August 18th - XII Sunday after Pentecost - Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption

The twelfth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour, from Mattins, is white being the Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption. This year it is the third Sunday of August.

Yesterday afternoon second Vespers of the Octave Day of St. Lawrence were sung, the antiphons Laurentius etc being sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 115. The Office hymn was Deus, tuorum militum sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation, Gloria tibi Domine etc. The collect was proper to the Octave Day. After the collect of the Octave Day commemorations were sung of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Omnis sapientia for the Saturday before the third Sunday of August), of the Octave of the Assumption and of St. Agapitus. The Suffrages were omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline. At Compline Te lucis was sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum and the Office hymn is 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 Book of Wisdom. The first lesson is longer than that found in the post-Clementine editions. It continues Spiritus enim ... superveniente iniquitate. The second lesson begins Benignus est enim and continues until quod mentitur occidit animam - what is now the end of third lesson. The text of the third lesson is not found in the later editions Nolite zelare ...qui sunt ex parte illius, vv. 12-16. In the second nocturn (Pss. 15, 16 & 17) the lessons are from St. Ambrose. Lessons IV and V are substantially longer than those in the modern books with additional text not appearing in the modern editions, lesson VI is longer by a sentence. In the third nocturn (Pss. 18, 19 & 20) the homily is from St. Bede on St. Luke's Gospel. These lessons are longer than those found in modern editions with lessons seven and eight comprising of the text of all of the later third nocturn lessons. Today the eighth and ninth lessons are read together to form an extended eighth leson of the day and the ninth lesson is of St. Agapitus. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the Dominical psalms. 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite 148-49-150) are sung and the Office hymn is Ecce. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the Octave of the Assumption and of St. Agapitus. The Suffrages are omitted.

At Prime and the Hours the hymns are sung with the melody and Doxlogy of the Incarnation. At Prime. Pss. 53, 117, 118(i) & 118(ii), Quicumque is sung and the versicle in the short responsory is Qui natus es. The Dominical preces are omitted being within an Octave.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Octave of the Assumption, the third collect is of St. Agapitus. The Creed and the preface of the BVM are sung.

At Vespers, Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113 the Office hymn is Lucis creator sung with the melody and Doxology of the Incarnation. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of the Octave of the Assumption. The Suffrages are omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

Art: Jerome Nadal

August 11th - XI Sunday after Pentecost

The eleventh Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite. This year it is the second Sunday of August and the Sunday within the Octave of St. Lawrence. The liturgical colour is red.

Yesterday afternoon second Vespers of the feast of St. Lawrence were sung. The antiphons Laurentius etc were sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 115. The V & R were proper to the feast and the Office hymn was Deus, tuorum militum. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Ego in altissimis for the Saturday before the second Sunday of August) and of SS Tiburtius and Others. The Suffrages were omitted as were the Dominical preces at Compline.

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, the lessons are from the Incipit of the Book of Ecclesiastes. The second lesson is longer than that found in the post-Clementine editions of the Breviary and continues with what is now the beginning of the third lesson, Ego Ecclesiastes fui rex Israel... until ...ut occuparentur in ea. The third lesson begins Vidi cuncta... and continue until ...addit dolorum ending with the last verse of Ch. 1. In the second nocturn (Pss. 15, 16 & 17) the lessons are from the homily of St. Chrysostom against concubines. These are considerably longer than those found in modern recensions so that the text of the sixth lesson is entirely absent from the later books. In the third nocturn (Pss. 18, 19 & 20) the lessons are from a homily of St. Gregory on St. Mark's Gospel. These are the same as those found in the post-Clementine editions. The eighth and ninth lessons are read as one and the ninth lesson is of SS Tibutius and Others. This is the same as that found in the post-Clementine books. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the Dominical psalms, Pss. 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-49-150, are sung. The Office hymn is Ecce. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the Octave of St. Lawrence and of SS Tiburtius and Others. The Suffrages are omitted being within an Octave.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect of the Octave of St. Lawrence, the third collect is of SS Tiburtius and Others. The Creed and the common preface are sung.

Vespers are of the Sunday. The Office hymn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the Octave of St. Lawrence and of St. Clare. The Suffrages are omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.

Art: Jerome Nadal

August 4th - St. Dominic

The feast of St. Dominic is of double rite and its liturgical colour is white. The tenth Sunday after Pentecost, and this year the first Sunday of August, is commemorated in the Office and Mass.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons Domine, quinque talenta etc were sung, doubled, with Pss.109, 110, 111, 112 & 116. The Office hymn was Iste Confessor. After the collect of the feast commemorations were sung of the preceding Office of the Finding of the Body of St. Stephen and of the Sunday (the antiphon on the Magnificat being Sapientia for the Saturday before the first Sunday of August.

At Mattins the invitatory is Regem Confessorum etc and the Office hymn is, again, Iste Confessor. In the first nocturn the antiphons Beatus vir etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 1, 2 & 3. The lessons are the Incipit of the Parable of Solomon with the responsories of the feast. The arrangement of the lessons is different from that found in the post-Clementine editions. The first lesson continues as far as ut addatur gratia capiti tuo et torques collo tuo (i.e. vv 7 & 8 now forming the opening of the second lesson. The second lesson begins Fili mi, si te lactaverint... and continues, through what is now the third lesson and concludes, animas possidentium rapiunt. The third lesson is not found in the modern books and consists of vv 20 - 27: Sapientia foris praedicat...vos tribulatio et angustia. In the second nocturn the antiphons Invocantem etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 4, 5 & 8. The lessons, for the feast, are the same as those found in the later editions of the Breviary. In the third nocturn the antiphons Domine iste etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 14, 20 & 23. The homily is from St. Gregory on St. Luke's Gospel. The lessons are longer than those found in the post-Clementine editions. The eighth and ninth lessons are read together to form the eighth lesson of the feast and the ninth lesson is formed from the three lessons of the Sunday's homily. This is from St. Augustine on St. Luke's Gospel. These lessons are considerably longer in the Tridentine Breviary than the form found in post-Clementine editions so the text of the ninth lesson (of the Sunday) is now entirely absent the modern editions. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons Domine, quinque talenta etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 99, 92, 62-66, Benedicite and 148-149-150. The Office hymn is Jesu, corona celsior. After the collect of the feast a commemoration of the Sunday is sung. The Suffrages are omitted.

At Prime and the Hours the antiphons from Lauds are sung in the usual order. At Prime, Pss. 53, 118(i), 118(ii) both Quicumque and the Dominical preces are omitted, the lectio brevis is Justum deduxit.

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

In the afternoon first Vespers are sung of the feast of the Dedication of the BVM of the Snows. The antiphons Dum esset rex etc are sung, doubled, with Pss. 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147. The Office hymn is Ave, maris stella. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of St. Dominic and of the Sunday. The Suffrages are omitted. At Compline Te lucis is sung with the Doxology Gloria tibi Domine etc and the Dominical preces are omitted.

Fresco of St. Dominic: Wikipedia

July 28th - IX Sunday after Pentecost

The ninth Sunday after Pentecost is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is green. The Gospel pericopes from St. Luke's Gospel contain the account of the LORD casting out the money lenders in the temple. The semi-double feast of SS. Nazarius& Others is transferred to Tuesday.

At Vespers yesterday afternoon the antiphons and psalms of 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 etc were sung. At Compline the Dominical preces were sung.

At Mattins the invitatory is Adoremus Dominum and the Office hymn is 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 Fourth Book of the Kings. The first lesson includes what, in later editions, is the text of the second lesson in post-Clementine editions and ends Idcirco de lectulo ... sed morte morieris. The second lesson begins Qui dixit eis (the modern third lesson) but continues until the end of verse 12 of the first chapter. The third lesson, not present in modern editions begins Iterum misit principes and continues until verse 17. In the second nocturn (Pss. 15, 16 & 17) the lessons are from the writings of St. Augustine. These are substantially longer than than those found in modern recensions. In the third nocturn (Pss. 18, 19 & 20) the homily is from St. Gregory on St. Luke's Gospel. Again the version in the editio princeps is considerably longer than that found in the post-Clementine editions. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the Sunday psalms (Pss. 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-49-150) are sung. The Office hymn is Ecce jam noctis. 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 etc are sung.

At Prime, Pss. 53, 117, 118(i) & 118(ii) both 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 Creed and the common preface are sung/

Vespers are of the Sunday, Pss. 109, 110, 111, 112 & 113, and the Office hynn is Lucis creator. After the collect of the Sunday commemorations are sung of the following feast of St. Martha and of SS Felix & Others 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 etc. At Compline the Dominical preces are sung.

Image: Missale Romanum, 1572, Paris.

July 21st - 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 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 a commemoration was sung of St. Praxedes 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 etc. 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 the post-Clementine 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 are significantly longer than that found in later editions. This Sunday the eighth and ninth lessons are read together to form the eighth lesson of the day and the ninth lesson is of St. Praxedes. This is almost identical to that 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. The Office hymn is Ecce jam noctis. After the collect of the Sunday a commemoration is sung of St. Praxedes followed by the Suffrages of the BVM Sancta Maria succurre etc, the Apostles Gloriosi principes etc, of the Patron and lastly for peace Da pacem Domine etc.

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

Mass is sung after Terce. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of St. Praxedes, the third collect is A cunctis. The Creed and the common preface are sung.

At Vespers the liturgical colour changes to white and first Vespers of the feast of St. Mary Magdalene are sung. The antiphons Dum esset Rex etc are sung, doubled, with psalms 109, 112, 121, 126 & 147. The Office hymn is Lauda mater Ecclesia. This hymn was replaced with Pater superni luminis in the 1602BR. After the collect of the feast a commemoration is sung of the Sunday. The Suffrages are omitted as are the Dominical preces at Compline.


Art: Jerome Nadal