The first week of August

VIII Sunday after Pentecost

The eighth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. The Gospel pericopes from St. Luke contain the parable about the unjust steward. This year it is the first Sunday of August.

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 a commemoration was sung of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted due to the double feast 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 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. Jerome. 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. Ignatius. 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 the St. Ignatius. Today there is no third collect. 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 feast of of St. Peter in Chains, of St. Paul the Apostle, of St. Ignatius and of the Holy Machabees. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the first Sunday of August will not be for another week. Yesterday at Vespers the antiphon on the Magnifcat was Exaudisti Domine. There were no commemorations at Vespers. At Mattins, in the single nocturn, the first and second lessons continue to be read from the Third Book of the Kings. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is but a single collect. At Vespers there are no commemorations and the feast of St. Peter in Chains has been struck from the Calendar. Art: Jerome Nadal

The seventh week after Pentecost

VII Sunday after Pentecost

The seventh Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour, until Vespers this year, is green. The Gospel pericopes from St. Matthew contain the words of warning from the LORD concerning false prophets appearing as sheep but who, in reality, are wolves. The Vigil of St. James the Apostle was anticipated yesterday.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The Office hymn was Jam sol recedit igneus. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Apollinaris and of St. Christina. 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 Third Book of the Kings. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from am epistle of St. Jerome to Nepotianus. In the third nocturn the homily on St. Matthew's Gospel is from St. Hiliary. The Te Deum is sung. 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. Christina followed by the Suffrage of the Saints.

At Prime (Pss. 117, 118i & 118ii) both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are sung.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Christina, the third collect is A cunctis. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

At Vespers there is a colour change to red and first Vespers of the feast of St. James the Apostle are sung. The antiphons Hoc est praeceptum meum etc from the Common of Apostles are sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn is Exsultet orbis gaudiis. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the Sunday. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Domincial preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil of St. James has been abolished. At Vespers there are no commemorations. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations nor Suffrage. At Prime Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted. At Mass there is a single collect. At Vespers, of the Sunday, there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal

The sixth week after Pentecost

VI Sunday after Pentecost

The sixth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. The Gospel pericopes from St. Mark's Gospel describe the Feeding of the Four Thousand with seven loaves and fishes.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The Office hymn was Jam sol recedit igneus sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation, Jesu, tibi sit qloria, qui natus es etc. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding feast of the BVM of Mount Carmel and of St. Alexius. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted. At Compliine Te lucis was sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation. The Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Dominum qui fecit nos, Venite adoremus and the Office hymn is Nocte surgentes. In the first nocturn the lessons are from the twelfth chapter of the Second Book of the Kings. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from St. Ambrose's Defence of David. Again, St. Ambrose provides the homily in the third nocturn on St. Mark's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Ecce jam noctis. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration of St. Alexius is sung, followed by the Suffrage of the Saints.

At Prime (Pss. 117, 118i & 118ii) both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are sung.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Alexius, the third collect is A cunctis. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed 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 Office of St. Camillus de Lellis, of St. Alexius and of St. Symphorosa and her Sons. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at either Vespers. At Compline Te lucis is sung with the ordindary Doxology and the Dominical preces are omitted. Mattins is reduced to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations nor Suffrage. At Prime the Dominical preces have been abolished and Quicumque is not said. Mass has a single collect.

The fifth week after Pentecost

V Sunday after Pentecost

The fifth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. The Gospel pericopes at Mattins and Mass are from St. Matthew.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The Office hymn was Jam sol recedit igneus. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration was sung of the SS Seven Brothers and SS Rufina & Secunda followed by the Suffrage of the Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces were omitted.

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 Second Book of the Kings. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from St. Gregory the Great's Book on Morals. In the third nocturn the homily on St. Matthew'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 a commemoration is sung of the SS Seven Brothers etc follwed by the Suffrage of the Saints.

At Prime (Pss. 117, 118i & 118ii) both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are sung.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of SS Seven Brothers etc, the third collect is A cunctis. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed 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 Office of St. Pius I, of SS Seven Brothers etc followed by the Suffrage of the Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

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

Art: Jerome Nadal

The fourth week after Pentecost

IV Sunday after Pentecost

The fourth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour, from Mattins this year, is green. This year it is the Sunday within the Octave of SS Peter & Paul. As the Octave is ancient it has proper texts for days within the Octave and for its Octave Day.

Yesterday afternoon second Vespers of the feast of the Visitation of the BVM were sung. The antiphons Exsurgens 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. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the Sunday and of St. Leo II. The Suffrage was omitted. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the Doxology and melody of the Incarnation and the Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Dominum qui fecit nos and the 'summer' Office hymn is Nocte surgentes. 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 commemorations are sung of St. Leo II and of the Octave of SS Peter & Paul. 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. Leo II, the third collect is of the Octave of SS Peter & Paul. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Blessed Trinity and the last Gospel is Ecce nos reliquimus omnia (proper to the days within the Octave of SS Peter & Paul).

Prior to the reform of 1911-13, in the Universal Calendar, the first Sunday of July was the feast of the Most Precious Blood. All Masses, other than the Conventual Mass, may be of the feast and the liturgical colour is red. The Mass Redemisti nos is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday, the Creed is sung, the preface is of the Cross and the last Gospel is of the Sunday. In the US the External Solemnity of SS Peter & Paul is celebrated in a similar manner.

At Vespers (Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113) the Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of the following day within the Octave of SS Peter & Paul and of St. Leo II. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Octave of SS Peter & Paul has been abolished. At Vespers there was a commemoration of the Sunday only. At Compline Te luciswas sung with 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 and the last Gospel is In principio. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Plus ça change

Elsewhere there have been several interesting discussions about how the feast of the Sacred Heart displaces the Nativity of St. John the Baptist this year. By chance, looking for something else, I came across an interesting precursor (pun intended!) for the Diocese of Autun from 1892, predating the provisions of Divino afflatu etc.

SS Peter and Paul would suffer the same fate too according to the decree. One cannot but notice, with regret, the mentality to give precedence to the modern over the ancient...