June 29th - SS Peter & Paul Apostles

The feast of the Apostles SS Peter and Paul is a double feast with an Octave. The liturgical colour of the feast, and Octave, is red. The fifth Sunday after Pentecost is commemorated in the Office and at Mass.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Petrus et Joannes etc were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 and 116. The Office hymn was Aurea luce. After the collect of the feast a commemoration was sung of the Sunday. The Suffrages were omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Apostolorum Dominum, Venite adoremus and the Office hymn is Aeterna Christe munera. In the first nocturn the antiphons In omnem terram etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 18, 33 and 44. The lessons are taken from the Acts of the Apostles. These are identical to those found in the post-Clementine editions. In the second nocturn the antiphons Principes populorum etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 46, 60 and 63 and the lessons are from a sermon of St. Leo. These lessons are considerably longer than those found in the later editions. In the third nocturn the antiphons Exaltabuntur etc are sung, again doubled, with psalms 74, 96 & 98. The homily is from St. Jerome on St. Matthew's Gospel. Again the text of these lessons is considerably longer than that found in the later books and the text of the ninth lesson is entirely absent from them. Today the eighth and ninth lessons of the feast are read together to form the eighth lesson of the day and the ninth lesson is formed of the three lessons appointed for the third nocturn of the Sunday. The lessons for the Sunday are from a homily of 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 antiphons Petrus et Joannes etc are sung, doubled, with the Dominical psalms 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite, 148-149-150. The Office hymn is Jam bone pastor Petre. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung. The Suffrages are omitted.

At Prime and the Hours the antiphons of the feast are sung in the usual order. At Prime the lectio brevis is proper to the feast, Et Petrus etc.

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

At second Vespers the antiphons Juravit Dominus etc, from the Common are sung with psalms 109, 112, 115, 125 and 138. The Office hymn is Aurea luce. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung. The Suffrages are omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.