Third Sunday of Advent

The third Sunday of Advent is a semi-double Sunday of the second class. Only a double of the first class feast may displace the Sunday Office. This year it is also the Sunday within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception. This Sunday is often referred to as Gaudete Sunday from the words of its introit, Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico gaudete, sees a lightening of the Advent mood. 'Rejoice in the LORD always; again I say rejoice.' The same words begin the Epistle from Philippians (4:4). The Gospel pericopes from St. John contain the Baptist's famous words 'I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the LORD.'

In better days, Cardinals of the Court of Rome, removed their violet merino dress and wore rose watered-silk cassocks, with rose watered-silk mozzeta and mantelleta. At Mass the deacon and sub-deacon wear violet dalmatic and tunicle rather than their folded chasubles or, following the more modern praxis, of rose colour. The absence of folded chasubles means that the organ may be played. The week ahead will see the celebration of the Advent Ember Days.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons from Sunday's Lauds, Veniet Dominus etc, were sung, not doubled, with the psalms of Saturday. The Office hymn was Creator alme siderum, sung with the ordinary Doxology (prior to 1911-13 the Doxology of the Incarnation would have been sung). After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration was sung of the preceding Office of St. Lucy and of the Octave of the Immaculate Conception. At Compline the Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Prope est jam Dominus: Venite adoremus. This invitatory is now used until the 23rd of December inclusive. The Office hymn is Verbum supernum. In the first nocturn the antiphons Veniet ecce Rex etc are sung with the usual psalms for Sunday. The lessons are a continuation of Isaiah. In the second nocturn the antiphons Gaude et laetare etc are sung and the lessons are taken from St. Leo's sermon on the fast of the tenth month. In the third nocturn the antiphons Gabriel Angelus etc are sung and the homily is from St. Gregory on St. John's Gospel and the record of the Baptist. The Te Deum is omitted and in its place a ninth responsory, Docebit nos Dominus vias suas, is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Veniet Dominus etc are sung with Pss. 92, 99, 62, Benedicite & 148. The Office hymn is En clara vox. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of the Octave of the Immaculate Conception. The Suffrage is omitted. At Prime the versicle in the short responsory is Qui venturus and the Dominical preces are omitted.

Mass is sung after Terce. The ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle. The Gloria not sung. The second collect is of the Octave of the Immaculate Conception. Today there is no third collect. The Creed and the preface of the Trinity are sung. The dismissal is Benedicamus Domino sung by the deacon facing the altar.

At Vespers the antiphons, Veniet Dominus etc, are sung, not doubled, with Pss 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113. The Office hymn is Creator alme siderum. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of the following Octave-Day of the Immaculate Conception. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Octave has been abolished. There are no commemorations at either Vespers. Mattins is stripped down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is but a single collect and the dismissal is Ite, missa est.

Art: Jerome Nadal depicts today's Gospel where the Jews sent priests and Levites to interrogate St. John the Baptist.

The second week of Advent

Ordo MMXXVI

Since the new shopping cart went live on Wednesday we have received an unprecedented number of orders. These, along with several bulk pre-orders, means we are temporarily out of stock of Ordo MMXXVI.

We are doing our best to rectify this situation and will advise on the 'Blog and website accordingly.

Please do not order using the cart at the moment - you will not, currently, get an Ordo but a refund in due course.

Second Sunday of Advent

The second Sunday of Advent is a semi-double Sunday of the second class and its liturgical colour, until Vespers this year, is violet. The Gospel pericopes, from St. Matthew, tell of St. John the Baptist in prison sending two of his followers to meet the LORD. The Vigil of the Immaculate Conception was anticipated yesterday.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Ecce in nubibus caeli etc were sung, not-doubled, with the psalms of Saturday. The Office hymn was Creator alme siderum. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Nicholas and of St. Ambrose. At Compline the Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem venturum and the Office hymn is Verbum supernum. In the first nocturn the antiphons Veniet ecce Rex etc are sung with the usual psalms for Sunday. The lessons are a continuation of Isaiah and today contain the beautiful symbolism of the Rod of Jesse. In the second nocturn the antiphons Gaude et laetare etc are sung and the them of the Rod of Jesse is continued as the lessons are taken from St. Jerome's Expositon on Isaias the Prophet. In the third nocturn the antiphons Gabriel Angelus etc are sung and the homily is from St. Gregory. The Te Deum is omitted and in its place a ninth responsory, Ecce Dominus veniet, is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons, Ecce in nubibus caeli etc are sung, not doubled, with the Dominical psalms. The Office hymn is En clara vox. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of St. Ambrose. At Prime the versicle in the responsory is Qui venturus es in mundum. The Dominical preces are omitted.

Mass is sung after Terce, the deacon and subdeacon wear violet folded chasubles. The Gloria is not sung. The second collect is of St. Ambrose, today there is no third collect in the Universal Calendar. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Trinity. Benedicamus Domino is sung as the dismissal by the deacon facing the altar.

After None there is a colour change to white and first Vespers are sung of the Immaculate Conception of the BVM. The antiphons Tota pulchra etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147. The Office hymn is Ave maris stella. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the Sunday. At Compline Te lucis is sung with the Doxology Jesu tibi sit gloria and to the melody proper to the Incarnation.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil of the Immaculate Conception has been abolished. There are no commemorations at Vespers. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle, there is only one collect and the dismissal is Ite, missa est. Vespers are of the Sunday with a commemoration of the Immaculate Conception.

Art: Jerome Nadal

The first week of Advent

First Sunday of Advent

The first Sunday of Advent is a semi-double Sunday of the first class and its liturgical colour, until Vespers this year, is violet. As with all the Sundays in Lent no feast may displace this Sunday in occurrence, hence the feast of St. Andrew is transferred to Monday, although the Vigil of the feast was observed on Saturday. The liturgy of Advent is probably the most exquisite of the entire liturgical year with layers of meaning for both the first and second Comings of the LORD. There is a weave of both expectant joy and penance to be found throughout the liturgical texts. The eschatalogical theme of last Sunday's Gospel continues with St. Luke's Gospel today and the Coming of the Divine Judge. During Advent bishops of the Roman rite exchanged their violet choir cassocks for black ones (with train) which are worn with either a black mozzeta or black mattelletum with violet linings. Cardinals of the Court of Rome wore their 'winter' violet merino apparel (in contrast to their summer mourning dress of violet watered-silk) in place of their scarlet watered-silk. Vespers on Saturday before Advent Sunday mark the beginning of the Pars Hiemalis, or Winter volume. of the Breviary.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons In illa die etc, from Sunday's Lauds, were sung, not doubled, with the psalms of Saturday. The Office hymn was Creator alme siderum. The Suffrage was omitted and is omitted for the entirety of Advent. From this Vespers, until the end of None on the Vigil of the Nativity of the LORD, Alma Redemptoris is sung with the versicle Angelus etc and the collect Gratiam etc. At Compline the Dominical preces were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem venturum and this is sung in both the Dominical and ferial Offices of Advent until the third Sunday. The Office hymn is Verbum supernum. In the first nocturn the antiphons Veniet ecce Rex etc are sung, not doubled, with the usual psalms for Sunday. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the prophet Isaiah. In the second nocturn the antiphons Gaude et laetare etc are sung and the lessons are taken from the writing of St. Leo on the fast of the tenth month, the theme of which is preparing for the Coming. In the third nocturn the antiphons Gabriel Angelus etc are sung and the homily is from St. Gregory continuing the theme of Coming with his commentary on St. Luke's Gospel about the end times. A ninth responsory is sung and the Te Deum is omitted in the Office of Advent. At Lauds the antiphons proper to the first Sunday In illa die etc, are sung, not doubled, with the Dominical psalms. The Office hymn is En clara vox.

At Prime the first antiphon from Lauds, In illa die, is sung, not doubled, with Pss. 117, 118(i) & 118(ii). In the short responsory the versicle Qui venturus es in mundum replaces Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris for all of Advent except when an occurring feast has a proper versicle. The Dominical preces are sung. At the other Hours the remaining antiphons of Lauds are sung in the usual order.

Mass is sung after Terce. During Advent for both ferial and Dominical Masses in the Roman rite, with the exception of the third Sunday Gaudete, the deacon and sub-deacon do not wear the dalmatic and tunicle but violet folded chasubles, an ancient feature of the Roman liturgy. The Gloria in not sung, the second collect is Deus, qui de beatae, the third collect Ecclesiae etc. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Blessed Trinity and the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino, sung by the deacon facing the altar.

After None there is a colour change to red and first Vespers of St. Andrew the Apostle are sung. The antiphons Salve, crux pretiosa, proper to the feast 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 of the Sunday is sung. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil of St. Andrew has been abolished. At Vespers the antiphons are doubled. The Dominical preces have been abolished. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Mass there is the novelty for the the Roman rite of the deacon wearing the dalmatic and the sub-deacon the tunicle in a penitential Mass of the season. Folded chasubles, so ancient and so quintessentially Roman, have been cast aside. There is but a single collect and the dismissal is Ite, missa est. Vespers are of the Sunday without any commemorations. The feast of St. Andrew, in the Universal Calendar, is omitted this year.

Art: Jerome Nadal

The fifth week of November