's martyrdom. In the third nocturn the antiphons Justus Dominus etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 10, 14 & 20. The homily is from St. Jerome on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the proper antiphons, Lapidaverunt Stephanum etc., are sung, doubled, with psalms 92, 99, 62, Benedicite & 148. The Office hymn is Invicte Martyr unicum sung with the Doxology of the Incarnation. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the Octave of the Nativity.

At Prime the antiphon Lapidaverunt Stephanum is sung with the festal psalms (53, 118i & 118ii). The short responsory has the versicle of the Incarnation and the lectio brevis is Positis autem. At the other Little Hours the psalms of Lauds are used in the usual order. The hymns of the Little Hours have the tone and Doxology of the Incarnation.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung and the second collect is of the Octave of the Nativity. The Creed is sung, the preface and communicantes are of the Nativity.

At Vespers the antiphons and psalms are from Second Vespers of the Nativity are sung. From the chapter the Office is of St. Stephen. The Office hymn is Deus, tuorum militum, sung with the Doxology and melody of the Incarnation. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. John the Evangelist and of the Octave of the Nativity of the LORD.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the ancient practice of the feasts of St. Stephen, St. John and the SS Holy Innocents taking the place of the Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity has been abolished and today is the Sunday within the Octave. At Vespers yesterday afternoon there were no commemorations of St. Stephen or of the Sunday. At Mattins in the third nocturn psalm 88, Misericordias Domini is cut from 51 to 36 verses. The verses from Tu vero repulisti et despexisti to the end are omitted. The hymns of the Little Hours are sung without the Doxology of the Incarnation. At Lauds after the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of St. Stephen (but not of the Octave of the Nativity). At Prime and the Hours the antiphons and psalms of Sunday are sung, not the proper antiphons and festal psalms. The lectio brevis is Ipsi peribunt. At said Masses, only, there is a commemoration of St. Stephen (but not of the Octave of the Nativity). At Vespers there is no commemoration of St. John or of the Octave of the Nativity.