June 30th - The Commemoration of St Paul the Apostle

The feast of the Commemoration of St. Paul the Apostle is of double rite and its liturgical colour, until Vespers, is red. The fifth Sunday after Pentecost, this year the Sunday within both the Octaves of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist and the Octave of SS Peter and Paul, is commemorated in the Office and at Mass.

Yesterday afternoon second Vespers of the feast of SS Peter & Paul were sung. The antiphons Juravit Dominus etc, from the Common were sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 112, 115, 125 and 138. The Office hymn was Aurea luce. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday was sung. At Compline the Dominical preces were omitted. At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Apostolorum Dominum, Venite adoremus and the Office hymn is Doctor egregie Paule. In the first nocturn the antiphons Qui operatus est etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 18, 33 & 44. The lessons are taken from the thirteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. These are identical to those found in the post-Clementine editions. In the second nocturn the antiphons Tu es vas electionis etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 46, 60, & 63. The lessons are from St. Augustine's book on grace and free will. These are longer than those found in the later editions with most of the text of the sixth lesson absent from the later books. In the third nocturn the antiphons Saulus, qui et Paulus etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 74, 96 & 98. The homily is from St. Chrysostom on St. Matthew's Gospel. These are the same as in the later editions. The eighth and ninth lessons are read together to form the eighth lesson of the day and the ninth lesson is formed of the three lessons appointed for the homily of the Sunday. These are 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 antiphons Ego plantavi etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-149-150. The Office hymn is Exsultet caelum laudibus. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of St. Peter the Apostle, the Sunday and of the Octave of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The Suffrages are omitted.

At Prime and the Hours the antiphons of Lauds are used in the usual order. At Prime, Pss. 53, 118(i) & 118(ii), the lectio brevis is proper to the feast, Ego enim etc. The Domincal preces are omitted.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Peter the Apostle, the third collect is of the Sunday and the fourth collect is of the Octave of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The Creed is sung, the preface is of the Apostles and the last Gospel is of the Sunday.

At Vespers the antiphons Juravit Dominus etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 112, 115, 125 and 138. From the chapter the Office is of the Octave Day of St. John the Baptist. The Office hymn is Ut queant laxis. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of SS Peter & Paul (with the antiphon of the Suffrage, Petrus Apostolus, et Paulus Doctor Gentium etc and collect of the feast Deus, qui hodiernam diem) and of the Sunday. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.

Observant readers will note in previous years a mistake in concurrence, the danger of quickly checking something in a later edition!