December 31st - St. Sylvester of Rome

The feast of St. Sylvester I Pope and Confessor is of double rite and the liturgical colour of the day is white. Today is also the Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity and the Sunday within the Octaves of St. Stephen, St. John and the Holy Innocents.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Confessorum Dominum, Venite adoremus and the Office hymn Iste Confessor. The antiphons and psalms are from the Common of a Confessor Bishop. In the first nocturn the lessons are from the second chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. The first lesson consists of the text of both the first and second lessons in the post-Clement editions of the Breviary. The second lesson begins Tribulatio et angustia.. (as the modern third lesson) but continues beyond v.13 to the end of v. 16, ...secundum evangelium meum, per Jesum Christum. The third lesson, entirely absent from the post-Clement editions, consists of vv. 17 - 25. In the second nocturn the lessons are hagiographical. These show textual variations to those found in later editions (e.g. Arius is declared damned in the Tridentine Breviary, condemned in later revisions of these lessons). In the third nocturn the homily is Sint lumbi from the Common of Confessor non-Pontiffs with the responsories of Confessor-Pontiffs. These are the same as those found in the modern editions except before the ninth lesson the additional words Unde et protinus subditur are found in the 1568 edition. The ninth lesson is formed of the three lessons for the homily of the Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity. These are marginally longer than those found in the post-Clementine editions. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Ecce sacerdos magnus etc are sung with psalms 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-149-150. The Office hymn is Jesu, Redemptor omnium and it is sung with the Doxology of the Incarnation. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity, the Octave of the Nativity, the Octave of St. Stephen, the Octave of St. John and the Octave of the Holy Innocents.

At the Hours the hymns have the Doxology of the Incarnation. The antiphons from Lauds are sung in the usual order. At Prime the lectio brevis is Fungi sacerdotio.

Mass is sung after Terce. The formulary is Sacerdotes tui etc. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity, the third collect a commemoration of the Octave of the Nativity, the fourth collect of the Octave of St. Stephen, the fifth collect of the Octave of St. John and the sixth collect of the Octave of the Holy Innocents. The Creed is sung and the preface and communicantes in the Canon are of the Nativity.

Vespers are first Vespers of the Circumcision without any commemorations.

The icon is from the All Merciful Saviour Mission's selection of icons of Western Saints.