Sunday 27 August 2017

XII Sunday after Pentecost


The twelfth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the fifth Sunday of August.

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 Observa, fili for the Saturday before the fifth Sunday of August). After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration was sung of St. Joseph Calasanctius. The Suffrage was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Dominum qui fecit nos and the Office hymn isNocte surgentes. In the first nocturn the lessons continue to be read from the book of Ecclesiasticus. In the second nocturn the lessons are from a sermon of St. Chrysostom on Corninthians. In the third nocturn the homily on the Gospel is from the writings of the Venerable Bede. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Ecce jam noctis. After the collect of the Sunday a commemorations is sung of St. Joseph Calasanctius. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted.

At Prime both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted.

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

At Vespers the Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Augustine, of St. Joseph Calasanctius and of St. Hermes. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' today is the fourth Sunday of August. At Vespers there were no commemorations. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is but a single collect. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Sunday 20 August 2017

XI Sunday after Pentecost


The eleventh Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is also the fourth Sunday of August and the Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption of the BVM. The Gospel pericopes from St. Mark contain the account of the LORD healing a deaf and dumb man with His spittle.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Sapientia for the Saturday before the fourth Sunday of August. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of St. John Eudes and of the Octave. The Suffrage was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation. All hymns of Iambic metre are sung with this Doxology throughout the Octave.

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 Ecclesiasticus. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Gregory's Book of Morals. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Gregory the Great. 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. Bernard and of the Octave. The Suffrage is omitted due to the occurring double feast and Octave.

At Prime (Pss. 117, 118i & 118ii) both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted because of the occurring double feast and Octave. As noted above the hymns have the Doxology and melody of the Incarnation.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Bernard, the third collect is of the Octave. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Holy Trinity.

Prior to the reform of 1911-13 the Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption was the feast of St. Joachim, father of the BVM. Today one Mass, other than the Conventual, may be sung of St. Joachim in white vestments. The Mass is Dispersit, the Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday, and third collect of St. Bernard. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Blessed Trinity and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers the antiphons and psalms of Sunday are sung. The Office hymn is Lucis creator sung with the Doxology and melody of the Incarnation. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following Office of St. Jane Frances, of St. Bernard and of the Octave. The Suffrage is omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' today is the third Sunday of August. The Octave of the Assumption has been torn from the Calendar. The hymns are sung with the ordinary Doxology. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At Mass there is but a single collect. At Vespers there are no commemorations.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Sunday 13 August 2017

X Sunday after Pentecost


The tenth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. This year it is the third Sunday of August.

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 Omnis sapientia for the Saturday before the third Sunday of August. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration was sung of the preceding Office of St. Clare and of SS Hippolytus & Cassian. The Suffrage was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Dominum qui fecit nos and the Office hymn is Nocte surgentes. In the first nocturn the lessons are the Incipit of the Book of Wisdom. In the second nocturn the lessons are taken from the Book of Morals by St. Gregory the Great. In the third nocturn the lessons are from section from St. Augustine's 36th sermon on the words of the LORD. The Te Deum is sung. At Lauds the Office hymn is Ecce jam noctis. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of SS Hippolytus & Cassian 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 SS Hippolytus & Cassian, the third collect is A cunctis. The Creed is sung and the preface is of the Holy Trinity.

Vespers are of the Sunday (Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113) and the Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of the following feast of St. Eusebius followed by the Suffrage of the Saints. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.


In the 'liturgical books of the 1962' there are no commemorations at either Vespers. Mattins is cut down to a single nocturn of three lessons. At Lauds there are neither commemoration nor Suffrage. At Prime both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted. At Mass there is a single collect. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

Art: Jerome Nadal

Sunday 6 August 2017

The Transfiguration of the LORD


The feast of the Transfiguration of the LORD is a Double feast of the Second Class and its liturgical colour is white. The IX Sunday after Pentecost (and the second Sunday of August) is commemorated at in the Office and at Mass.

At first Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Assumpsit Jesus etc., proper to the feast, were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Quicumque Christum quaeritis. The antiphon on the Magnificat was Christus Jesus, splendor Patris etc and the collect was proper to the feast. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of the Dedication of Sancta Maria ad Nives and of the Sunday, the antiphon on the Magnificat being Ego in altissimis for the Saturday before the second Sunday of August. The Suffrage of the Saints was omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline. At Compline, and at all the Hours, the hymns have the Doxology Jesu tibi Domine, Qui apparusti hodie etc along with its melody.

At Mattins the invitatory is Summum Regem gloriae, Venite adoremus. The Office hymn is, again, Quicumque Christum quaeritis. In the first nocturn the proper antiphons, Paulo minus etc, are sung with psalms 8, 28 & 44. The lessons in the first nocturn are from the Second Epistle of St. Peter. In the second nocturn the antiphons Illuminans etc are sung with psalms 75, 83, and 86. The lessons are from a sermon of St. Leo. In the third nocturn the antiphons Thabor et Hermon etc are sung with psalms 88, 96 and 103. The homily in the third nocturn is taken from St. Chrysostom's 57th homily on St. Matthew's Gospel. The ninth lesson is of the Sunday. The Te Deum is sung. The Incipit of the Book of Ecclesiastes, from the second Sunday is transferred to tomorrow's first nocturn.

At Lauds the antiphons Assumpsit Jesus Petrum et Jacobem etc are sung with the Dominical psalms. The Office hymn is Lux alma, Jesu, mentium. The antiphon on the Benedictus is Et ecce vox etc. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday and of SS Xystus & Companions. The Suffrage of the Saints is omitted.

At Prime and the Hours the hymns have the proper Doxology and melody as noted above. The antiphons from Lauds are sung at the Hours in the usual order. At Prime the festal psalms are sung (53, 118i & 118ii), the verse in the short response is Qui apparuisti and the lectio brevis is Sustulit me.

Mass is sung after Terce. Where it is the custom a blessing of grapes takes place immediately before Mass. The introit is Illuxerant. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday, (in private Masses the third collect is of SS Xystus etc). The Credo is sung, the Preface is of the Nativity and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers all is sung as was sung at first Vespers except for the antiphon on the Magnificat, Et audientes, which is proper to second Vespers. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the following Office of St. Cajetan and of the Sunday. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' today would be the first Sunday of August but it is entirely omitted and not commemorated in the Office or Mass of the feast. At Vespers there are no commemorations. At Mattins Psalm 88 ends with the verse Quia Domini est assumptio nosta etc and the verses from Tunc locutus es etc to the end, 34 verses in all, are omitted. At Lauds there are no commemorations. At the Hours the hymns have the ordinary Doxology and the antiphons are of the Sunday, not the feast, Prime has Pss. 117, 1181 & 118ii. The lectio brevis is of the season. At Mass there is only one collect, the Preface is of the Trinity and the last Gospel is In principio. At Vespers there are no commemorations.