July 16th - VIII Sunday after Pentecost

The eighth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Vespers for Saturday (Pss. 143, 144, 145, 146 & 147) were sung. The chapter was O Altitudo and the Office hymn was O lux beata Trinitas. After the collect of the Sunday the Suffrages of the BVM Sancta Maria succurre etc, the Apostles Petrus Apostolus etc, of the Patron and lastly for peace Da pacem Domine were sung. At Compline the Dominical preces were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum and the Office hymn Nocte surgentes. In the first nocturn (Pss. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14) are sung and the lessons are a continuation from the third book of Kings for the Eighth Sunday. These are the same as those found in more modern editions of the Breviary. In the second nocturn (Pss. 15, 16 & 17) the lessons are from the writings of St. Augustine on the City of God. These are substantially longer than than those found in the post-Clementne recensions. In the third nocturn (Pss. 18, 19 & 20) the homily is from St. Jerome on St. Luke's Gospel. Again the texts in the Tridentine Breviary is longer than that found in later 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 the Suffrages of the BVM Sancta Maria succurre etc, the Apostles Gloriosi principes etc, of the Patron and lastly for peace Da pacem Domine are sung.

At Prime (Pss. 53, 117, 118i & 118ii) Quicumque and the Dominical preces are sung.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is A cunctis, the third collect is chosen by the Dean or Rector. The Credo is sung as is the Common Preface.

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. Alexis followed by the Suffrages of the BVM Sancta Maria succurre etc, the Apostles Petrus Apostolus etc, of the Patron and lastly for peace Da pacem Domine. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

Art: Jerome Nadal

July 9th - VII Sunday after Pentecost

The seventh Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Vespers for Saturday (Pss. 143, 144, 145, 146 & 147) were sung. The chapter was O Altitudo and the Office hymn O lux beata Trinitas. After the collect of the Sunday the Suffrages of the BVM Sancta Maria succurre etc, the Apostles Petrus Apostolus etc, of the Patron and lastly for peace Da pacem Domine were sung. At Compline the Dominical preces were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum and the Office hymn Nocte surgentes. In the first nocturn (Pss. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14) are sung and the lessons are the Incipit of the Third Book of the Kings. The first lesson includes what is now most of the second lesson in the post-Clementine editions ending ...qui adjuvabant partes Adoniae. The second lesson begins Sadoc vero sacerdotes and continues (including verses 9 & 10 omitted in the modern editions) until ...et complebo sermones tuos, the penultimate sentence in modern third lesson. The third lesson begins Ingressa est itaque and continues until ...Nathan propheta venit. (v.22) In the second nocturn (Pss. 15, 16 & 17) the lessons are from St. Jerome's Letter to Nepotianus. These are substantially different from those found in the later recensions. In the third nocturn (Pss. 18, 19 & 20) the homily is from St. Hiliary on St. Matthew's Gospel. These are the same as 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 the Suffrages of the BVM Sancta Maria succurre etc, the Apostles Gloriosi principes etc, of the Patron and lastly for peace Da pacem Domine are sung.

At Prime (Pss. 53, 117, 118i & 118ii) Quicumque is sung as are the Dominical preces.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is A cunctis, the third collect is chosen by the Dean or Rector. The Credo is sung and the Common Preface is sung.

Vespers are of Sunday. The Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of the following feast of the Seven Holy Brothers, SS Rufina and Secunda followed by the Suffrages of the BVM Sancta Maria succurre etc, the Apostles Petrus Apostolus etc, of the Patron and lastly for peace Da pacem Domine. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

July 2nd - The Visitation of the BVM

The Visitation of the BVM commemorates the Visitation made by the BVM to her cousin Elizabeth (c.f. Luke 1: 39-80). The feast is of double rank and its liturgical colour is white. In the 1568BR the feast does not have proper antiphons and the user is directed to use the Office of the Nativity of the BVM substituting the word 'Visitation' for 'Nativity'.

So at Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Visitatio gloriosae etc were sung with Psalms 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147. The Office hymn was Ave Maris stella. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the Octave Day of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, of the sixth Sunday after Pentecost, of the Octave of SS Peter and Paul and of SS Processus and Martinian. The Suffrages are omitted (both because of the double feast and concurrent Octaves) and at Compline Te lucis was sung with the Doxology Gloria tibi Domine etc. The Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Visitationem Virginis Mariae celebremus: Christum ejus Filium adoremus Dominum. The Office hymn is Quem terra. The antiphons and psalms are from the Common of the BVM. In the first nocturn the lessons are taken from the second chapter of the Canticle of Canticles. These are the same as in the modern editions. In the second nocturn the lessons are from a homily of St. Bede. These are not found in the later editions where they are replaced by a sermon of St. Chrysostom. In the third nocturn the homily is from St. Chrysostom whilst the later editions have a homily from St. Ambrose. The eighth and ninth lessons are read as one and the ninth lesson is formed from the three lessons of the homily for the sixth Sunday after Pentecost. This homily on St. Mark's Gospel is from St. Ambrose. The seventh lesson (of the Sunday) includes the first sentence (Consequens igitur... a jejunio liberaret) from the modern eighth lesson. In the Tridentine Breviary the eighth lesson thus begins Itaque nemo and continues with most of the modern ninth lesson until ...sed nec adhuc quidem potestis. The ninth lesson begins In modum lactis but most of its text is not found in the modern books. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Visitatio gloriosae etc are sung with Psalms 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite and 148-149-150. The Office hymn is O gloriosa Domina. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the sixth Sunday after Pentecost, of the Octave of SS Peter and Paul and of SS Processus and Martinian. The Suffrages are omitted.

At Prime and the Hours the hymns are sung to the melody of the Nativity and with its Doxology. At Prime the festal psalms (53, 118i & 118ii) are sung, in the short responsory the versicle Qui natus es is sung, the lectio brevis is In plateis.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Mass Salve sancte parens is sung, the Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday, the third collect of the Octave and the fourth collect of SS Processus and Martinian. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the BVM and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers the antiphons Visitatio gloriosae etc are sung with the psalms for feasts of the BVM as at firt Vespers. The Office hymn is Ave, maris stella. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday and of the Octave of SS Peter and Paul.

June 25th - Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist

This year the fifth Sunday after Pentecost falls within the Octave of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The Sunday takes the liturgical colour of the Octave and so the liturgical colour is white. It is of semi-double rite.

Yesterday afternoon second Vespers of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist were sung. The, proper, antiphons Elisabeth Zachariae etc were sung with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Ut quaeant laxis. After the collect of the feast a commemoration was sung of the Sunday. At Compline the Dominical preces were omitted (and are omitted throughout the Octave).

At Mattins (of the Sunday) the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum and the Office hymn Nocte surgentes. In the first nocturn (Pss. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14) the lessons are the Incipit of the Second Book of the Kings. These are identical to the lessons found in the post-Clementine editions. In the second nocturn (Pss. 15, 16 & 17) the lessons are taken from St. Gregory's Book on Morals. The fifth lesson is slightly longer and the sixth lesson considerably longer than those found in the later editions. In the third nocturn (Pss. 18, 19 & 20) the homily is from St. Augustine on St. Matthew's Gospel. The Gospel fragment has the additional words Amen dico vobis. The lessons, from the ninth chapter of the first book on the LORD's Sermon on the Mount, are all longer than those found in the later books. 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 is sung of the Octave of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. Being within an Octave the Suffrages are omitted.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Octave of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. 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. The Office hymn is Lucis creator optime. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following semi-doulbe feast of SS John and Paul and then of the Octave of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The Suffrages are omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

Art: Jerome Nadal

June 18th - Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

The fourth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite. The liturgical colour of the day is green.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Vespers for Saturday (Pss. 143, 144, 145, 146 & 147) were sung. The chapter was O Altitudo and the Office hymn O lux beata Trinitas. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration was sung of SS Mark and Marcellianus. This was followed by the Suffrages of the BVM Sancta Maria succurre etc, the Apostles Petrus Apostolus etc, of the Patron and lastly for peace Da pacem Domine . At Compline the Dominical preces were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum and the Office hymn Nocte surgentes. In the first nocturn (Pss. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14) are sung and 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. The responsories are Praeparate corda vestra etc. 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 post Clementine 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 eighth and ninth lessons are read together to form the eighth lesson and the ninth lesson is the proper lesson from the Sanctorale for SS Mark & Marcellianus. 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 is sung of SS Mark & Marcellianus. This is followed by Suffrages of the BVM Santa Maria succurre etc, the Apostles Gloriosi principes etc, of the Patron and lastly for peace Da pacem Domine etc.

At Prime Pss. 53, 117, 118i & 118ii and Quicumque are sung as are the Dominical preces.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of SS Mark & Marcellianus, the third collect is A cunctis nos. The Credo is sung, the Common Preface is sung.

Vespers are of the Sunday, with psalms (109, 110, 111, 112 & 113). The Office hymn is Lucis creator optime. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of the following feast of SS Gervase and Protase followed by the Suffrages of the BVM, SS Peter and Paul, the Patron and, lastly, for peace. At Compline the Domincal preces are sung.

Art: Jerome Nadal