VI Sunday after Pentecost

The sixth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour, from Mattins to None this year, is green. The Gospel pericopes from St. Mark's Gospel describe the Feeding of the Four Thousand with seven loaves and fishes. This year it is the Sunday within the Octaves of St. John the Baptist and SS Peter & Paul.

Yesterday afternoon second Vespers of the feast of SS Peter & Paul were sung. The antiphons Iuravit etc, from the Common, were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 112, 115, 125 and 138. The Office hymn was Decora lux aeternitatis. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday was sung. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

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 commemorations are sung of the Commemoration of St. Paul the Apostle, of St. Peter and of the Octave of St. John the Baptist. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Commemoration of St. Paul the Apostle, the third collect is of St. Peter and the fourth collect is of the Octave of St. John the Baptist. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

Where the feast of SS Peter & Paul was not observed yesterday its external solemnity may be celebrated today. All Masses, except the Conventual, may be of the feast. The proper Mass Nunc scio vere is sung with Gloria, the second collect is of the Sunday. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Apostles and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers there is a colour change to red and first Vespers of the feast of The Most Precious Blood are sung. The antiphons Quis est iste etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. The Office hymn is Festivis resonent compita vocibus. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Octaves of St. John the Baptist and of SS Peter & Paul have been abolished. Mattins is reduced to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is but a single collect.

Image: Missale Romanum, 1572, Paris.