XXII Sunday after Pentecost

The twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite. This year it is the fourth Sunday of October and also Mission Sunday. An oratio imperata pro re gravi is ordered to be added to the prescribed collects at all Masses following a rescript of the SCR of April 14th, 1926. The liturgical colour is green. The Gospel pericopes from St. Matthew contain the account of the Pharisees trying to trap the LORD over tribute to Caesar and the LORD's rebuttal of "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God those things that are God's."

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the psalms of Saturday were sung. The Office hymn was Jam sol recedit igneus. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Exaudiat Dominus for the Saturday before the fourth Sunday in October. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. John Cantius, of St. Hilarion and of St. Ursula & Others. The Suffrage was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum etc and the Office hymn is Primo die. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Second Book of the Machabees. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Augustine's City of God. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Hiliary on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds, after the collect of the Sunday, commemorations are sung of St. Hilarion and of St. Ursula and Others followed by the Suffrage of the Saints.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Hilarion, the third collect of St. Ursula & others and the fourth collect is Deus, qui nos homines (from the Votive Mass for the Propagation of the Faith). The Creed is sung as is the preface of the Blessed Trinity.

Vespers are of the Sunday. The Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday the Suffrage of the Saints is sung. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at Vespers. The third Sunday of October, and its week, is omitted this year. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there is no Suffrage. At Prime there is neither Quicumque nor are the Dominical preces. At Mass the collect for Missions is added to the collect of the day under one conclusion. At Vespers there is no Suffrage. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

Art: Jerome Nadal

XXI Sunday after Pentecost

The twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the third Sunday of October. The Gospel pericopes from St. Matthew contain the parable of the unjust and ungrateful servant who, forgiven his debts by the King, demands what is owed to him from others and shews complete ingratitude.

As 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 Lugebat autem Judam for the Saturday before the third Sunday of October. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. Edward the Confessor and of St. Callistus. The Suffrage was omitted due to the conccurring double feast as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum and the Office hymn is Primo die. In the first nocturn the lessons continue to be read from the First Book of the Machabees. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from St. Ambrose's Book of Offices. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Jerome on the eighteenth chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Aeterne rerum Conditor. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of St. Callistus. The Suffrage is omitted.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Callistus. Today there is no the third collect. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

Vespers are of the Sunday. The Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Teresa of Avilla and of St. Callistus. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at either Vespers. At Vespers on Saturday the antiphon for the Saturday before the second Sunday of October is sung. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations nor Suffrage. At Mass there is but a single collect.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Most Holy Rosary of the BVM

The feast of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Double of the Second Class. The twentieth Sunday after Pentecost (the second Sunday of October this year) is commemorated in the Office and at Mass. The feast had been instituted following the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.  In 1573 Gregory XIII extended the feast to those churches where an altar had been dedicated to the Rosary to be kept on the first Sunday of October.  In 1716 Clement XI extended the feast to the Universal Church with greater-double rank.  Leo XIII raised the rank of the feast to double second class in 1887 and gave the feast proper texts in the following year. During the reforms of 1911-13 the feast was transferred to October 7th.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Quae est ista etc were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147.  The Office hymn was Caelestis aulae Nuntius. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the preceding feast of St. Bruno and of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Refulsit sol for the Saturday before the second Sunday of October). The Suffrage was omitted. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the Doxlogy and melody of the Incarnation, Jesu tibi...Qui natus etc. The Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is proper, Solemnitatem Rosarii Virginis Mariae celebremus etc,  as is the hymn, In monte olivis.  In the first nocturn the antiphons Angelus Gabriel etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 8, 18 & 23.  The lessons are from the Book of Ecclesiasticus.  In the second nocturn the antiphons Cum inducerent etc are sung with psalms 44, 45 & 86 .  In the third nocturn the antiphons Apprehendit etc are sung with psalms 95, 96 & 97 and the lessons are from a homily of St. Bernard on St. Luke's Gospel.  The ninth lesson is of the Sunday, a homily of St. Gregory on St. John's Gospel. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the antiphons Laetare etc are sung, doubled, with the Sunday psalms.  The Office hymn is Jam morte victor obruta.  After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday, St. Mark and of SS Sergius and Companions.

At the Hours the antiphons from Lauds are sung, not doubled, with the Sunday psalms in the usual manner.  The hymns of the Hours are sung to the melody for feasts of the BVM with the Doxology of the Incarnation.  At Prime psalms 53, 118(i), 118(ii) are sung, the lectio brevis is proper, Quasi cedrus.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung (in private Masses the second collect is of St. Mark and the third collect of SS Sergius and Companions), the Creed is sung, the Preface is of the BVM with the clause Et te in Festivitate and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers the antiphons and psalms are sung as at first Vespers, the Office hymn is Te gestientem gaudiis. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Bridget and of the Sunday.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the feast has been renamed 'Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary' and is of 2nd class and therefore does not take precedence over the Sunday. The 'green' Sunday is celebrated and is the first Sunday of October in 1962 reckoning. At Vespers (of the Sunday) there was no commemoration of the feast - it has been stripped of first Vespers anyway. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds a commemoration of the 'BVM of the Rosary' is sung. At said Masses the second collect is of the BVM of the Rosary, the last Gospel is In principio. At sung Masses there is no commemoration of the feast although Votive Masses of the feast may be celebrated. At Vespers there are no commemorations. The hours of the hymns are sung with the ordinary tone and Doxology.

Image: Coronation of the Virgin, Giovanni di Paolo, Wikipedia.

XIX Sunday after Pentecost

The nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour, from Mattins this year, is green. This year it is the first Sunday of October. The Gospel pericopes contain the parable of the wedding feast from St. Matthew's Gospel with the sobering concluding words of the LORD Multi enim sunt vocati, pauci vero electi.

Vespers yesterday afternoon were second Vespers of the feast of Dedication of St. Michael the Archangel. The antiphons Stetit Angelus etc were sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 137. The Office hymn was Te, splendor et virtus Patris. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnifcat being Adaperiat Dominus for the Saturday before the first Sunday of October) and of St. Jerome. The Suffrage was omitted due to the double feasts as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum and the Office hymn is Primo die. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the first Book of the Machabees. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from the book of St. Ambrose's Book of Offices. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Gregory on St. Matthew's Gospel. At Lauds the Office hymn is Aeterne. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration of St. Jerome is sung. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted.

At Prime (Pss. 117, 118i & 118ii) both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted due to the occurring double feast.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Jerome. Today there is no third collect. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Blessed Trinity.

Vespers are of the Sunday. The Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Remegius and of St. Jerome. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' at Vespers on Saturday the Sunday, only, is commemorated with the antiphon Domine rex etc for the fifth Sunday of September. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. The first two lessons are from the Book of Esther. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is but a single collect. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal

XVIII Sunday after Pentecost

The eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the fourth Sunday of September. The Gospel pericopes from St. Matthew relate the healing of a paralytic, both by being forgiven his sins and physically healed by the LORD.

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 Adonai, Domine for the Saturday before the fourth Sunday of September. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the preceding feast of St. Thomas of Villanova, of St. Linus and, lastly, of St. Thecla. The Suffrage was omitted. At Compline the Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Dominum qui fecit nos and the Office hymn isNocte surgentes. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of Judith. In the second nocturn the lessons are from a sermon of St. Ambrose on Elias and fasting. In the third nocturn the lessons are a homily from St. Peter Chrysologus on St. Matthew's Gospel. 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. Linus and of St. Thecla followed by the Suffrage of the Saints.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Linus, the third collect is of St. Thecla. The Creed is sung as is the preface of the Blessed Trinity.

Vespers are of the Sunday. The Office hymn is Lucis creator, sung with the Doxology (Jesu, tibi...Qui natus) and melody of the Incarnation. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following Office of Our Lady of Ransom and of St. Linus. The Suffrage is omitted. At Compline Te lucis is sung with the Doxology and meloday of the Incarnation and the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at either Vespers. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations nor Suffrage. At Prime Quicumque is not sung and the preces have been abolished. At Mass there is a single collect. At Vespers there are no commemorations and the Office hymn is sung with the ordinary Doxology.

Art: Jerome Nadal

XVII Sunday after Pentecost

The seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour, from Mattins, is green. This year it is the third Sunday of September. The Gospel pericopes at Mattins and Mass come from the twenty-second chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel and have the Pharisees asking the LORD what is the greatest commandment. The week ahead will see the September Ember days on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Vespers yesterday were second Vespers of the feast of the Seven Sorrows of the BVM. The antiphons Quo abiit etc were sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147. The Office hymn was Jam toto subitus vesper eat polo. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnificat was Ne reminiscaris for the Saturday before the third Sunday of September) and of SS Cornelius and Cyprian. The Suffrage was omitted. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the Doxology Jesu, tibi...Qui passus etc and the Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum etc and the Office hymn is Primo die. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of Tobias. In the second nocturn the lessons are from a sermon of St. Leo on fasting in the seventh month. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Chrysostom on St. Matthew's Gospel. At Lauds the Office hymn is Aeterne rerum Conditor. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of SS Cornelius & Cyprianus and of SS Euphemia & Others followed by the Suffrage of the Saints.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the SS Cornelius & Cyprian, the third collect is of SS Euphemia & Others. The Creed is sung as is the preface of the Blessed Trinity.

As, prior to the reform of 1911-13, the third Sunday in September was the feast of the Seven Sorrows of the BMV, one Mass, other than the Conventual, may be of the feast. The Mass Stabant juxta Crucem is sung in white vestments. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Blessed Virgin and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers the Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis and of SS Cornelius & Cyprian. The Suffrage is omitted. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' there are no commemorations at either Vespers. Te lucis is sung with the ordinary Doxology. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. There are no commemorations at Lauds, nor Suffrage. At Prime both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted. At Mass there is but a single collect.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Fr. Peter Lessiter - R.I.P.

It was sad to note from the Archdiocese of Southwark website and GloriaTV that Fr. Peter Lessiter went to his eternal reward on Saturday, 8th September, the feast of the Nativity of the BVM.

Fr. Lessiter was ordained for Southwark in 1959. He left the parish to which he was assigned in the early 1970s and set up an independent mission celebrating Mass in various locations in England and Wales later based in Leicester, working loosely with other traditional clergy who were then around in similar cirumstances. He was an approachable, kind and affable man with an absolute zeal for the cure of souls.

This writer knows personally of three occasions on which Fr. Lessiter drove from Leicester to London and back in the middle of the night to anoint those who were in danger of death from traffic accidents and serious illness when London-based clergy would not do so for whatever reason. Occasional visitors, including this writer, to his Leicester Mass centre in the late ‘80s and ‘90s would always be given a warm welcome.

In the last couple of decades he had been based in the West Country, at Axminster. Until his last couple of years, during which he had been afflicted by Alheimer's Disease, he had always taken the Ordo.

Requiescat in pace.

Photograph: GloriaTV (I am uncertain of the ownership - no infringement of copyright is intended)