Immaculate Conception of the BVM

The feast of the Immaculate Conception of the BVM is a Double of the First Class with an Octave. The colour of the feast and its Octave is white. The feast takes precedence over the second Sunday of Advent. The feast was prepared for by a Vigil, commemorated in the Office of St. Ambrose yesterday. The feast, as the Conception of the BVM, gained an Octave in 1693 and was raised to a Double of the 2nd Class. Leo XIII raised the feast to a Double of the First Class, adding the Vigil, in 1879. The majority of the texts of the current Office and Mass are from 1863.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Tota pulchra etc were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147. The Office hymn was Ave maris stella. After the collect of the feast a commemoration was sung of the Sunday. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the Doxology Jesu tibi sit gloria and to the melody proper to the Incarnation.

At Mattins the invitatory is Immaculatum Conceptionem Virginis Mariae celebremus: Christum ejus Filium adoremus Dominum and the Office hymn is Praeclara custos Virginum. In the first nocturn the antiphons Admirabile est etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 8, 18 & 23. The lessons are taken from the third chapter of the Book of Genesis. In the second nocturn the antiphons Diffusa est etc are sung with psalms 44, 45 & 86. The lessons are from a sermon of St. Jerome and and the sixth lesson is from the acts of Pius IX. In the third nocturn the antiphons Sanctimonia et magnificentia etc are sung with psalms 95, 96 & 97. The homily is from St. Germanus on St. Luke's Gospel. The ninth lesson is of the Sunday, a homily from St. Gregory on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Tota pulchra etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 92, 99, 62, Benedicite & 148. The Office hymn is O gloriosa Virginum. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the Sunday.

At Prime and the Hours the antiphons Tota pulchra etc are sung with the festal psalms. The hymns have the Doxology Jesu tibi sit gloria and the melody of the Incarnation. At Prime (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii) the versicle in the short responsory is changed to Qui natus es de Virgine and the lectio brevis is Signum magnum apparuit.

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 BVM and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers the antiphons Tota pulchra are sung doubled, with the psalms of the BVM. The hymn is Ave maris stella. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the Sunday.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the feast has been stripped of both its Vigil and Octave. At Compline and the Hours the Doxology is not changed and the hymns are not sung to the melody for hymns of the Incarnation. At Mattins there is no ninth lesson of the Sunday. At Prime the lectio brevis is of the season, Domine, miserere. At Mass the last Gospel is In principio.

The question of the feast taking precedence over the Sunday has arisen in a recent discussion. The history of its precedence is rather contradictory with the various changes from the middle of the twentieth century. In the stage of the modernist reform immediately prior to the 'liturgical books of 1962', i.e. 1956-1960 the changes of Cum nostra, the feast did not take precedence over the Sunday of Advent (which had been raised in rank) and so was moved Monday, 9th December, as was the case in 1957. Somewhat perversely although both the Vigil and Octave were stripped from the feast by Cum nostra the non-existent Vigil remained a day of fast and abstinence. The 1960 rubrics, effective from 1st January 1961, gave especial privileges to the feast (Rub.Gen., Cap. III, 15) and to this feast alone so it would again take precedence over the Sunday.

Ordo Recitandi, Bourges, 1957

Vigil of All Saints - All Hallows Eve

The Vigil of All Saints is of simple rite and its liturgical colour is violet. As with simple rite Vigils the Office runs from Mattins to None.

At Mattins the inivitatory, hymn, antiphons, psalms, versicle and response are from the Psalter for Thursday. The lessons in the nocturn are a homily of St. Ambrose from the Common of Several Martyrs. The responsories are from the Thursday of the fifth week of October. The Te Deum is not sung. The second scheme of Lauds for Wednesday is sung. After the antiphon on the Benedictus has been repeated the ferial preces are sung, with the choir kneeling. After the collect of the Vigil the Suffrage of the Saints is omitted. (Prior to the reform of 1911-13 the Suffrages would have been sung).

At Prime the psalm displaced from Lauds by the Miserere, Ps. 96, is added to the psalmody of the day: Pss. 25, 51, 52 & 96. Both the Dominical and ferial preces are sung, the choir kneeling. At the other Horae Minores the short series of ferial preces are sung, again with the choir kneeling, before the collect of the Vigil.

Mass is sung after None. Following the normal rules for Vigils four candles are placed on the altar, in contrast with two on ordinary ferial days. The deacon and sub-deacon wear violet dalmatic and tunicle, not folded chasubles. The ferial tone is used for the orations and for the preface and Pater noster. There is no Gloria. The second collect is of the Holy Ghost, Deus,qui corda, the third collect Ecclesiae. As it is a 'kneeling day' the choir kneels for the prayers and from the Sanctus until Pax Domini. As the Gloria is not sung the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino.

Vespers are first Vespers of All Saints with a corresponding colour change to festive white. The Office is proper and the antiphons Vidi turbam magnam etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. The Office hymn is Placare, Christe, servulis. At Compline the Dominical psalms are sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil of All Saints has been abolished. Today is kept as a IV class ferial 'green' day. Mass is of Pentecost XX, there is but a single collect. Although the Gloria is not sung Ite, missa est is the dismissal.

Vigil of the Epiphany

The Vigil of the Epiphany is a semi-double of the second class and a privileged Vigil of the second class. The liturgical colour is white.

In the post-1570 Roman rite the Vigil of the Epiphany takes the place of the Office of the Sunday which occurs between the 1st to 5th January and has all the privileges of a Sunday both in concurrence and occurrence. (c.f. rubric in the Breviary at the end of January 1st). Prior to the 1911-13 reform the Octave Days of the comites Christi feasts were celebrated as doubles which meant that the Sunday, under the 1568-1911 rubrics, was moved to the first free day, the 5th, the date of the ancient Vigil. Examining older books one can find two sets of formularies: one for the vacant Sunday with the collect Omnipotens as used today and one for the 'real' Vigil with the collect Corda nostra. These, distinct, celebrations were also found in Sarum practice and its closest surviving modern descendant the Dominican rite. The 1911-13 reform reduced the rank of the comites Christi Octave Days to simples and the 'real' Sunday had the Feast of the Holy Name transferred from the Second Sunday after the Epiphany to the Sunday before the Epiphany or January 2nd. The 1948 Commission for General Liturgical Reform clearly didn't understand this and stated '...La vigilia ha semplicemente la liturgia della domenica dope il Natale...' Memoria sulla riforma liturgica p.47, #3. On p. 49 of the same document the proposal to abolish the Octave can be found.

At Mattins the invitatory, hymn, antiphons and psalms are those used for the feast of the Circumcision. In the first nocturn the lessons are from the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans with the responsories from the feast of the Circumcision. In the second nocturn the lessons are from a sermon by St. Augustine and in the third nocturn the homily is from St. Jerome's commentary on the second chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds and the Hours again the antiphons are those from the Circumcision, O admirabile commercium etc. The Sunday psalms are sung (Pss. 92, 99, 62, Benedicite & 148) The chapter is proper to the Vigil, the hymn A solis ortus cardine as sung for the Nativity and the Circumcision, and the antiphon on the Benedictus is proper, Dum medium silentium as is the collect, Omnipotens. After the collect of the Vigil a commemoration is sung of St. Telesphorus Pope & Martyr.

At the Hours the antiphons of Lauds are sung and the psalmody is festal. At Prime (Pss. 53, 118i, 118ii) the preces are omitted and the lectio brevis is Itaque jam non est servus. The hymns of the Little Hours are sung with the Doxology and melody in honour of the Incarnation.

At Mass, sung after Terce, the Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Telesphorus, the third collect of the BVM, Deus, qui salutis. The Creed (added in 1911-13 due to it being a 'Sunday') is sung and the preface is of the Nativity.

Vespers are first Vespers of the great feast of the Epiphany. The antiphons Ante luciferum genitus etc are sung with the psalms from the First Vespers of the Common of Apostles (Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116). The chapter, Surge, illuminare, Jerusalem is from Isaiah, the Office hymn Crudelis Herodes. For the feast and its octave a Doxology in honour of the LORD's manifestation is sung at all hymns of Iambic metre: Jesu, tibi sit gloria, Qui apparuisti Gentibus, Cum Patre, et almo Spiritu, In sempiterna saecula. The rest of the Office is proper. At Compline Te lucis is sung with the Doxology and tone of the feast.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil is completely abolished and the day is the IV class ferial Office of Christmastide. Mattins has one nocturn and three lessons. St. Telesphorus is commemorated at Lauds and said Masses but with the collect Gregem tuum from the Pian fiddlings with the Commons in the 1940s. The hymns of the Little Hours are sung without the Doxology of the Incarnation. Vespers are the same as in the former rite. At Compline Te lucis is sung without the proper Doxology.

Vigil of All Saints

The Vigil of All Saints is of simple rite and its liturgical colour is violet. As with all simple rite Vigils the Office runs from Mattins to None.

At Mattins the invitatory is Populus Domini etc, the Office hymn Summae Parens clementiae etc from the ferial Office of Saturday along with the antiphons, psalms and V&R too from the Saturday. The lessons, proper to the Vigil, in the nocturn are taken form a homily of St. Ambrose from the Common of Several Martyrs. The responsories are from the Saturday. The Te Deum is not sung. The second scheme of Lauds for Saturday is sung with psalms 50, 91, 63, Audite, caeli, and 150. The Office hymn is Aurora jam spargit. After the antiphon on the Benedictus , Illumina, Domine, has been repeated the ferial preces are sung, with the choir kneeling. After the collect of the Vigil the Suffrage of the Saints is omitted (c.f. pre-1911-13 praxis when the Suffrages were sung).

At Prime the psalm displaced from Lauds by the Miserere is added to the psalmody of the day: Pss. 93i, 93ii, 107 & 149. The chapter is the ferial Pacem et veritatem. Both the Dominical and ferial preces are sung, with the choir kneeling. At the other Hours the short series of ferial preces are sung, again with the choir kneeling, before the collect of the Vigil.

Mass is sung after None. Following the normal rules for Vigils four candles are placed on the altar, in contrast with two on ordinary ferial days. The deacon and sub-deacon wear violet dalmatic and tunicle, not folded chasubles. The ferial tone is used for the orations and for the preface and Pater noster. There is no Gloria. The second collect is of the Holy Ghost, Deus,qui corda, the third collect Ecclesiae. As it is a 'kneeling day' the choir kneels for the prayers and from the Sanctus until Pax Domini. As the Gloria is not sung the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino.

Vespers are first Vespers of the feast of All Saints with a corresponding colour change to festive white. The Office is proper and the antiphons Vidi turbam magnam etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. The Office hymn is Placare, Christe, servulis. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung with the antiphon on the Magnificat being Vidi, Dominum for the Saturday before the first Sunday of November. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil of All Saints has been abolished. Today is kept as a IV class BVM on Saturday.

Vigil of All Saints

The Vigil of All Saints is of simple rite and its liturgical colour is violet. As with all simple rite Vigils the Office runs from Mattins to None.

At Mattins the inivitatory, hymn, antiphons, psalms, versicle and response are from the Psalter for Friday. The lessons, proper to the Vigil, in the nocturn are a homily of St. Ambrose from the Common of Several Martyrs. The responsories are from the Friday of the fifth week of October. The Te Deum is not sung. The second scheme of Lauds for Friday is sung with psalms 50, 142, 84, Domine, audivi auditionem tuam, and 147. The Office hymn is Aeterna caeli gloria. After the antiphon on the Benedictus has been repeated the ferial preces are sung, with the choir kneeling. After the collect of the Vigil the Suffrage of the Saints is omitted (c.f. pre-1911-13 praxis when the Suffrages were sung).

At Prime the psalm displaced from Lauds by the Miserere is added to the psalmody of the day: Pss. 21i, 21ii, 21iii & 98. The chapter is the ferial Pacem et veritatem. Both the Dominical and ferial preces are sung, with the choir kneeling. At the other Hours the short series of ferial preces are sung, again with the choir kneeling, before the collect of the Vigil.

Mass is sung after None. Following the normal rules for Vigils four candles are placed on the altar, in contrast with two on ordinary ferial days. The deacon and sub-deacon wear violet dalmatic and tunicle, not folded chasubles. The ferial tone is used for the orations and for the preface and Pater noster. There is no Gloria. The second collect is of the Holy Ghost, Deus,qui corda, the third collect Ecclesiae. As it is a 'kneeling day' the choir kneels for the prayers and from the Sanctus until Pax Domini. As the Gloria is not sung the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino.

Vespers are first Vespers of the feast of All Saints with a corresponding colour change to festive white. The Office is proper and the antiphons Vidi turbam magnam etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. The Office hymn is Placare, Christe, servulis. At Compline the Dominical psalms are sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil of All Saints has been abolished. Today is kept as a IV class ferial 'green' day. Although a ferial day Prime has the festal Regi saeculorum and no preces Dominical or ferial. Mass is of Pentecost XX, there is a single collect. Although the Gloria is not sungIte, missa est is the dismissal.

Vigil of SS Simon and Jude

The Vigil of SS Simon and Jude is of simple rite and its liturgical colour is violet.

The Office is largely taken from the ferial Office of Monday but the lessons at Mattins and the collect are proper to the Vigil. At Mattins the ferial invitatory, Venite, Exsultemus Domino, is sung and the Office hymn is Somno refectis artubus. The nine antiphons and psalm divisions for Monday are sung followed by the versicle Psallite Domino etc and its response Et confitemini etc. As the lessons for the Vigil contain a Gospel after the Absolution, Exaudi, Domine etc., the first blessing is Evangelica lectio etc. The Gospel fragment is from St. John and the homily is taken from the writings of St. Gregory. The Te Deum is not sung. The second scheme of Lauds for Monday is sung beginning with the antiphon fragment Ecce veniet. After the antiphon on the Benedictus has been repeated the ferial preces are sung, with the choir kneeling. After the collect of the Vigil the Suffrage of the Saints is sung.

At Prime a fourth psalm is added, that displaced by the Miserere at Lauds, Psalm 46, Omnes Gentes. The chapter is that sung on ferial days, Pacem et veritatem etc. The Dominical and ferial preces are sung, both sets are sung with the choir kneeling. At the other Horae Minores the short set of ferial preces are sung, again the choir kneeling.

Mass is sung after None. Following the normal rules for Vigils four candles are placed on the altar, unlike two on ordinary ferial days. The deacon and sub-deacon wear violet dalmatic and tunicle, not folded chasubles. The chant for the Mass is ferial, the second collect is Concede nos, and the third for the Church. Being a 'kneeling day' all in choir kneel for the orations and from the Sanctus to the response after Pax Domini. As there is no Gloria , following the usual rule, Benedicamus Domino is sung as the dismissal.

Vespers are first Vespers of the Holy Apostles SS Simon and Jude.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' theVigil of SS Simon and Jude has been abolished and the day becomes a mere IV class 'green' ferial day with the Mass of the previous Sunday without Gloria but with Ite missa est. At Mattins the readings are from the second Book of the Machabees, Lauds is the festal form without either the preces or Suffrage. At Prime there is no fourth psalm and Pacem et veritatem has been abolished, replaced always by the festal Regi saeculorum. There are neither Dominical nor ferial preces. Mass (of the preceding Sunday) is sung after Terce. Vespers are of the feria, SS Simon & Jude don't even get a commemoration.

Vigil of All Saints

The Vigil of All Saints is of simple rite and its liturgical colour is violet. As with all simple rite Vigils the Office runs from Mattins to None.

At Mattins the inivitatory, hymn, antiphons, psalms, versicle and response are from the Psalter for Thursday. The lessons in the nocturn are a homily of St. Ambrose from the Common of Several Martyrs. The responsories are from the Thursday of the fifth week of October. The Te Deum is not sung. The second scheme of Lauds for Thursday is sung. After the antiphon on the Benedictus has been repeated the ferial preces are sung, with the choir kneeling. After the collect of the Vigil the Suffrage of the Saints is omitted.

At Prime the psalm displaced from Lauds by the Miserere is added to the psalmody of the day: Pss. 22, 71i, 71ii & 97. Both the Dominical and ferial preces are sung, the choir kneeling. At the other Hours the short series of ferial preces are sung, again with the choir kneeling, before the collect of the Vigil.

Mass is sung after None. Following the normal rules for Vigils four candles are placed on the altar, in contrast with two on ordinary ferial days. The deacon and sub-deacon wear violet dalmatic and tunicle, not folded chasubles. The ferial tone is used for the orations and for the preface and Pater noster. There is no Gloria. The second collect is of the Holy Ghost, Deus,qui corda, the third collect Ecclesiae. As it is a 'kneeling day' the choir kneels for the prayers and from the Sanctus until Pax Domini. As the Gloria is not sung the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino.

Vespers are first Vespers of the feast of All Saints with a corresponding colour change to festive white. The Office is proper and the antiphons Vidi turbam magnam etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. The Office hymn is Placare, Christe, servulis. At Compline the Dominical psalms are sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil of All Saints has been abolished. Today is kept as a IV class ferial 'green' day. Mass is of Pentecost XXIII, there is a single collect. Although the Gloria is not sungIte, missa est is the dismissal.

Vigil of the Assumption

The Vigil of the Assumption is of simple rite and the liturgical colour of the day is violet. Traditionally it has been a day of fasting and abstinence in the West (in many Eastern rites a far stricter fast of preparation takes place from the beginning of August).

At Mattins everything is taken from the ferial psalter except the lessons. As the Vigil falls on a Wednesday this year the second arrangement of the third nocturn is sung (with psalm 49 split into three sections). The three lessons in the nocturn on St. Luke's Gospel are from a homily of St. Chrysostom. At Lauds the Second Scheme of psalms is sung (Pss. 50, 64, 100, Exsultavit & 145), the ferial preces are sung, with the choir kneeling. After the collect of the Vigil a commemoration is sung of St. Eusebius. At Prime and the Hours ferial preces are sung. These are, again, sung whilst kneeling. At Prime the fourth psalm is added, today psalm 96, as is the case when the Second Scheme of Lauds is sung. The chapter is the ferial Pacem.

Mass is sung after None. Violet vestments are worn, the ministers wearing dalmatic and tunicle not folded chasubles. The Mass is proper, Vultum tuum, the Gloria is not sung. The second collect is of St. Eusebius, the third collect Deus, qui corda - of the Holy Ghost. As it is a 'kneeling day' all in choir kneel for the orations and from the Sanctus to the response after Pax Domini. As is the rule when the Gloria is not sung Benedicamus Domino is chanted as the dismissal by the deacon facing the altar rather than Ite, missa est.

In the afternoon there is a colour change to white and the great feast and Octave begin with first Vespers.


In the 'liturgical books of 1962' as usual much has been lost. At Lauds the ferial preces are not sung nor are they sung at the Hours. At Prime there is no fourth psalm and the chapter is the festal Regi saeculorum. Mass is sung after Terce, not after None. In sung Masses there is only one collect. The extended kneeling does not take place.

Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel - Litaniae Minores

The feast of the Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel is of greater-double rite and its liturgical colour is white. Today is also Rogation Wednesday and the Vigil of the Ascension.

At first Vespers yesterday afternoon. The antiphons Stetit Angelus etc were sung with psalms 109. 110, 111, 112 and 137 (as second Vespers cannot be sung this year). The Office hymn was Te splendor et virtus Patris. After the collect of the feast a commemoration was sung of the preceding Office of St. Stanislaus.

Mattins has three nocturns. The invitatory is Regem Archangelum Dominum, Venite adoremus and the Office hymn as at Vespers. In the first nocturn the antiphons Concussum est mare etc are sung with psalms 8, 10 & 14. The lessons are from the Prophet Daniel. In the second nocturn the antiphons Michael Archangeli etc are sung with psalms 18, 23 & 33. The lessons recount the apparition of St. Michael at Gargano at the time of Gelasius I. In the third nocturn the antiphons Angelus etc are sung with psalms 95, 96 & 102. The homily is from St. Hiliary on St. Matthew's Gospel. The ninth lesson is of the Vigil. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Stetit Angelus etc are sung with the Dominical psalms. The Office hymn is Christe sanctorum decus Angelorum. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Vigil is sung.

At Prime and the Hours the hymns have the Doxology of Paschaltide. The antiphons from Lauds are sung in the usual order, at Prime the lectio brevis is Factum est praelium etc.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Vigil, the third collect of the Rogations. The Creed is sung, the preface is of Paschaltide and the last Gospel is of the Vigil. Private Masses may be of the Vigil with Gloria, second collect of St. Michael and third collect of the Rogations.

When the Procession is held it takes place after None. The altar is vested in a violet antependium. The celebrant, vested in violet cope, assisted by deacon and subdeacon in violet dalmatic and tunicle reverence the altar then kneel and pray for a short while. They rise and the cantors begin the antiphon Exsurge Domine. The choir continue....adjuva nos, et libera nos, propter nomen tuam. Ps. Deus auribus nostris audivimus patres nostri annuntiaverunt nobis. Gloria Patri etc, Sicut erat etc and then Exsurge Domine is repeated. All all kneel (except the crucifer and acolytes who go and stand at the entrance of the choir) and the cantors then begin the Litany of the Saints. Each invocation is doubled, i.e. the cantors sing e.g. Pater de caelis, Deus, miserere nobis and this is repeated in its entirety by everyone else. When Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis has been repeated all rise and the Procession sets off.

The Procession goes outside of the Church and may visit other Churches on its route. In this case the celebrant is offered lustral water at the entrance to the church and processes to the High Altar. After a moment for silent prayer the choir signs the antiphon of the patron of the church, its versicle and response (with Alleluia added as it is Paschaltide) and the celebrant sings the collect of the Patron. The Litany is then resumed and the Procession continues. If the Procession has a long route the Litany, from Sancta Maria etc may be repeated or the Seven Penitential Psalms sung to the tonus in directum. When the Procession enters the church where Mass will be celebrated, lustral water is received on entering and the Procession goes to the sanctuary. All kneel as the Litany ends. The celebrant intones Pater noster etc and then the cantors sing psalm 69. After the versicles that follow the celebrant stands to sing the ten collects. He then kneels again as Exadiat nos etc is sung. The ministers then rise and the celebrant changes from a cope to chasuble and all put on their maniples. The Mass Exaudivit is then sung. The chants are those used for ferial Masses. The Gloria is not sung, the second collect is Concede nos, the third collect Ecclesiae. The dismissal is Benedicamus Domino. The Paschal Candle is not lit.

When there is only one Mass and the Procession takes place then the Mass is of the Rogations, Exaudivit, with the second collect of St. Michael, the third collect of the Vigil and last Gospel of the Vigil. In Cathedral and Collegiate Churches there are three Masses today. Those obliged to the Office who do not take part in Rogation Processions must recite the Litany, in Latin.

Vespers are first Vespers of the feast of the Ascension.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the feast of the Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel has been struck from the calendar. Today is the Vigil of the Ascension, II class. The Mass has a single collect. If the Rogation Procession takes place the Litany may be sung in the vernacular if the faithful are present. The petitions are not duplicated. In the votive Mass that follows all the 'preparatory prayers' i.e. In nomine Patris..., Introibo ad altare Dei..., Judica me Deus..., Confiteor Deo..., the versicles, Aufer a nobis... and Oramus te, Domine are all cut out. There is a single collect. The dismissal is Ite, missa est. However, the Ordinary may substitute other excercises/services in place of the Rogation Procession. Those not present at the Procession or other designated services are not bound to recite the Litany.

Vigil of St. Thomas the Apostle

Today, Thursday in the fourth week of Advent, is a greater, non-privileged, ferial day of simple rite. The liturgical colour is violet. Being Advent there is no commemoration of the Vigil in the Office of the Advent ferial day.

At Mattins the invitatory is Prope est jam Dominus: Venite adoremus and the hymn is Verbum supernum prodiens. In the nocturn the antiphons In Deo salutare meum etc from the Psalter for Thursday are sung with the nine psalm divisi (four psalms split into nine sections). The lessons are taken from the thirty-third chapter of Isaias. Three responsories are sung after the lessons and the Te Deum is omitted. At Lauds the antiphons proper to the Thursday before the Vigil of the Nativity, De Sion etc., are sung with the psalms of the second schema of Lauds (Pss. 50, 89, 35, Cantemus Domino & 146). The hymn is En clara vox. The antiphon on the Benedictus is proper to the day, Vigilate etc. After the antiphon is sung in full at the end of the Canticle the choir kneels and the ferial preces are sung. The collect is of the preceding Sunday and the Suffrage is omitted.

At the Hours the antiphons from Lauds are used in the usual sequence. At Prime De Sion etc is sung with psalms 22, 71i, 71ii & 97 (the latter displaced from Lauds by the Miserere). The chapter is the ferial Pacem et veritatem and the versicle in the responsory is Qui venturus es in mundum. The choir kneels to sing both the Dominical and ferial preces. At the other Horae Minores the short set of ferial preces is sung, kneeling, before the collect.

Mass, of the Vigil of St. Thomas, is sung after None. The ministers wear violet dalmatic and tunicle. The Mass Ego autem is sung. The Gloria is not sung. The second collect is of the Advent feria, the third collect is of the BVM in Advent, Deus qui de beate. The Creed is omitted and the common preface is sung. As the Gloria is not sung the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino, sung by the deacon facing the altar.

Vespers are first Vespers of the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle with a colour change to red. The antiphons Hoc est praeceptum meum etc are sung with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn is Exsultet orbis gaudiis. The antiphon on the Magnificat is proper to the feast, Quia vidisti me etc. After the collect of the feast the Advent feria is commemorated with the Great 'O' Antiphon appointed for the 20th December O clavis David and the collect of the preceding Sunday. At Compline the Dominical psalms are sung and the preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil of St. Thomas has been abolished. At Lauds the ferial preces are not sung. At Prime the the fourth psalm is omitted, the chapter is the festal Regi saeculorum and the Dominical and ferial preces are omitted. The preces are also omitted at the other Little Hours. Mass, of the Advent feria, is sung after Terce and the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle, there is only one collect and the dismissal is Ite, missa est. Vespers are ferial and the Great 'O' antiphon is treated like any other throughout the year. There is not even a commemoration of St. Thomas. At Compline the ferial psalms are sung although the Dominical preces are omitted.

Vigil of All Saints

The Vigil of All Saints is of simple rite and the liturgical colour is violet. As with simple rite Vigils the Office runs from Mattins to None.

At Mattins the inivitatory, hymn, antiphons, psalms, versicle and response are from the Psalter for Wednesday. The lessons in the nocturn are a homily of St. Ambrose from the Common of Several Martyrs. The responsories are from the Wednesday of the fifth week of October. The Te Deum is not sung. The second scheme of Lauds for Wednesday is sung. After the antiphon on the Benedictus has been repeated the ferial preces are sung, with the choir kneeling. After the collect of the Vigil the Suffrage of the Saints is omitted.

At Prime the psalm displaced from Lauds by the Miserere is added to the psalmody of the day: Pss. 25, 51, 52 & 96. Both the Dominical and ferial preces are sung, the choir kneeling. At the other Horae Minores the short series of ferial preces are sung, again with the choir kneeling, before the collect of the Vigil.

Mass is sung after None. Following the normal rules for Vigils four candles are placed on the altar, in contrast with two on ordinary ferial days. The deacon and sub-deacon wear violet dalmatic and tunicle, not folded chasubles. The ferial tone is used for the orations and for the preface and Pater noster. There is no Gloria. The second collect is of the Holy Ghost, Deus,qui corda, the third collect Ecclesiae. As it is a 'kneeling day' the choir kneels for the prayers and from the Sanctus until Pax Domini. As the Gloria is not sung the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino.

Vespers are first Vespers of All Saints with a corresponding colour change to festive white. The Office is proper and the antiphons Vidi turbam magnam etc are sung with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116 (Note following the 1911 re-ordering of the Psalterium Ps. 116 is both a Lauds psalm and Vesper psalm today, before the reform it was only used at Vespers). The hymn is Placare, Christe, servulis. At Compline the Dominical psalms are sung.

In the ancient rite found in the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil of All Saints has been abolished. Today is kept as a IV class ferial 'green' day. Mass is of Pentecost XXII, there is a single collect. Although the Gloria is not sungIte, missa est is the dismissal.

St. Ubaldus - Vigil of the Ascension - Rogation Wednesday Litaniae Minores

The feast of St. Ubaldus is of semi-double rite and its liturigcal colour is white. Today is also the Vigil of the Ascension and the last day, the Wednesday, of the Rogations or Lesser Litanies. Rogation Wednesday is not commemorated in the Office

At Mattins the lessons in the first nocturn are Fidelis sermo, taken from the Common of Confessor Bishops. In the third nocturn the ninth lesson is a homily for the Vigil (its three lessons may be read as one)from St. Augustine. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds a commemoration of the Vigil is sung (the antiphon on the Benedictus is proper but the prayer is of the preceding Sunday) and the Commemoration of the Cross is sung.

At the Little Hours the Paschaltide Doxology and tone is sung at the hymns (for the last time this year). At Prime the Dominical preces are sung. The first entry in the Martyrology is the announcement of the feast of the Ascension tomorrow.

Mass follows Terce. The Gloria is sung the second collect is of the Vigil, the third of the Rogations, the Paschaltide preface is sung (for the last time this year) and the last Gospel is of the Vigil. Private Masses may be of the Vigil, the Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Ubaldus and the third collect that of the Rogations, the preface is of Paschaltide and, unusually for a Vigil, the vestments are white.

Where the Rogation Procession takes place and there is only one Mass it is sung after None. The antiphon Exsurge Domine is sung by the cantors and then the Litany of the Saints is sung: each invocation and its response being sung by the cantors and then repated by the choir. The celebrant wears a violet cope, the deacon and subdeacon violet dalmatic and tunicle respectively. When Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis has been sung all rise and the Cross-bearer leads the Procession accompanied by acolytes carrying candles followed by the cantors, choir and the ministers. The people follow. The Procession should, in theory, go around the parish with the Litany being repeated if necessary or the Penitential and Gradual Psalms added if the distance requires them. After the Procession re-enters the church the psalm Deus in adjutorium is sung and all kneel, the celebrant rises to sing the following ten collects. The Mass Exaudivit follows sung in ferial tones with violet vestments. The Gloria is not sung, the second collect is of St. Ubaldus, the third of the Vigil, Benedicamus Domino as the dismissal and last Gospel of the Vigil.

In Cathedral and Collegiate Churches three Masses are celebrated: that of St. Ubaldus after Terce; the Mass of the Vigil after Sext; and, finally, that of the Rogations is sung after None and the Procession. In the Rogation Mass the second collect is Concede nos, the third collect Ecclesiae.

First Vespers of the great feast of the Ascension are Sung. At Compline and the other Hours hymns of Iambic metre have the Ascensiontide Doxology: Jesu tibi sit gloria, Qui victor in caelum redis, Cum Patre et almo Spiritu, In sempiterna saecula. Amen.

Following the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil has been raised in rank to II class and takes precedence over St. Ubaldus. St. Ubaldus is commemorated at Lauds but the Commemoration of the Cross is suppressed. At the Hours the Paschaltide Doxology and tone are not sung for the hymns, at Prime the Dominical preces are omitted. St. Ubaldus is commemorated in Low Mass.

Where a Procession takes place the Litany is not duplicated and may be in the vernacular. At the votive Mass following the 'preparatory prayers' are suppressed, the Vigil is commemorated but not St. Ubaldus, Ite missa est is sung as the dismissal. The Doxology of the Ascension is not sung at Compline or the other Little Hours.

Advent feria - Vigil of St. Thomas

Today, Tuesday in the fourth week of Advent, is a greater, non-privileged, ferial day of simple rite. The liturgical colour is violet.

At Mattins the invitatory is Prope est jam Dominus: Venite adoremus and the hymn is Verbum supernum prodiens. In the nocturn the antiphons Expugna Domine etc from the Psalter for Tuesday are sung with the nine psalm divisi (four psalms split into nine sections). The lessons are taken from the forty-second chapter of Isaias. Three responsories are sung after the lessons and the Te Deum is omitted. At Lauds the antiphons proper to the Tuesday before the Vigil of the Nativity, Rorate caeli desuper etc., are sung with the psalms of the second schema of Lauds (Pss. 50, 42, 66, Ego dixi & 134). The hymn is En clara vox. The antiphon on the Benedictus is proper to the day, Consurge, consurge etc. After the antiphon is sung in full at the end of the Canticle the choir kneels and the ferial preces are sung. The collect is of the preceding Sunday and the Suffrage is omitted. No commemoration of the Vigil of St. Thomas is made in the Office.

At the Hours the antiphons from Lauds are used in the usual sequence. At Prime Rorate caeli desuper etc is sung with psalms 24i, 24ii, 24iii & 95 (the latter displaced from Lauds by the Miserere). The chapter is the ferial Pacem et veritatem and the versicle in the responsory is Qui venturus es in mundum. The choir knees to sing both the Dominical and ferial preces. At the other Horae Minores the short set of ferial preces is sung, kneeling, before the collect.

Mass, of the Vigil of St. Thomas, is sung after None. The ministers wear violet dalmatic and tunicle. The Mass Ego autem is sung. The Gloria is not sung. The second collect is of the Advent feria, the third collect of the BVM in Advent, Deus qui de beate. The Creed is omitted and the common preface is sung. As the Gloria is not sung the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino, sung by the deacon facing the altar.

Vespers are first Vespers of the feast of St. Thomas with a colour change to red. The antiphons Hoc est praeceptum meum etc are sung with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn is Exsultet orbis gaudiis. The antiphon on the Magnificat is proper to the feast, Quia vidisti me etc. After the collect of the feast the Advent feria is commemorated with the Great 'O' Antiphon appointed for the 20th December O clavis David and the collect of the preceding Sunday. At Compline the Dominical psalms are sung and the preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil of St. Thomas has been abolished. At Lauds the ferial preces are not sung. At Prime the the fourth psalm is omitted, the chapter is the festal Regi saeculorum and the Dominical and ferial preces are omitted. The preces are also omitted at the other Little Hours. Mass, of the Advent feria, is sung after Terce and the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle, there is only one collect and the dismissal is Ite, missa est. Vespers are ferial and the Great 'O' antiphon is treated like any other throughout the year. There is not even a commemoration of St. Thomas. At Compline the ferial psalms are sung although the Dominical preces are omitted.

The Vigil of St. Andrew

When the Vigil of St. Andrew falls within Advent nothing of the Vigil is made in the Office of the Advent ferial day. However, Mass is of the Vigil with a commemoration of Advent. The day is of simple rite and the liturgical colour is violet.

At Mattins the invitatory is Hodie scietis etc and the Office hymn Verbum supernum. The antiphons and psalms of the nocturn are taken from the Psalter for Tuesday. The lessons are from the second chapter of Isaiah. At Lauds the second scheme of psalms is sung, the remnant of old ferial Lauds, beginning with the Miserere. The hymn is En clara vox. The antiphon on the Benedictus is proper to the day, Antequam convenirent etc. After the antiphon has been sung in its entirety after the canticle the ferial preces are sung with the choir kneeling. After the collect (of the previous Sunday) a commemoration is sung of St. Saturninus.

At Prime psalm 95, displaced by the second scheme of Lauds, is added to the psalm of the day (Pss. 24i, 24ii, 24iii & 95). The antiphon In illa die is sung with psalms. The chapter is the ferial Pacem et veritatem. The Advent verse, Qui venturus es in mundum, is sung in the short responsory. Both the Dominical and ferial sets of preces are sung with the choir kneeling.

At the other Hours the antiphons Jucundare etc are sung with the psalms of Tuesday. The short set of ferial preces are sung, with the choir kneeling, before the collect.

The Mass of the Vigil of St. Andrew is sung after None. The ministers wear violet dalmatic and tunicle and so the organ may be played. The Mass Dominus secus mare Galilaeae is sung. There is no Gloria. The second collect is of the Advent feria, the third collect of St. Saturninus. Benedicamus Domino is sung as the dismissal.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil of St. Andrew has been abolished. In the ferial Office of the day the ferial preces are not sung at Lauds or the other Hours. At Prime psalm 95 is not sung and the chapter is the festal Regi saeculorum. Mass is of the ferial day but the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle. In sung Masses there is only one collect. The dismissal is Ite, missa est.

Vigil of All Saints

The Vigil of All Saints is of simple rite and the liturgical colour is violet.

The Office is of the feria but with the lessons at Mattins and the collect of the Vigil. At Mattins the ferial invitatory, Venite, Exsultemus Domino, is sung and the Office hymn is Somno refectis artubus. The nine antiphons and psalms/psalm divisions for Monday are sung followed by the versicle Psallite Domino etc and its response Et confitemini etc. As the lessons for the Vigil contain a Gospel after the Absolution, Exaudi, Domine etc., the first blessing is Evangelica lectio etc. The Gospel fragment is from St. Luke and the lessons are a homily of St. Ambrose from the Common of Several Martyrs. The responsories are from the Monday of the first week of November. The Te Deum is not sung. The second scheme of Lauds for Monday is sung beginning with the antiphon fragment Miserere and psalms 50, 5, 28, Confitebor tibi & 116. After the antiphon on the Benedictus has been repeated the ferial preces are sung, with the choir kneeling. After the collect of the Vigil the Suffrage of the Saints is omitted.

At Prime the psalm displaced from Lauds by the Miserere is added to the psalmody of the day: Pss. 23, 18i, 18ii & 46. Both the Dominical and ferial preces are sung, the choir kneeling. At the other Horae Minorae the short series of ferial preces are sung, again with the choir kneeling, before the collect of the Vigil.

Mass is sung after None. Following the normal rules for Vigils four candles are placed on the altar, in contrast with two on ordinary ferial days. The deacon and sub-deacon wear violet dalmatic and tunicle, not folded chasubles. The ferial tone is used for the orations and for the preface and Pater noster. There is no Gloria. The second collect is of the Holy Ghost, Deus,qui corda, the third collect Ecclesiae. As it is a 'kneeling day' the choir kneels for the prayers and from the Sanctus until Pax Domini. As the Gloria is not sung the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino.

Vespers are first Vespers of All Saints with a corresponding colour change to festive white. The Office is proper and the antiphons Vidi turbam magnam etc are sung with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116 (Note following the 1911 re-ordering of the Psalterium Ps. 116 is both a Lauds psalm and Vesper psalm today, before the reform it was only used at Vespers). The hymn is Placare, Christe, servulis. At Compline the Dominical psalms are sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil of All Saints has been abolished. Today is kept as a IV class ferial 'green' day. The readings at Mattins come from the fifth week of October. Mass is of Pentecost XX. Although the Gloria is not sungIte, missa est is the dismissal.

Vigil of SS Simon and Jude

The Vigil of SS Simon and Jude is of simple rite and its liturgical colour is violet.

The Office is of the feria but with the lessons at Mattins and the collect proper to the Vigil. At Mattins the ferial invitatory, Regem magnum Dominum, Venite adoremus, is sung and the Office hymn is Nox atra rerum contegit. The nine antiphons and psalm divisions for Thursday are sung followed by the versicle Laudabo etc and its response Et magnificabo etc. As the lessons for the Vigil contain a Gospel after the Absolution, Exaudi, Domine etc., the first blessing is Evangelica lectio etc. The Gospel fragment is from St. John and the homily is taken from the writings of St. Gregory. The Te Deum is not sung. The second scheme of Lauds for Thursday is sung beginning with the antiphon fragment Tibi soli peccavi. After the antiphon on the Benedictus has been repeated the ferial preces are sung, with the choir kneeling. After the collect of the Vigil the Suffrage of the Saints is sung.

At Prime a fourth psalm is added, that displaced by the Miserere at Lauds, Psalm 97, Cantate Domino. The chapter is that sung on ferial days, Pacem et veritatem etc. The Dominical and ferial preces are sung, both sets are sung with the choir kneeling. At the other Horae Minores the short set of ferial preces are sung, again the choir kneeling.

Mass is sung after None. Following the normal rules for Vigils four candles are placed on the altar, unlike two on ordinary ferial days. The deacon and sub-deacon wear violet dalmatic and tunicle, not folded chasubles. The chant for the Mass is ferial, the second collect is Concede nos, and the third for the Church. Being a 'kneeling day' all in choir kneel for the orations and from the Sanctus to the response after Pax Domini. As there is no Gloria , following the usual rule, Benedicamus Domino is sung as the dismissal.

Vespers are first Vespers of the Holy Apostles SS Simon and Jude.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there is no Vigil just a IV class 'green' ferial day with the Mass of the previous Sunday without Gloria but with Ite missa est. At Mattins the readings are from the second Book of the Machabees, Lauds is the festal form and there are neither preces nor Suffrage. At Prime there is no fourth psalm and Pacem et veritatem has been abolished, replaced always by the festal Regi saeculorum. There are neither Dominical nor ferial preces. Mass (of the preceding Sunday) is sung after Terce. SS Simon and Jude don't even get a first Vespers so Vespers and Compline are ferial - the wonders of the 'ancient' liturgy of the 1960s!

The anticipated Vigil of the Assumption

The Vigil of the Assumption is of simple rite. As the feast falls on Monday this year, the Vigil is anticipated on the Saturday. Traditionally it has been a day of fasting and abstinence in the West (in many Eastern rites a far stricter fast of preparation takes place from the beginning of August). However, such fasting, in the West, never applied to anticipated Vigils. The liturgical colour of the day is violet.

At Mattins everything is taken from the ferial psalter except the lessons. The three lessons in the nocturn on St. Luke's Gospel are from a homily of St. Chrysostom. At Lauds the Second Scheme of psalms is sung (Pss. 50, 91, 63, Audite, caeli & 150), the ferial preces are sung, with the choir kneeling, followed by a commemoration of SS Hippolytus & Cassian and then the Suffrage of the Saints in the form used for feasts of the BVM. At Prime and the Hours ferial preces are sung. These too are sung whilst kneeling. At Prime the fourth psalm is added, as is the case when the Second Scheme of Lauds is sung, and the chapter is the ferial Pacem.

Mass is sung after None. Violet vestments are worn, the ministers wearing dalmatic and tunicle not folded chasubles. The Mass is proper, Vultum tuum, the Gloria is not sung. The second collect is of SS Hipplytus and Cassian, the third collect Deus, qui corda - of the Holy Ghost. As it is a 'kneeling day' all in choir kneel for the orations and from the Sanctus to the response after Pax Domini. As is the rule when the Gloria is not sung Benedicamus Domino is chanted as the dismissal by the deacon facing the altar rather than Ite, missa est.

In the afternoon there is a colour change to green and Vespers of Saturday are sung. The antiphon on the Magnificat is Omnis sapientia for the Saturday before the third Sunday of August. A commemoration is sung of St. Eusebius followed by the Suffrage of the Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

In the ancient use 'liturgical books of 1962' as usual much has been lost. Common Vigils are not anticipated so this year the Vigil of the Assumption is omitted entirely. The day becomes a IV class BVM on Saturday. At Vespers the antiphon on the Magnificat is Ego in altissimis - as sung last week in the old rite - the Suffrage is omitted as are the preces at Compline.

The Vigil of the Epiphany

The Vigil of the Epiphany is a semi-double of the second class and a priviliged Vigil of the second class. In the post-1570 Roman rite the Vigil of the Epiphany takes the place of the Office of the Sunday which occurs from the 1st to 5th January and has all the privileges of a Sunday both in concurrence and occurence. (c.f. rubric in the Breviary at the end of January 1st. Prior to the 1911-13 reform the celebration of the Octave Days of the comites Christi feasts as doubles meant that the Sunday, under the 1568-1911 rubrics, was moved until the first free day, the 5th and day of the ancient Vigil. Examining older books one can find two sets of formularies: one for the vacant Sunday with the collect Omnipotens as used today and one for the 'real' Vigil with the collect Corda nostra. These, distinct, celebrations were also found in Sarum practice and its closest surviving modern descendant the Dominican rite. With the 1911-13 reform reducing the rank of the comites Christi Octave Days the 'real' Sunday had the Feast of the Holy Name transferred from the Second Sunday after the Epiphany to the Sunday before the Epiphany or January 2nd. The 1948 Commission for General Liturgical Reform clearly didn't understand this and stated '..La vigilia ha semplicemente la liturgia della domenica dope il Natale..' Memoria sulla riforma liturgica p.47, #3. On p. 49 the proposal to abolish the Octave can be found.

A Vigil Mass of the Epiphany has been restored in the 2002 edition of the new Roman Missal. The 2002 MR gives the collect as:

Corda nostra, quaesumus, Domini, tuae majestatis splendor illustret, quo mundi hujus tenebras transire valeamus, et perveniamus ad patriam claritatis aeterne.

The Missal of Robert of Jumièges, a favourite of mine, gives the following version for the Vigil:

Corda nostra quaesumus Domine venturae festivitatis splendor illustret, quo mundi hujus tenebris carere valeamus, et perveniamus ad patriam claritatis aeterne.

A good example of where some scholarship after Vatican II has been of far higher calibre than that of the 1948 Commission.

At Mattins the invitatory, hymn, antiphons and psalms are those used for the Circumcision. In the first nocturn the lessons are from the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans with the responsories from the Circumcision. In the second nocturn the lessons are from a sermon by St. Augustine and in the third nocturn the homily is from St. Jerome's commentary on the second chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel. At Lauds and the Hours again the antiphons are those from the Circumcision, O admirabile commercium etc. The chapter is proper to the Vigil, the antiphon on the Benedictus is proper, Dum medium silentium, and the collect is proper, Omnipotens. A commemoration is sung of St. Telesphorus Pope & Martyr.

At the Hours the antiphons of Lauds are sung and the psalmody is festal. At Prime (Pss. 53, 118i, 118ii) the preces are omitted, the lectio brevis is Itaque jam non est servus. The hymns of the Little Hours are sung with the Doxology and melody in honour of the Incarnation.

At Mass, sung after Terce, the Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Telesphorus, the third collect of the BVM, Deus, qui salutis. The Credo is sung and the preface is of the Nativity.

Vespers are first Vespers of the Epiphany. The antiphons Ante luciferum genitus etc are sung with the psalms from the First Vespers of the Common of Apostles. The chapter, Surge, illuminare, Jerusalem is from Isaiah, the Office hymn Crudelis Herodes. For the feast and its octave a Doxology in honour of the LORD's manifestation is sung at all hymns of Iambic metre: Jesu, tibi sit gloria, Qui apparuisti Gentibus, Cum Patre, et almo Spiritu, In sempiterna saecula.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil is abolished and the day is another fourth class feria of Christmastide. Mattins has one nocturn and three lessons. St. Telesphorus is commemorated at Lauds and said Masses but with the collect Gregem tuum from the Pian fiddlings with the Commons. The hymns of the Little Hours are sung without the Doxology of the Incarnation. Vespers are the same as the Old Rite. At Compline Te lucis is sung without the proper Doxology.

Vigil of All Saints

The Vigil of All Saints is anticipated today as the 31st October falls on a Sunday this year. The Vigil is of simple rite and the liturgical colour is violet. The ferial tone is used for the orations and for the preface and Pater noster at Mass.

At Mattins the invitatory, hymn, antiphons and psalms are those of Saturday but the lessons, Descendens Jesus, are taken from the Common of Several Martyrs with the responsories taken from the Saturday of the fourth week of October. At Lauds the second scheme of psalmody is sung with Pss. 50, 91, 63, the O.T. canticle Audite, caeli & 150. After the antiphon on the Benedictus is repated the ferial preces are sung with the choir kneeling. After the collect of the Vigil the Suffrage of the Saints is omitted (prior to the 1911 reform the series of Suffrages were sung as on any Vigil or ferial day.

At Prime the fourth psalms, Ps. 149, that is allocated to the first schema of Lauds is added to the three psalms for Saturday. Both the Dominical and ferial preces are sung, the choir kneeling. At the other Horae Minorae the short series of ferial preces are sung, again with the choir kneeling.

Mass is sung after None. The ministers wear violet dalmatic and tunicle. There is no Gloria. The second collect is of the Holy Ghost, Deus,qui corda, the third collect either for the Church or the pope. As it is a 'kneeling day' the choir kneels for the prayers and from the Sanctus until Pax Domini. As the Gloria is not sung the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino.

Vespers are first Vespers of the feast of Christ the King with a corresponding colour change to festive white. The Office is proper and the antiphons Pacificus vocabitur etc are sung with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. The hymn is Te saeculorum Principem. For the feast all hymns of Iambic metre are sung with the Doxology Jesu, tibi sit gloria, Qui sceptra mundi temperas, Cum Patre et almo Spiritu, In sempiterna saecula. After the collect of the feast the Sunday is commemorated. The antiphon on the Magnificat is Vidi, Dominum for the Saturday before the first Sunday in November.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the Vigil of All Saints has been abolished. Today is kept as a fourth class Office of the BVM on Saturday. At Vespers there is no commemoration of the Sunday (if there were the antiphon for the Saturday before the fifth Sunday in October would be used). At Compline and the other Horae Minorae the special Doxology is omitted.

Vigil of the Assumption

The Vigil of the Assumption is of simple rite. Traditionally, it has been a day of fasting and abstinence in the West; in the Byzantine rites a far stricter 'Dormition fast' of preparation takes place from the beginning of August.

At Mattins the psalms are of Saturday. At the single nocturn three, proper, lessons from St. Chrysostom are sung. At Lauds the Second Scheme of psalms is used (based on the original ferial psalms before the 1911-13 reform), the ferial preces are sung, with the choir kneeling, followed by a commemoration of St. Eusebius M and the Suffrage of the Saints in the form used for feasts of the BVM. At Prime and the Hours the ferial preces are sung, again with the choir kneeling. At Prime the fourth psalm is added (i.e. Pss 93i, 93ii, 107 & 149 - a 'praise' psalm at Prime!), as is the case when the Second Scheme of Lauds is sung, and the chapter is the ferial Pacem .

Mass is sung after None. Violet vestments are worn, the ministers wearing dalmatic and tunicle not folded chasubles. The Mass is proper, Vultum tuum, the Gloria is not sung. The second collect is of St. Eusebius and the third collect is Deus, qui corda, of the Holy Ghost. As it is a 'kneeling day' all in choir kneel for the orations and from the Sanctus to the response after Pax Domini. As is the rule when the Gloria is not sung Benedicamus Domino is chanted as the dismissla by the deacon facing the altar rather than Ite, missa est.

A colour change from penitential violet to festive white takes place and First Vespers of the feast are sung with the dulcid and stunningly beautiful hymn Ave, Maris stella. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday follows (the antiphon Omnis sapientia is sung). The Doxlogy of the Incarnation, Jesu tibi sit gloria, Qui natus es de Virgine, Cum Patre et almo Spiritu, In sempiterna saecula, is sung at hymns of Iambic metre to the special tone for the entire Octave.

In parts of Southern Italy mimetic burial processions take place in honour of the Virgin's repose very similar to the more widespread burial processions of the Lord on Good Friday. In contempory Byzantine praxis a burial procession for the Mother of God is becoming increasingly common within the celebration of an All-Night Vigil (Vespers, Mattins, Lauds & Prime) that spread from Jerusalem to Russia, with strong parallels to the Epitaphios processions on Good Friday. (The image above is from one such procession in Russia)

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' as usual much has been lost. At Lauds the ferial preces are omitted as is the Suffrage. At Prime only three psalms are sung, the chapter is the festal Regi saeculorum and the ferial preces are omitted. The ferial preces are omitted at the other Hours too. At Mass the collect for the Holy Ghost is omitted and in sung Masses the collect for St. Eusebius is omitted too. The dismissal is Ite, missa est and the period of kneeling at Mass has been shortened. There really is little, apart from the violet colour, to indicate the penitential nature of the Vigil.