June 27th - Sunday within the Octave of St. John the Baptist

This year Sunday within the Octave of St. John the Baptist is the fourth Sunday after Pentecost. The liturgical colour follows the Octave and so Sunday is celebrated in white vestments. The Sunday is of semi-double rite.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Paulus et Joannes etc were sung with psalms 109, 112, 115, 125 & 138. From the chapter was of the Sunday. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the martyrs SS John and Paul and of the Octave of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The Suffrages were omitted due to the occurring Octave. At Compline the Dominical preces were omitted due to the Octave.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum qui fecit nos and the 'summer' hymn Nocte surgentes is sung. In the first nocturn (Pss. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14)the lessons continue to be taken from the First Book of the Kings. The first lesson is the same as found in modern recensions, the second lesson continues David autem...grandaevus inter viros (from the modern third lesson) and the third lesson begins Abierunt autem ... quadraginta diebus. However, it then continues Dixit autem... sicut Isai - from v. 17 through to half of v. 20. In the second nocturn (Pss. 15, 16 & 17) the lessons are taken from a Sermon of St. Augustine. These are the same as found in the modern editions. In the third nocturn (Pss. 18, 19 & 20) the homily is from St. Ambrose on St. Luke's Gospel, but the lessons are longer than in modern editions. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the Sunday psalms (Pss. 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-49-150) are sung. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration of the Octave is sung.

At Prime (Pss. 53, 117, 118i & 118ii) Quicumque is sung but the Dominical preces are omitted due to the occurring Octave.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Octave. There is no third collect. The Credo is sung, the Common Preface is sung.

Vespers are of the Sunday, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Leo II and the Octave. The Suffrages are omitted due to the Octave as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

Art: Jerome Nadal