October 30th - Anticipated Vigil of All Saints

As October 31st this year is a Sunday the Vigil of All Saints is anticipated today. The liturgical colour is violet. The Office of the Vigil runs from Mattins to None inclusive and it is of simple rite.

At Mattins the invitatory and Office hymn are as given for Saturday in the Psalter: Dominum Deum nostrum, Venite adoremus and Summae Deus clementiae. In the nocturn psalms 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107 & 108 are sung, in pairs, under six antiphons. It may be interesting to compare this with the post-1911 rite where three psalms (104, 105 & 106) are split into three sections each to make nine psalm fragments each sung under an antiphon. None of these nine antiphons are the same as any of the six in the Tridentine Breviary. The Gospel fragment is from St. Luke and the lessons are a homily of St. Ambrose from the Common of Several Martyrs. The first lesson is about twice as long as that found in the modern editions of the Breviary. The second lesson contains the text of both the modern second and third lessons. The text of the third lesson is entirely absent from the modern books. The three responsories are from the Saturday of the fourth week of October, Refulsit sol etc, Ornaverunt etc and In hymnis etc. The Te Deum is not sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Benigne fac etc are sung with psalms 50, 91, 62-66, Audite caeli & 148-149-150, from the Psalter for Saturday. The Office hymn Aurora jam spargit pollum and the antiphon on the Benedictus, Illuminare etc are also from the Psalter. After the antiphon Illuminare etc has been sung in full the choir kneels and the ferial preces are chanted. The Tridentine ferial preces include the psalm De profundis. When the preces have been sung the Hebdomadarius intones the collect of the Vigil. Then follow the Suffrages of the Cross Per signum Crucis etc, the BVM Sancta Maria succurre etc, the Apostles Gloriosi principes etc, of the Patron and lastly for peace Da pacem Domine.

At Prime (Pss. 53, 118i & 118ii both the Dominical and ferial preces are sung, kneeling. The chapter is Pacem et veritatem. At Terce, Sext and None the short series of the 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, 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.

With the end of Mass the liturgy of the anticipated Vigil comes to an end. The liturgical colour changes to green and Vespers are of the XXII Sunday after Pentecost and first Sunday of November.