St. Matthew the Apostle & Evangelist

The feast of Saint Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist is a Double of the Second class and its liturgical colour is red. Yesterday a commemoration of the Vigil of the feast was made in the Office of SS Eustace & Companions at Lauds and Mass. Private Masses were allowed of the Vigil with commemorations of SS Eustace and Companions and of Ember Saturday. The fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, and the fourth Sunday of September, is commemorated in the Office and at Mass.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons, Hoc est praeceptum meum etc, from the Common, were sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. The Office hymn was Exsultet orbis gaudiis. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of SS Eustace & Companions and of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Adonai, Domine for the Saturday before the fourth Sunday of September). The Suffrage was omitted. At Compline the Dominical psalms were sung and the Dominical preces omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Apostolorum Dominum, venite adoremus and the Office hymn is Aeterna Christi munera. In the first nocturn the antiphons In omnem terram etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 18, 33 & 44. The lessons are Et factum est from the Incipit of Ezechiel, from the Common of Evangelists. In the second nocturn the antiphons Principes populorum etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 46, 60 & 63 followed by lessons proper to the feast. In the third nocturn the antiphons Exaltabuntur etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 74, 96 & 98. The homily is taken from a commentary of St. Jerome on St. Matthew’s Gospel. The ninth lesson is of the Sunday. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons Hoc est praeceptum meum etc are sung, doubled, with Pss 92, 99, 62, Benedicite & 148. The Office hymn is Exsultet orbis gaudiis. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung.

At the Hours the antiphons from Lauds are sung in the usual order. At Prime, Pss. 53, 118(i), 118(ii), both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted. The lectio brevis is Ibant Apostoli.

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 Apostles and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

Prior to the reform of 1911-13 the third Sunday occurring in September was the feast of the Seven Dolours of the BVM. Today, in one Mass of the day, other than the conventual Mass, the prayers from the Mass of the Seven Dolours, Stabant juxta Crucem, may be added under one conclusion to the orations of St. Matthew. The second collect (with its conclusion) will be of the Sunday, the Creed and preface of the Apostles are sung and the last Gospel will be of the impeded votive Mass.

At Vespers the antiphons Juravit Dominus etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 112, 115, 125 & 138. The Office hymn is, again, Exsultet orbis gaudiis. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the following Office of St. Thomas of Villanova and of the Sunday. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the feast is outranked by the 'green' Sunday - the third of September. The Vigil of St. Matthew has been abolished and the Ember Days are in the week ahead. At Vespers (of the Sunday) there were no commemorations. At Compline the ferial psalms were sung. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. St. Matthew is commemorated at Lauds and at said Masses only. At Vespers there are no commemorations.