August 28th - St. Augustine of Hippo

The feast of St. Augustine of Hippo is of double rite and its liturgical colour is white. The XIV Sunday after Pentecost, and fifth Sunday of August, is commemorated in the Office and at Mass.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Ecce sacerdos magnus etc were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Iste confessor. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Observa, fili for the Saturday before the fifth Sunday of August) and of St. Hermes. The Suffrages were omitted due to the double feast as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Confessorum Dominum etc and the Office hymn is Iste Confessor. In the first nocturn (Pss. 1, 2 & 3) the lessons (of the Sunday) continue to be read from the Book of Ecclesiasticus with the responsories of the feast. The lessons are the same as those found in the post-Clementine editions of the Breviary. In the second nocturn (Ps. 4, 5 & 8) the lessons are those appointed in Sanctoral for the feast. These are the same as those found in the later editions. In the third nocturn (Pss. 14, 20 & 23) the homily is from St. Augustine on St. Matthew's Gospel. These are significantly longer than those found in the later books. The text of the seventh lesson comprises both of the later seventh and eighth lessons. The text of the ninth lesson is entirely absent in the later books. Today the eighth and ninth lessons are joined to form an extended eighth lesson of the feast and the ninth lesson is formed from the three lessons given for the homily of the Sunday. The homily is, again, from St. Augustine. The lessons are longer than those found in the modern Breviary. The seventh lesson (of the Sunday) includes most of the text of the modern eighth lesson, the eighth lesson contains text not found in the later editions and the ninth lesson contains the text of the modern ninth lesson and, in addition, several more sentences. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Ecce sacerdos magnus etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-149-150. The Office hymn is Jesu Redemptor omnium. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday and of St. Hermes.

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

At Mass the Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Sunday, the third collect is of St. Hermes. The Creed is sung, the common preface is sung and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers there is a colour change to red and first Vespers of Beheading of St. John the Baptist are sung. The antiphons Herodes enim tenuit etc are sung, doubled, with the psalms as in first Vespers of Apostles (Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 116). The Office hymn is Deus tuorum militum. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the preceding Office of St. Augustine of Hippo, of the Sunday and of St. Sabina. The Suffrages are omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

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