Notes on the addition of Votive Collects at Low Masses

With the Coronavirus pandemic there has been discussion on sites such as the New Liturgical Movement of the possibility of orationes imperatae being added to Masses. These are prayers, or a single prayer, added to Masses for a serious cause commanded by the Ordinary of the place. Without the command of the Ordinary, or general decree, it is not licit for any celebrant to add such prayers to the Mass.

However, what is possible, and without the need for any special permission is the addition of votive prayers to most Masses of simple rite including the majority of the ferial days of Lent and Passiontide. One of the areas of the application of the rubrics of the traditional liturgy that is not understood by many, or is indeed unknown, is the option for the celebrant of private Masses to add additional collects (and of course their corresponding secrets and post-communion orations) to those prescribed by the rubrics and Ordo.

R.G IX, 12 & 14 and Additiones VI, 6 are the foundation for this praxis. The votive collects can only be added in private, i.e. in this context private means said, not sung, Masses and non-Conventual Masses only on feasts of simple rite and ferial days which are not privileged (i.e. not on Ash Wednesday, or the Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of Holy Week). The basic rules are the total number of orations must not exceed seven and that the total number must be uneven i.e. three, five or seven. Additionally, if (outside of Paschaltide) a prayer for the Dead is chosen it must occupy the penultimate place.

These prayers may come from the Sanctoral section of the missal, from the series of Votive Masses to be found after the Commons or from the Orationes Diversae at the back of the Missal. When these additional votive collects are added those from the Sanctoral are said before those from the Votive Masses (if two from the Sanctoral are chosen their relative order follows the precedence of the chosen saints in the Litany) and those from Votive Masses before those from the Orationes Diversae.

To take an example. On Friday of this week the second collect prescribed by the rubrics is A cunctis and the third collect is Omnipotens. So on Friday the celebrant may add either two additional votive collects or four but not one or three. If the Ordinary has prescribed orationes imperatae these are included in the total and cannot be omitted. Presuming there are no orationes imperatae our example might look like this:

Oremus

Collect of the day with conclusion

Oremus [before the 2nd collect only]

2nd Collect A cunctis... [No conclusion]

3rd Collect Omnipotens... [No conclusion]

4th Collect St. George Deus, qui nos beati Georgii.. [No conclusion]

5th Collect Votive Mass for any Necessity Ineffabilem misericordiam tuam... [No conclusion]

6th Collect For the Dead Fidelium... [No conclusion]

7th Collect For the Health of the Living Praetende, Domine, fidelibus... Conclusion

On a practical note, particularly for those celebrants unused to many orations at Mass, noting the series to be used on a sheet of paper along with the use of ‘PostIt’ notes discretely inserted in the Missal will help achieve a natural flow without hiatus.

Time for Vespers!

Vespers today mark the start of the Pars Verna, or Spring, volume of the Breviary. Anciently Lent began with the Office of the first Sunday with Ash Wednesday, and the following three days, added later. The Office on Ash Wednesday and the following days is really just that of Quinquagesima week, with the same hymns etc as 'green' time, but with the addition of the ferial preces and the use of folded chasubles at Masses of the season.

Today, and for the rest of Lent with the exception of Sundays, Vespers are not sung at the usual time in the afternoon but are sung before lunchtime. A rubric in the Spring volume of the Breviary, before first Vespers of the first Sunday of Lent, states:

Hodie et deinceps usque ad Sabbatum sanctum, exceptis diebus Dominicis, Vesperae dicuntur ante comestinonem, etiam in Festis.

An English translation of the above, from the Stanbrook Abbey English edition of The Roman Breviary:

On this day, and thereafter until Holy Saturday, except on Sundays, Vespers are said before the principal meal at midday, even on Feasts.

This practice, much criticised by the reformers of the twentieth century Liturgical Movement, and indeed by some aliturgical folk today, was popularly associated with the practice of fasting. However, a contrary view, and one I share, would be that the practice represents a symbolic inversion of time as a consequnce of the Fall, with the restoration of 'normality' with the victory of the LORD at Easter. The practice is not confined to the Roman (or other Western rites) as it is found in the East too. A Google search of the times for the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts will reveal many Orthodox Churches serving this Liturgy, with its integral Vespers, on Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Vespers this morning are Second Vespers of the feast of St. Matthias the Apostle. The antiphons Juravit Dominus etc are sung with psalms 109, 112, 115, 125 & 138. The Office hymn is Exsultet orbis gaudiis. After the collect of the feast a commemoration was sung of the Sunday. The antiphon on the Magnificat is Tunc invocabis etc, the versicle Angelis suis Deus mandavit de te and the respond Ut custodiat te in omnibus viis tuis (referring to the LORD's days in the desert) followed by the collect Deus, qui Ecclesiam tuam etc. The Suffrage is omitted as St. Matthias is a double feast. The Angelus is sung, after Vespers, standing. At Compline (sung at the usual time) the Dominical preces were omitted.

Saturday morning - Time for Vespers!

Vespers today mark the start of the Pars Verna, or Spring, volume of the Breviary proper Lenten Office. Anciently Lent began with the Office of the first Sunday with Ash Wednesday, and the following three days, added later. The Office on Ash Wednesday and the following days is really just that of Quinquagesima week, with the same hymns, with the addition of the ferial preces and folded chasubles at Mass etc.

Today, and for the rest of Lent with the exception of Sundays, Vespers are not sung at the usual time in the afternoon but are sung before lunch. A rubric in the Spring volume of the Breviary, before first Vespers of the first Sunday of Lent states:

Hodie et deinceps usque ad Sabbatum sanctum, exceptis diebus Dominicis, Vesperae dicuntur ante comestinonem, etiam in Festis.

An English translation of the above, from the Stanbrook Abbey English edition of The Roman Breviary:

On this day, and thereafter until Holy Saturday, except on Sundays, Vespers are said before the principal meal at midday, even on Feasts.

This practice, much criticised by the reformers of the twentieth century Liturgical Movement, and indeed by some today - particularly one American blogger who despises our work - was popularly associated with the practice of fasting. However, a contrary view, and one I share, would be that the practice represents a symbolic inversion of time as a consequnce of the Fall, with the restoration of 'normality' with the victory of the LORD at Easter. The practice is not confined to the Roman (or other Western rites) as it is found in the East too. A Google search of the times for the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts will reveal many Orthodox Churches serving this Liturgy, with its integral Vespers, on Wednesday and Friday mornings. Certainly for this blogger and Ordo compiler the praxis is one of the most wonderful in the Liturgical Year and his Vespers today will end as the clock strikes noon.

At Vespers the antiphons Benedictus Dominus etc and psalms 143i, 143ii, 144i, 144ii and 114iii of Saturday are sung. The chapter Fratres: Hortamur vos, is proper and the Lenten hymn Audi, benigne Conditor is sung. The versicle and response, Angelis suis and Ut custodiant are used until Passiontide. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration of St. Gregory the Great is sung. At Compline, sung at its usual time, the Dominical preces are omitted.

Rubrics for Paschaltide

For all of Paschaltide, with the exception of the Octaves of Pascha, the Ascension and Pentecost, the psalms of each nocturn of Mattins are sung under one antiphon. In the ferial Office this is Alleluia and on feasts the first antiphon of each nocturn.

Likewise the psalms of Lauds, Vespers and the Hours are sung under a single antiphon.

On all ferial days the antiphon on the Benedictus and Magnificat is proper.

The Commemoration of the Cross is sung on semidoubles and lower ranking days outside Octaves. The structure of this commemoration is as follows:

Ant. Crucifixus surrexit a mortuis, et redemit nos, alleluia, alleluia.

V. Dicite in nationibus, alleluia. R. Quia Dominus regnavit a lingo, alleluia.

Oremus. Oratio
Deus, qui pro nobis Filium tuum Crucis patibulum subire voluisti, ut inimici a nobis expelleres potestatem: concede nobis, famulis tuis; ut resurrectionis gratiam consequamur. Per eumdem Dominum nostrum.

At Prime the festal Regi saeculorum is sung on all ferial days. In the short responsory the versicle Qui resurrexisti a mortuis, Alleluia, Alleluia is sung.

Apostles and Martyrs have their own Commons for Paschaltide. In other Offices Alleluia is added to the invitatory of Mattins, the antiphon of the nocturns and the versicles and their responses. A double Alleluia is added to the short responsories at the Hours and Compline.

At Mass two Alleluias are added to the Introit and in place of the Gradual after the Epistle a special Paschaltide Alleluia is sung consisting of two Alleluias followed by a verse and Alleluia and then a second verse and Alleluia.

(My, free style, translation of the rubrics in the Ordo, p.33)

Lenten Vespers this morning!

[This post, shamefully, re-posted from last year - mea culpa.]

Vespers today marks the start of the proper Lenten Office. Anciently Lent began with the Office of the first Sunday with Ash Wednesday, and the following three days, added later. The Office on Ash Wednesday and the following days is really that of Septuagesima, with the same hymns, with the addition of the ferial preces.

Today, and for the rest of Lent with the exception of Sundays, Vespers are not sung at the usual time of late afternoon but sung before lunchtime. A rubric in the Spring volume of the Breviary, before first Vespers of the first Sunday of Lent states:

On this day, and thereafter until Holy Saturday, except on Sundays, Vespers are said before the principal meal at midday, even on Feasts.

This practice, much criticised by the reformers of the twentieth century Liturgical Movement, was popularly associated with the practice of fasting. However, a contrary view, and one I share, would be that the practice represents a symbolic inversion of time as a consequnce of the Fall, with the restoration of 'normality' with the victory of the LORD at Easter. The practice is not confined to the Roman (or other Western rites) as it is found in the East too. In the Slav-Byzantine typicon Vespers in the morning are prescribed not only in Lent but on many other penitential days too. I must confess that Vespers in the morning is one of my best loved practices in the Roman rite.

At Vespers the antiphons and psalms of Saturday are sung. The chapter Fratres: Hortamur vos, is proper and the Lenten hymn Audi, benigne Conditor is sung. The versicle and response, Angelis suis and Ut custodiant are used until Passiontide. The Suffrage of the Saints is sung after the collect of the day. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

Rubrics for the Liturgy in Lent

For all the Sundays of Lent, except the fourth Sunday, Laetare, and on weekdays, when the Office is of the season, the altar is without flowers or other decoration. The organ is not played and the deacon and subdeacon (and assistant deacons etc at Pontifical functions) wear folded chasubles.

For all of Lent and Passiontide Votive Masses are not allowed. Private Masses for the dead are allowed on the first 'free' day of each week except Holy Week.

On all ferial days after Ash Wednesday and before Palm Sunday if a double feast or semi-double feast occurs (not a D I Cl or D II Cl)private Masses may be of either (a)the feast with a commemoration and last Gospel of the ferial day or (b) the occurring ferial day, without Gloria and Creed, with the Oratio super populum and Benedicamus Domino as the dismissal, with a commemoration of the feast. When a semi-double feast occurs the third collect will be A cunctis. [However the Office of a double or semi-double feast is always celebrated, not the ferial Office, which is commemorated.]

In all ferial Masses of the season the instruction Humilitate capita is given followed by the Oratio super populum. This prayer is also used as the collect for Vespers from Monday to Friday inclusive, or for the commemoration of Vespers in a festal Office.

The preface of Lent is used in all ferial Masses, on Sundays and on feasts that do not have a proper preface, until the Saturday before Passion Sunday inclusive.

For all of Lent, in the ferial Office, the antiphon at the Benedictus and Magnificat and the respective collects are proper to each day; the ferial preces are said, kneeling, at each Hour; at Prime a fourth psalm (displaced from Lauds) is added as noted in the Psalter.

No Octave, in the Universal or Particular Calendar is kept from Ash Wednesday to Low Sunday inclusive with the exception of the great Octave of Easter.

The solemn celebration of Marriage is forbidden until Easter Monday.

(Freely translated from the Ordo)

Image: The Lenten Array at Westminster Abbey. A photograph of a photograph in Jocelyn Perkins, "Westminster Abbey: Its Worship and Ornaments" OUP. The same Array is still in use.