The third week of August

X Sunday after Pentecost

The tenth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour, from Mattins this year, is green. The Gospel pericope from St. Luke is of the parable of the Pharisee and Publican. This year it is the third Sunday of August and the Sunday within the Octaves of St. Lawrence and of the Assumption.

Yesterday afternoon second Vespers of the feast of St. Joachim were sung. The antiphons Domine, quinque talenta were sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Iste, Confessor. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the Sunday (the The antiphon on the Magnificat being Omnis sapientia for the Saturday before the third Sunday of August) and of St. Hyacinth. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the Doxology, Jesu, tibi...Qui natus etc, and melody of the Incarnation. The Dominical preces were omitted.

In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of Wisdom. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from St. Ambrose's Book of Offices. 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. Hyacinth, of the Octave of the Assumpiton and of the Octave Day of St. Lawrence. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted.

At Prime and the Hours the hymns are sung with the Doxology and melody of the Incarnation. At Prime Pss. 117, 118(i) & 118(ii) both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted. The verse in the short responsory is Qui natus es.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Hyacinth, the third collect of the Octave of the Assumption and the fourth collect of the Octave Day of St. Lawrence. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Holy Trinity.

Prior to the reform of 1911-13 the Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption was the feast of St. Joachim, Father of the BVM. One Mass, other than the Conventual, may be sung of the feast. The Mass Dispersit is sung in white vestments with Gloria, the second collect of the Sunday, the third collect is of St. Hyacinth. The Creed is sung, the Preface is of the Holy Trinity and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

Vespers are of the Sunday, Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113, and the Office hymn is Lucis creator, sung with the Doxology of the Incarnation. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following day within the Octave of the Assumption and of St. Agapitus. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Octaves of St. Lawrence and of the Assumption have been abolished. At Vespers only the Sunday is commemorated. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations.The hymns of the Hours have the ordinary Doxology. At Mass there is but a single collect. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal

The second week of August

St. Lawrence the Deacon

The feast of St. Lawrence is a Double of the Second Class with a Simple Octave in the Universal Kalendar. St. Lawrence is, least amongst many other things, Patron of the Saint Lawrence Press. St. Lawrence's body is interred in the basilica of St. Lawrence-without-the-Walls in Rome. St. Lawrence was the first of the seven Roman deacons and known for his generosity to the poor. He was martyred in 258, according to tradition, on a grid iron and asked his tormentors to turn him over as his flesh was fully roasted on the one side. The liturgical colour of the feast is red. St. Lawrence is listed in the Communicantes of the Canon. The feast is ancient and appears in the Leonine and other early sacramentaries. The feast was preceded by a Vigil yesterday. The ninth Sunday after Pentecost, and this year the second Sunday of August, is commemorated in the Office and at Mass.

The stone on which the body of St. Lawrence was laid after his martyrdom in San Lorenzo fuori le mura, Rome. Image: Wikipedia

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Laurentius ingressus est martyr etc were sung, doubled, with the psalms from the Common of Apostles, Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Deus, tuorum militum. The chapter, antiphon on the Magnificat and collect were proper, the rest of the Office was taken from the Common of Martyrs. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of St. John Mary Vianney and of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Ego in altissimis for the Saturday before the second Sunday of August). The Suffrage was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline. At Compline the Dominical psalms were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Beatus Laurentius, Christi Martyr, triumphat coronatus in caelis: Venite, adoremus Dominum and the Office hymn is, again, Deus, tuorum militum. In the first nocturn the antiphons Quo progredis etc are sung with psalms 1, 2 & 3. The lessons in the first nocturn are from the Book of Eccesiasticus. In the second nocturn the antiphons Beatus Laurentius etc are sung with psalms 4, 5 & 8. The lessons are from a sermon of St. Leo on St. Lawrence. In the third nocturn the antiphons Strinxerunt etc are sung with psalms 14, 16 & 20. The lessons in the third nocturn are from a sermon of St. Augustine on St. John's Gospel. The ninth lesson is of the Sunday. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons Laurentius ingressus est martyr etc are sung with Dominical psalms and the Office hymn is Invicte Martyr, unicum. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung.

At Prime and the Hours the antiphons from Lauds, Laurentius etc., are sung with the festal psalms. At Prime, Pss. 53, 118(i) & 118(ii) the Dominical preces are omitted and the lectio brevis is Potens est autem.

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

At second Vespers the antiphons Laurentius etc are again sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 115. The V&R are proper to the feast. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Sunday takes precedence over the feast and St. Lawrence is reduced to a commemoration at Lauds and said Masses. The Vigil, which survived the cull of Vigils in 1955 and 1960, was omitted this year as the feast occurs on a Sunday (c.f. R.G (1960) 33). The Octave has been abollished. At Vespers, of the Sunday, there were no commemorations. Mattins has a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds a commemoration of St. Lawrence is sung. At sung Mass there are no commemorations.

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 commemorations were sung of the preceding feast of St. Alphonsus and of the Finding of the Body of St. Stephen. 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 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 the Finding of the Body of St. Stephen followed by the Suffrage of the Saints.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Finding of the Body of St. Stephen, the third collect is A cunctis. 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 St. Dominic and of the Finding of the Body of St. Stephen. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

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

Art: Jerome Nadal