December 16th -Third Sunday of Advent

The third Sunday of Advent is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is violet. Today at Mass the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle rather than planetis plicatis and the organ may be played.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday (Pss. 143, 144, 145, 146 & 147) were sung. The chapter, Fratres: Gaudete in Domino semper was of the Sunday. The Office hymn was Conditor alme siderum. The Suffrages were omitted being in Advent. At Compline the Dominical preces were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Prope est jam Dominus and the hymn is Verbum supernum. In the first nocturn the antiphons Veniet ecce Rex etc are sung with Pss. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14. The lessons in the first nocturn are taken from the prophet Isaiah. The first lesson is longer than that found in modern editions and continues until the penultimate sentence of the modern second lesson: justitiam discent habitatores orbis. The second lesson begins Misereamur impio... and continues all through the text of the modern third lesson and beyond: Indulsisti genti Dominie ... murmuris doctrina tua eis. The third lesson is absent from the modern editions and begins Sicut quae concepit... and continues until ... non operiet ultra interfectos suos. (vv. 17 -21). In the second nocturn the antiphons Gaude et laetare etc are sung with Pss. 15, 16 and 17. The lessons are taken from a sermon of St. Leo. These are substantially longer than in the modern editions of the Breviary. The sixth lesson text is completely absent from the modern editions. In the third nocturn the antiphons Gabriel Angelus etc are sung with Pss. 18, 19 and 20. The homily is from St. Gregory's writing on St. John's Gospel. These are the same as those found in the modern editions. A ninth responsory, Docebit nos Dominus, is sung and the Te Deum omitted in the Office of Advent.

At Lauds the antiphons Ecce veniet etc are sung with psalms 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite and 148-149-150. The hymn is Vox clara ecce intonat. As noted above for Vespers the Suffrages are omitted in Advent.

At Prime the first antiphon from Lauds, Ecce veniet, is sung with the usual Dominical psalms 53, 117, 118(i), 118(ii) and Quicumque. In the short responsory the versicle Qui venturus es in mundum replaces Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris. The Dominical preces are sung. At the other Hours the other antiphons of Lauds are sung in the usual order.

Mass is sung after Terce. The ministers wear violet dalmatic and tunicle rather than folded chasubles. The Gloria in not sung, the second collect is of the Blessed Virgin in Advent, Deus, qui de beate, the third collect Ecclesiae. The Creed is sung, the preface is the Common Preface. As the Gloria was not sung, the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino sung by the deacon facing the altar.

Vespers are of the Sunday. The antiphons Ecce veniet etc are sung with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113. The Office hymn is Conditor alme siderum. After the collect of the Sunday the Suffrages are omitted being Advent. After Benedicamus Domino and its response, Vespers of the Dead are sung. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

Art: Jerome Nadal

December 9th - Second Sunday of Advent

The second Sunday of Advent is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour, from Mattins, is violet.

Vespers yesterday afternoon were second Vespers of the feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin. The antiphons Conceptio gloriosae Virginis Mariae were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147. The Office hymn was Ave maris stella. After the collect of the feast a commemoration was sung of the second Sunday of Advent. The Suffrages are omitted during Advent. At Compline the Dominical preces were omitted.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem venturum and the hymn is Verbum supernum. In the first nocturn the antiphons Veniet ecce Rex etc are sung with Pss. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14. The lessons in the first nocturn are taken from the prophet Isaiah. The first lesson, about the wondrous Jesse Tree, is longer than that found in the post-Clementine editions and continues with the first lines of the modern second lesson: Et percutiet... until ...cinctorium renum ejus. The second lesson begins Habitabit lupus... and continues until two-thirds through the modern third lesson, ...sicut aquae maris operientes. The third lesson begins In die illa radix Jesse... and continues until ... et hostes Juda peribunt, i.e. the addition of vv. 11 -13 from the eleventh chapter. In the second nocturn the antiphons Gaude et laetare etc are sung with Pss. 15, 16 and 17. The lessons are taken from the Exposition on Isaiah by St. Jerome. These are substantially longer than in the modern editions of the Breviary. The fourth lesson comprises the entirety of the modern fourth and fifth lessons. The fifth lesson contains text absent from the modern sixth and the sixth lesson text is completely absent from the modern editions. In the third nocturn the antiphons Gabriel Angelus etc are sung with Pss. 18, 19 and 20. The homily is from St. Gregory's writing on St. Matthew's Gospel. Again, these are significantly longer than those in the modern editions with the sevent lesson comprising of all of the modern seventh and eighth lessons. The eighth lesson contains all of the modern ninth and an equal amount of text from the St. Gregory's homily that is absent from the modern editions and the ninth lesson is completely absent from the modern Breviary. A ninth responsory, Ecce Dominus veniet, is sung and the Te Deum omitted in the Office of Advent.

At Lauds the antiphons Ecce in nubibus caeli etc are sung with psalms 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite and 148-149-150. The Office hymn is Vox clara ecce intonat.The Suffrages are omitted in Advent.

At Prime the first antiphon from Lauds, Ecce in nubibus caeli, is sung with the usual Dominical psalms 53, 117, 118(i), 118(ii) and Quicumque. In the short responsory the versicle Qui venturus es in mundum replaces Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris. The Dominical preces are sung. At the other Hours the other antiphons of Lauds are sung in the usual order.

Mass is sung after Terce. The ministers wear folded chasubles. The Gloria in not sung, the second collect is of of the Blessed Virgin in Advent, Deus, qui de beate and the third collect is Ecclesiae. The Creed is sung, the preface is the Common Preface. As the Gloria is not sung, the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino, sung by the deacon facing the altar.

At Vespers the antiphons Ecce in nubibus caeli etc are sung with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 and 113. The Office hymn is Conditor alme siderum. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of St. Melchiades. The Suffrages are omitted. After Vespers of the Sunday Vespers of the Dead are sung. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

Art: Jerome Nadal

December 2nd - First Sunday of Advent

The first Sunday of Advent is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is violet. During Advent bishops exchange their violet choir cassocks for black with a black mozzeta or mattelletum lined with violet. Cardinals of the Court of Rome wear their 'winter' violet merino apparel (in contrast to their summer mourning dress of violet watered-silk) in place of their scarlet watered-silk dress.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of Saturday were sung (note the contrast to the post 1911-13 books where the antiphons from Sunday Lauds are sung at Vespers on Saturday). The chapter was Fratres, hora est jam nos etc and the Office hymn was Conditor alme siderum. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration of St. Bibiana was sung. The usual Suffrages were omitted and are omitted in the entire Office of Advent. From this Vespers the Marian Antiphon is Alma Redemptoris Mater. At Compline the Dominical preces were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem venturum and this is sung in both the Dominical and ferial Offices of Advent until the third Sunday. The Office hymn is Verbum supernum. In the first nocturn the antiphons Veniet ecce Rex etc are sung with Pss. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14. The lessons in the first nocturn are the Incipit of the prophet Isaiah. The first lesson is longer than that found in modern editions and continues with the first lines of the modern second lesson: Vae genti peccatrici... until ..abalienati sunt retrorsum. The second lesson begins Super quo percutiam... and continues until the end of the modern third lesson, ...Gomorrha similes essemus. The third lesson is absent from the modern books. It begins Audite verbum Domini... and continues until sanguine plenae sunt, i.e. vv. 10 - 15. In the second nocturn the antiphons Gaude et laetare etc are sung with Pss. 15, 16 and 17. The lessons are taken from the writing sof St. Leo on the fast of the tenth month. These are substantially longer than in the modern editions of the Breviary. The fourth lesson comprises the entirety of the modern fourth and fifth lessons. The fifth lesson contains text absent from the modern sixth and the sixth lesson text is completely absent from the modern editions. In the third nocturn the antiphons Gabriel Angelus etc are sung with Pss. 18, 19 and 20. The homily is from St. Gregory's writing on St. Luke's Gospel. Again, these are significantly longer than those in the modern editions with the seventh lesson comprising of all of the modern seventh and eighth lessons. The eighth lesson contains all of the modern ninth and an equal amount of text from the St. Gregory's homily that is absent from the modern editions and the ninth lesson is completely absent from the modern Breviary. A ninth responsory, Ecce dies veniunt, is sung as the Te Deum omitted in the Office of Advent.

At Lauds the antiphons In illa die etc, proper to Advent Sunday, are sung with psalms 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite and 148-149-150. The Office hymn is Vox clara ecce intonat. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of St. Bibiana. As noted above the Suffrages are omitted in Advent.

At Prime the first antiphon from Lauds, In illa die, is sung with the usual Dominical psalms 53, 117, 118(i), 118(ii) and Quicumque. In the short responsory the versicle Qui venturus es in mundum replaces Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris for all of Advent except when an occurring feast has a proper versicle. The Dominical preces are sung. At the other Hours the other antiphons of Lauds are sung in the usual order.

Mass is sung after Terce. During Advent the deacon and sub-deacon do not wear the dalmatic and tunicle - except on the third Sunday - but violet folded chasubles, an ancient feature of the Roman liturgy. The Gloria in not sung, the second collect is of St. Bibiana, the third collect of the Blessed Virgin in Advent, Deus, qui de beate. The Creed is sung, the preface is the Common Preface. As the Gloria was not sung, the dismissal is Benedicamus Domino sung by the deacon facing the altar.

At Vespers the antiphons In illa die etc are sung with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113. The Office hymn is Conditor alme siderum. After Benedicamus Domino and its response Vespers of the Dead are sung. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung. After Mattins and Lauds of tomorrow, an Advent ferial day, Mattins and Lauds of the Dead are sung.

Art: Jerome Nadal

November 25th - St. Catharine of Alexandria

The feast of St. Catharine of Alexandria is of double rite and its liturgical colour is red. The twenty-fifth and last Sunday after Pentecost, and this year the fifth Sunday of November, is commemorated in the Office and at Mass. According to tradition St. Catharine was the daughter of the Roman governor of Alexandria. She became a Christian and professed her faith under the Emperor Maxentius and as a consequence suffered scourging and imprisonment. Whilst imprisoned she was responsible for bringing many other souls to Christ. She was to be executed by being tied to a wheel which splintered as she touched it. She was beheaded and her body reposes at the monastery that bears her name at Mount Sinai. Her emblem of martyrdom is the Catharine Wheel.

An interesting and unusual depiction of a Catharine Wheel on a radiator - Church of St. Catharine, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire (Author's collection)

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Haec est Virgo etc were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147. The Office hymn was Jesu, corona Virginum. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday was sung (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Super muros tuos etc for the Saturday before the fifth Sunday of November). The Suffrages were omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Virginum Dominum * Venite adoremus and the Office hymn is Virgines Proles. In the first nocturn the antiphons O quam pulchra etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 8,18, & 23. The lessons are those appointed for the first nocturn of the Sunday, the Incipit of Micheas the Prophet. The first lesson is longer than that found in the modern editions of the Breviary. After ... et super excelsa terra the lesson continues Et consumenter montes, from the second lesson in the modern Breviary, until ... in peccatis domus Israel. The second lesson begins Quod scelus Jacob?... and continues until usque ad Hierusalem, i.e the end of the modern third lesson. The third lesson begins In Geth nolite annciare and continues until ...in deceptionem regibus Israel (vv. 10 - 14). These verses are absent from the later editions. In the second nocturn the antiphons Specie tua etc are sung with Pss. 44, 45 & 47. The lessons are proper to the feast and are almost identical to those found in the post-Clementine editions. In the third nocturn the antiphons Nigra sum etc are sung with Pss. 95, 96 & 97. The homily for the feast is from St. Gregory the Great on St. Matthew’s Gospel. The lessons are considerably longer than those found in the later books, roughly double the length. Today the eighth and ninth lessons for the feast are joined together to make an extended eighth lesson and the ninth lesson is formed of the three lessons appointed for the last Sunday after Pentecost. These are from St. Jerome on St. Matthew's Gospel. The seventh lesson (of the Sunday) continues with the first sentence of the modern eighth lesson Potest autem... in praesentem diem stetit. The eighth lesson (of the Sunday) begins Abominatio quoque secundum... and continues until Apostoli habere prohibentur, the end of the modern ninth lesson. The text of the ninth lesson, absent from the modern books, begins Vae autem praegnantibus... and continues until ne temporum mora fides concutiatur credentium. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Haec est Virgo etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-149-150. The Office hymn is Jesu corona Virginum. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung. The Suffrages are omitted.

At Prime and the Hours the hymns the antiphons from Lauds are sung in the usual order. At Prime the festal psalms (53, 118i & 118ii) are sung. The Dominical preces are omitted.

Mass is sung after Terce. The second collect is of the Sunday. The Creed is sung, the common preface is sung and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers the antiphons Haec est Virgo etc are again sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147. The Office hymn is Jesu, corona Virginum. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday and of the following feast of St. Peter of Alexandria. The Suffrages are omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

Icon: Wikipedia from St. Catharine's Monastery showing the Saint's martyrdom.

November 18th - Dedication of the Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul

The feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul of double rite and its liturgical colour is white. The feast takes precedence over the twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost (this year the IV Sunday of November and with some texts taken from the sixth Sunday after Epiphany). November 18th is shared by these two patriarchal basilicas as their Dedication feasts. Sadly, in both cases, the structures that were extant when the Tridentine Missal and Breviary were published are more. St. Paul Outside the Walls suffered a disastrous fire in the nineteenth century and Old St. Peter's was destroyed by the whims of vulgar fashion.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Domum tuam Dominus etc were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 and 147. The Office hymn was Urbs beata Jerusalem. After the collect of the feast a commemoration was sung of the Sunday (the antiphon being Qui caelorum etc for Saturday before the fourth Sunday of November and the collect of the sixth Sunday after Epiphany). The Suffrages were omitted, as were the Dominical preces at Compline because of the double feast.

At Mattins the invitatory is Domum Dei decet sanctitudo etc and the Office hymn is again Urbs beata Jerusalem. In the first nocturn the antiphons Tollite portas etc are sung with psalms 23, 45 & 57. The lessons are from the Apocalypse of St. John with the responsories taken from the Common of Dedications. The lessons are the same as those found in the modern editions of the Breviary. In the second nocturn the antiphons Non est hic aliud etc are sung with psalms 83, 86 & 87. The lessons are proper to the feast. The fourth lesson is the same as those in the later editions, the fifth lesson is shorter terminating at ne deinceps altaria nisi ex lapide fierent. The sixth lesson is entirely different, Basilicam item Pauli ... ac diaconus quinque. In the third nocturn the antiphons Qui habitat etc are sung with psalms 90, 95 & 98. The lessons in the third nocturn are from a homily of St. Ambrose on St. Luke's Gospel (taken the Common). These are the same as those found in the later editions. The eighth and ninth lessons of the feast are read together to form an extended eighth lesson and the ninth lesson consists of the three lessons of the Sunday homily from St. Jerome on St. Matthew's Gospel. These are the same as in the later editions. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Domum tuam, Domine etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-149-150. The Office hymn is Angularis fundamentum. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung. The Suffrages are omitted.

At Prime the antiphon Domum tuam, Domine is sung with psalms 53, 118i & 118ii. Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted on this double feast. The lectio brevis is is Et absterget Deus etc. At the other Hours the antiphons from Lauds are used in the normal manner.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday. The Creed is sung as is the Common preface. The last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers all the antiphons, psalms, chapter and hymn are as were sung at first Vespers. The V&R and antiphon on the Magnificat are proper to second Vespers of the Common. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday and of St. Pontianus. The Suffrages are omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

Image: Wikipedia