June 2nd - Trinity Sunday

The feast of the Most Holy Trinity is a double feast and its liturgical colour is white. Today is also the first Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday is commemorated at Mass and in the Office. The Octave of Pentecost ended with the celebration of the Ember Saturday Mass after None yesterday.

At first Vespers yesterday afternoon the Office was proper with the antiphons Gloria tibi Trinitas etc sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. The chapter, O altitudo, and hymn, O lux beata Trinitas, will both be used at Vespers on Saturdays for all the Sundays after Pentecost when the following Office is of the Sunday. The antiphon on the Magnificat, Gratias tibi, Deus etc, and the collect, Omnipotens, were proper to the feast. After the collect of the feast a commemoration was sung of the first Sunday after Pentecost. After Vespers the antiphon Salve Regina was sung for the first time this year.

At Mattins there are three nocturns. The invitatory is proper, Deum verum, unum in Trinitate, et Trinitatm in Unitate, Venite adoremus. The Office hymn is Summae Deus clementiae. In the first nocturn the antiphons Adesto unus Deus etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 8, 18 & 23. The lessons are taken from the sixth chapter of the Prophet Isaiah. These are identical to those found in the 'modern' books. In the second nocturn the antiphons Te invocamus etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 46, 47 & 51. The lessons are taken from the Book of Bishop Fulgentius on faith. The fourth lesson continues with Si enim, sicut et Patris...veraciter Trinitas diceretur. The fifth lesson begins Rursus quidem Trinitas...and continues Per hanc unitatem...totus quoque Spiritus Sanctus in Patre et Filio. The sixth lesson begins Nullus horum and continues past the ending found in the 'modern' editions with three more sentences Sicut ergo...est trium personarum divinitas. In the third nocturn the antiphons Caritas Pater est etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 95, 96 & 97. The lessons are from a homily of St. Gregory Nazianzen. These are again slightly longer than those found in the later editions. The seventh lesson continues Nec extensionem...atque potentiae credimus. The eighth lesson begins Et ideo unum... and continues Sic est Apostolus...per quem omnia et nos per ipsum. The ninth lesson is of the first Sunday after Pentecost, it ends slightly before the version in 'modern' editions with Ego sum panis vivus, qui de caelo descendi? The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Gloria tibi Trinitas are sung, doubled, with the Dominical psalms 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-149-150. The Office hymn is Tu, Trinitatis Unitas. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the first Sunday after Pentecost and of SS Peter, Marcellinus & Erasmus.

At Prime the festal psalms are sung, Pss.53, 118(i) & 118(ii) followed by Quicumque. The Athanasian Creed is sung on all other Sundays of the year when the Office is of the Sunday unlike in the later, reformed, versions of the rite. The Dominical preces are omitted.

Mass is sung after Terce. Before Mass at the sprinkling of lustral water the antiphon Asperges me returns. The Mass is proper, Benedicta sit. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday, the third collect of SS Peter, Marcellinus & Erasmus. The Creed is sung, the common preface is sung and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At second Vespers the antiphons Gloria tibi Trinitas etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113. The chapter is O altitudo and the Office hymn O lux beata Trinitas. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the first Sunday after Pentecost. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

May 26th - Dominica Pentecostes - Pentecost Sunday

The feast of Pentecost is a double feast with an Octave preceded by a Vigil similar to that of Pascha but although the Vigil is celebrated after None, and has six prophecies, followed by the blessing of the font, Litany and Mass of the Vigil the service of Vespers is not integrated into the morning ceremonies. The liturgical colour of the feast and its Octave is red. This year the feast of St. Eleutherius is omitted from the Universal Calendar.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Dum complerentur dies Pentecostes etc were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The chapter was Dum complerentur dies Pentecostes etc and the Office hymn was Veni, Creator Spiritus. All hymns of Iambic metre have the Doxology Gloria Patri Domino, Natoque, qui a mortuis, Surrexit ac Paraclito, In saeculorum saecula during the Octave. There are no commemorations. The Suffrages are omitted during the Octave as are the Dominical preces.

Mattins for the feast, and Octave, is like Pascha in only having a single nocturn of three psalms and three lessons. The invitatory is Alleluia, Spiritus Domini replevit orbem terrarum, Venite adoremus Alleluia. The Office hymn is Jam Christus aster ascenderat. The antiphons Factus est etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 47, 67 & 103. The lessons are from a homily of St. Gregory the Great on St. John's Gospel. The lessons are the same as those appearing in the later editions of the Breviary. At Lauds the antiphons, Dum complerentur dies Pentecostes etc, are the same as those at Vespers and are sung, doubled, with psalms 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite and 148-149-150. The Office hymn is Beata nobis gaudia.

At Prime the festal psalms 53, 118(i) & 118(ii) are sung under the antiphon Dum complerentur dies Pentecostes. In the short responsory the versicle Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, alleluia, alleluia is sung. The short lesson is Judaei quoque. At Terce instead of the usual hymn Nunc Sancte nobis the hymn Veni Creator is sung as it was at the third hour the Holy Ghost descended on the Apostles.

At Mass the Gloria is sung and there is a single collect. After the Alleluia the sequence Veni, Sancte Spiritus is sung. The Creed is sung. The preface, Communicantes and Hanc igitur are proper to the feast and used throughout the Octave.

At second Vespers the antiphons Dum complerentur dies Pentecostes etc are sung, doubled, with the Dominical psalms (109, 110, 111, 112 & 113). The versicle and response and antiphon on the Magnificat are proper to second Vespers. There are no commemorations. The feast of St. John I is omitted this year from the Universal Calendar.

Art: Jerome Nadal.

May 19th - Sunday within the Octave of the Ascension

Sunday within the Octave of the Ascension is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is white. The theme of Thursday's great feast of the Ascension continues with the majority of the texts used today coming from the feast itself.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons for the feast, Viri Galilaei etc were sung, not doubled, with the psalms as sung on the feast (Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116). The chapter was of the Sunday, the Office hymn for the Ascension, Jesu nostra redemptio, and both the antiphon on the Magnificat and collect were proper to the Sunday. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations were sung of the Octave and of St. Potentiana. The Suffrages were omitted. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the Ascension Doxology, Gloria tibi Domine, Qui scandis super sidera, Cum Patre et Sancto Spiritu, In sempiterna saecula. The Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Alleluia, Christum Dominum ascendentem in coelum, Venite adoremus. The Office hymn at Mattins is Aeterne Rex altissime. In the first nocturn the antiphons Elevata est etc are sung, not doubled, with Pss. 8, 10 & 18. The lessons are the Incipit of the First Epistle of St. John and the responsories are of the feast. The lessons are the same as those found in post-Clementine editions of the Breviary. In the second nocturn the antiphons Exaltare Domine etc are sung, not doubled, with Pss. 20, 29 & 46. The lessons are taken from a sermon on the Ascension by St. Augustine, These are the same as those in the modern editions. In the third nocturn the antiphons Nimis exaltatus etc are sung, not doubled, with Pss. 96, 98 & 102. The homily on the Gospel from John is also from St. Augustine, these are the same as those in the modern editions. The eighth and ninth lessons are read as one to form the eighth lesson of the Sunday and the ninth lesson is of St. Potentia. This is virtually identical to that found in the modern books with a name change to St. Pudentiana. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Viri Galilaei etc are sung with Pss. 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-149-150. The chapter is of the Sunday, the Office hymn is of the Ascension Jesu nostra redemptio. The antiphon on the Benedictus, versicle & respond and collect are proper to the Sunday. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the Octave and of St. Potentiana. The Suffrages are omitted.

At the Little Hours the hymns are sung with the Doxology of the Ascension. At Prime the festal psalms 53, 118(i), 118(ii) are sung rather than the Dominical ones and the short lesson is Si quis loquitur. The Dominical preces are omitted due to the Octave.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Octave, the third collect is of St. Potentiana. The Creed is sung and the preface and communicantes are of the Octave.

At Vespers the antiphons Viri Galilaei etc are again sung, not doubled, with the psalms of the feast109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn is Jesu nostra redemptio. The antiphon on the Magnificat and collect are of the Sunday. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration of the Octave is sung. The Suffrages are omitted. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted due to the Octave.

Art: Jerome Nadal.