Candlemas: End - and Beginning - of the Liturgical Year

Just as, sixty-three days before Easter, Septuagesima Sunday, in its lessons at Matins, begins the liturgical year with the account of the Creation in the first chapter of Genesis, and the Magnificat antiphon at first Vespers warning Adam of death should he eat the forbidden fruit, so too Candlemas concludes the liturgical year, forty days after Christmas, with its solemn celebration of the entry of the Incarnate Word into his Father's Temple, showing forth under a shadow the eternal nuptials of the Lamb and his Bride, all redeemed humanity, world without end.

The fact that Candlemas is a fixed feast, recurring every year on the 2nd of February, signifies the eternal and everlasting truth of the life of the world to come; the truth that the date of Septuagesima varies from year to year, falling on a Sunday between the 18th of January and the 22nd of February, signifies the ontologically contingent facts of the Creation and Fall, which led – O happy fault! – to the redemption of the world by our Emmanuel, and his victory over sin and death, celebrated especially during the Paschal Triduum.

Septuagesima may fall before Candlemas, or after it, or may even displace it to the Monday – but the blessing of and procession with candles falls always on the 2nd of February. The liturgical cycle may end before its next beginning, or after it begins again, signifying that the perfect consummation of all things has not yet come. Even if, in the most complete manner possible in this life, Septuagesima falls on the day after Candlemas (when Easter falls on the 6th of April, as last in 1980 and next in 2042) yet still the second Vespers of the latter overlap with the first of the latter (first Vespers of Septuagesima being commemorated after the Collect of Candlemas, and followed by the farewell to the Alleluia made at the Benedicamus Domino).

(When Septuagesima Sunday thus falls on the 3rd of February, presumably the blessing of throats at the intercession of St Blaise takes place after Septuagesima Sunday Mass.)

The processional antiphon Adorna thalamum tuum well sums up the eschatological quality of today's feast:

Adorna thalamum tuum, Sion, et suscipe Regem Christum: amplectere Mariam, quæ est cælestis porta: ipsa enim portat Regem gloriæ novi luminis: subsistit Virgo, adducens manibus Filium ante luciferum genitum: quem accipiens Simeon in ulnas suas, prædicavit populis, Dominum eum esse vitæ et mortis, et Salvatorem mundi. 

(Sion, adorn your bridal chamber and welcome Christ the King; take Mary in your arms, who is the gate of heaven, for she herself is carrying the King of glory and new light. A Virgin she remains, though bringing in her hands the Son before the morning star begotten, whom Simeon, taking in his arms, announced to the people as the Lord of life and death and Saviour of the world.)

Septuagesima Thoughts on the Two Ways

Septuagesima brings us face to face with death. The Introit is Circumdedérunt me gémitus mortis (The sorrows of death surrounded me); the ancient chant Media vita (In the midst of life we are in death) is oft sung during the pre-Lenten season; at Matins, the readings begin at Genesis chapter one, and soon enough bring us face to face with the Fall of Man, when, having eaten of the forbidden fruit, death came to mankind, and estrangement from God, which makes death evil.

At the end of Lauds, until the 1950s, after Fidelium animæ the Lord's prayer was said silently, then the versicle Dominus det nobis was sung, followed by the Marian anthem of the season. The 1693 Lyons Breviary adds two words, post mortem, to the second half of this versicle, thus:

V. Dóminus det nobis suam pacem.
R. Et post mortem vitam ætérnam. Amen.

(V. May the Lord grant us his peace.
(R. And, after death, life eternal. Amen.)

This seemed to me a devout addition suitable to use in prayer, since it balances the length of each phrase... but often I have mixed up the words, and said by mistake, Et post vitam mortem ætérnam (And, after life, death eternal)! That is not a prayer to make, lest it be answered!

But more seriously, these are in fact the options we face in this vale of tears:

1. Post mortem, vitam ætérnam (After death, life eternal);
2. Post vitam, mortem ætérnam (After life, death eternal).

Here we have the age-old presentation of the Two Ways, the Way of Life and the Way of Death: either (1) following the narrow path, “denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, and justly, and godly in this world, looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ,” (Titus ii, 12f), or (2), taking the broad road, “many walk, of whom I have told you often (and now tell you weeping), that they are enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is destruction; whose God is their belly; and whose glory is in their shame; who mind earthly things.” (Phil. iii, 18f).

As Our Lord taught so clearly, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For he that will save his life, shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for my sake, shall find it. For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul?” (St Matthew xvi, 24-26). We can either deny ourselves and bear our appointed cross and follow Christ to Calvary, praying for final perseverance, trusting in his grace to save us and bring us to glory, or live vainly, heedless of and hating God, and hateful to him and others and ourselves, and after death perish everlastingly.

Ultimately we must be among the martyrs, the true witnesses to the Crucified at the cost of their own lives, whether literally or in intention – or among the reprobate, who madly purchase worthless transient pleasures at the infinite cost of everlasting damnation. Be sheep or goats, choose!

Better Late Than Never - A Joint Contribution

How to hold a Septuagesima Eve or Farewell Alleluia Party

Septuagesima Eve is the lychgate of Lent – that way station marking entry into the churchyard, ere on Ash Wednesday we pass through the very portal of the church into Quadragesima Abbey, as it were, where for forty days and nights we will redouble our penances and in monkish wise undertake ascetic exercises, cloistering our souls from the busy world till the happy day of Resurrection.

Now a lychgate, as all men know, is a gate overshadowed by a roof, symbolic of Him Who is the Gate of the sheepfold, Himself overshadowed by the Holy Ghost, whereto a body brought for burial is carried, and the first part of the funeral conducted, before it is brought into the church. Hence, when as at first Vespers of Septuagesima the Alleluia is laid aside, in a manner its death is to be represented – just as the corpse, in shroud y-wrapt, ought be plonked down in the lychgate.

Moreover, a wake ought be held, for to mourn dead Alleluia (dear maiden), and, to prevent enormities, Alleluia ought be buried straightway. For this reason, on Septuagestima Eve, Alleluia is buried after Vespers; and, both before and after these affecting services, cocktails in the liturgical colours ought be served nearby.

Before the obsequies, as suitably accoutred guests arrive for this devotional pastime, the gracious host ought present each one with a green cocktail to fittingly conclude Epiphany-tide. It is not permitted to colour the drink with green food colouring – note in particular that green-tinted Guinness is an abomination, and one reserved in any case for St Patrick’s Day. Instead, cunning combinations of sundry decoctions, liqueurs and elixirs are to be employed. This verdant beverage, and all subsequent top-ups, should be consumed before the commencement of First Vespers of Septuagesima.

One should wait until all guests arrive before starting Vespers; it is most disruptive to have people scrabbling for chairs and music, and attempting to join in psalms half-way through. Note that, if the land be laid under interdict, the doors must be closed, and the Office recited on a low note; which will somewhat dampen the spirit of the occasion.

For Vespers, a mediæval chapel (Gothic or Romanesque) is required (every home should have one), or at least a large space, fittingly tricked out, with two rows of chairs facing each other. Do not use narrow hallways: otherwise there can be the risk of accidental concussion at every Gloria Patri. While purists may gasp in horror, it is suggested that the two choirs be mixed (with men and women on each side), lest the volume be too unequal.

It is preferable, whether there be a permanent or temporary chapel, to celebrate Vespers before a dressed and decorated altar (eastward facing) upon which the requisite number of lit candles burn. The Alleluia should be hung on the altar front for all to observe clearly. If no medieval tapestry is available, a large piece of cardboard, made to resemble parchment, with the Alleluia y-writ thereon in clearly visible lettering (employing a flowing font with serifs) will suffice, and may be attached to the altar with concealed tape if no hooks are provided.

Benedicamus Domino with doubled Alleluia having been sung, and Vespers concluded with the Fidelium animæ (or, if a bishop be present, after he has imparted his blessing – if several prelates be present, the highest-ranking blesses unless suspended a divinis), immediately two or four of the youngest present (juniores priores) approach the altar, make due reverence, detach the Alleluia in comely fashion, and gently lay it flat, text facing up, on the waiting bier, which has been prepared earlier.

Carrying their cargo with deserved decorum, these bearers then lead a funereal procession out from the chapel, through the house, and around the garden to the grave prepared (which must have been suitably decorated with purple flowers, and supplied with a handy pile of stones nearby). Meanwhile all sing the hymn Alleluia dulce carmen, preferably in polyphony, repeating its verses as necessary until Alleluia be buried into the grave. 

Having assembled at the graveside, the officiant first rolls up the Alleluia if necessary, then with sober deportment deposits it into a coffin or other apt receptacle. After sealing this, he lowers it into the grave. All present then process past this resting place of dead Alleluia, each one laying a stone on top as they pass, thus building a cairn while still singing. All depart the grave in solemn silence after a most liturgical pause.

Following the obsequies, as expeditiously as possible, the host and his attendants (as it were the celebrant and his ministers) should make and distribute purple cocktails to the guests. On no account are any left-over green cocktails to be consumed, under pain of serious sin and excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See. Nonetheless, exceptions to this rule are allowed for those who are allergic to the purple cocktail; or those who are only permitted one alcoholic beverage and who arrived too late to finish their drink before Vespers; or those holding a Papal indult or immemorial privilege: no others.

During the mixing these purple cocktails, it is fitting for guests to retire and shed their green garments in favour of purple ones, if possible. Men of limited imagination may choose simply to change their neck tie. Since the liturgical portion of the evening has been completed (as Compline will be recited in private), guests may innocently disport themselves henceforth as befits any polite social gathering, taking care to remember that utterance of the ‘A’ word is strictly forbidden.

It is appropriate to serve dinner now. Please note that serving only purple food would be considered excessive, not to mention nauseating. A reasonable use of vegetables in such shades would be appropriate, however.

Latin Mass This Sunday: at St Canice, at 10:30am

I've just had it confirmed: our first "extra" Traditional Latin Mass for the Hobart Latin Mass Community will be sung this Sunday, the 16th of February, at the usual location – St Canice Church, Sandy Bay – but an hour earlier than usual, at 10:30 am.

We are grateful to Fr Marshall for flying in from Melbourne to offer Mass for us; he will be visiting for several days, and once details of when and where he will say Mass each day are available, I will assist in publicising them.

Farewell Whitsuntide, Paschaltide, and Regina cæli

This week I have striven to say some of the Breviary Hours, thus participating in some degree in the liturgy of Whitsuntide, the Octave of Pentecost, the last echo of the Paschal season. Just as in the Extraordinary Form, the traditional, immemorial form of the Roman Rite, Lent is preceded by Septuagesimatide, beginning 63 days before Easter Sunday, so the Octave of Pentecost follows on and continues the celebration of Pentecost, the fiftieth day of Easter, until the 56th day, Whit Saturday. (If, as is now common, Corpus Christi is kept on the Sunday after Trinity, the Solemnity of the Sacrament of the Altar falls on the 64th day, 63 days after Easter, exactly parallel to Septuagesima Sunday 63 days before Easter.)

At midday this Whit Saturday, walking back to my car after brunch, I prayed for the last time this year the Regina cæli, which I first repeated with the special Premonstratensian and Dominican forms:

Regina cæli, lætare, alleluja,

Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluja,

Spiritum misit, sicut dixit, alleluja:

Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluja. (O.Præm.) 

Regina cæli, lætare, alleluja,

Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluja,

Jam ascendit, sicut dixit, alleluja:

Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluja. (O.P.) 

Regina cæli, lætare, alleluja,

Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluja,

Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluja:

Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluja.

("Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia, for He Whom thou didst merit to bear, alleluia, hath sent the Spirit / now ascended / risen again, as He said, alleluia: pray for us to God, alleluia.")

Eastertide ends after None; first Vespers of the Holy Trinity marks the beginning of the long Sundays per annum. This year, Trinity Sunday falls on the feast of St Philip Neri, and he will not be marked by any commemoration because of this (except among his sons the Oratorians, who transfer his feast to Monday); he will I am sure be pleased by this coincidence, being one who preferred to hide his sanctity, and who has now been "hidden with Christ in God" for over four hundred years. "Eternity!" – such he once cried; and what must that be like?

I will be serving at the parish vigil Mass this evening, and will be asking St Philip's prayers – not least for the Oratorians throughout the world, and specially for those in process of establishing a new Oratory in Brisbane. 

Septuagesima... off to Hobart

To-morrow, I'll arise bright and early (hopefully), and then motor down to Hobart for our monthly Missa cantata, delayed until the last Sunday of the month since our celebrant took his annual holiday earlier in January. (Next Sunday, being the first in February, I'll do the same for Sexagesima.)

It will be good to stand at our priest's side as the M.C. – it is certainly a remarkable thing to be able as a mere layman to assist at Mass by standing next to the priest at the altar during the very Canon (kneeling of course at the Consecration), and a privilege I value highly. Ironically, I would prefer to be singing with the choir, as I used to do, but no one else wants to take on the role of M.C., and it does seem to help Father. In any case, I just hope I don't stuff up.

This being a long weekend, what with Monday being the Australia Day holiday, I will stay Sunday night in Hobart and return the next day. I go back to work on Tuesday, so the shadow of Lent that is Septuagesimatide will certainly fall upon me in truth!

Goodbye, Alleluia: rest in peace until Easter.

Long Responsories at the Little Hours

On Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima Sundays – and above all on all the days of Lent from the first Sunday onwards until the eve of the Paschal Triduum – the Little Hours according to the Use of the Friars Preachers feature not the usual short responsories, but long responsories of the type normally reserved to Matins.

(Likewise, the Dominican Office also inserts a long responsory after the chapter of First Vespers of many Sundays and greater feasts, which was a common mediæval practice aiming at lending greater solemnity to the Hour.  However, at the Little Hours during Lent, the accent is rather on penitential solemnity rather than such festal solemnity.)

While I do not have a book of Dominican chant to hand, other than a Libellus Completorii (Compline booklet), it would be my understanding, based on the chant for the responsory therein (number 5 below), that all these responsories would have the sort of melismatic chant that Matins responsories do, rather than the far simpler syllabic chant usually found in the normal short responsories of the Little Hours at all the other seasons of the year.

(1) For Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima Sundays —

at Terce (Ps 70:5b-6a):

R/. Spes mea, Domine, * A juventute mea.

[This R/. is not repeated, but rather the versicle follows at once:]

V/. In te confirmatus sum ex utero: de ventre matris meæ tu es meus protector. * A juventute mea.

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.

R/. Spes mea, Domine, * A juventute mea.

(My hope, O Lord, * From my youth.

(By thee have I been confirmed from the womb: from my mother's womb thou art my protector. * From my youth.

(Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.

(My hope, O Lord, * From my youth.)

at Sext (cf. Ps 60:4b):

R/. Esto nobis, Domine, * Turris fortitudinis.

V/. A facie inimici. * Turris fortitudinis.

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.

R/. Esto nobis, Domine, * Turris fortitudinis.

(Be to us, Lord, * A tower of strength.

(Against the face of the enemy. * A tower of strength.

(Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.

(Be to us, Lord, * A tower of strength.)

at None (Ps 141:8a (Roman Psalter); Ps 141:5b):

R/. Educ de carcere animam meam, * Ut confiteatur nomini tuo, Domine.

V/. Periit fuga a me, et non est qui requirat animam meam. * Ut confiteatur nomini tuo, Domine.

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.

R/. Educ de carcere animam meam, * Ut confiteatur nomini tuo, Domine.

(Bring my soul out of prison, * That I may praise thy name, O Lord.

(Flight hath failed me: and there is no one that hath regard to my soul. * That I may praise thy name, O Lord.

(Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.

(Bring my soul out of prison, * That I may praise thy name, O Lord.)

(2) Sundays and ferias of the first and second weeks of Lent (drawn from Psalm 118) —

at Terce (Ps 118:63,132):

R/. Participem me fac, Deus, omnium timentium te * Et custodientium mandata tua. 

V/. Aspice in me et miserere mei secundum judicium diligentium nomen tuum * Et custodientium mandata tua.

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.

R/. Participem me fac, Deus, omnium timentium te * Et custodientium mandata tua. 

(Make me, O God, a partaker with all them that fear thee, * And that keep thy commandments.

(Look thou upon me, and have mercy on me, according to the judgment of them that love thy name. * And that keep thy commandments.

(Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.

(Make me, O God, a partaker with all them that fear thee, * And that keep thy commandments.)

at Sext (Ps 118:101-102):

R/. Ab omni via mala prohibui pedes meos, * Ut custodiam mandata tua, Domine.

V/. A judiciis tuis non declinavi, quia tu legem posuisti mihi, * Ut custodiam mandata tua, Domine.

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.

R/. Ab omni via mala prohibui pedes meos, * Ut custodiam mandata tua, Domine.

(I have restrained my feet from every evil way: * That I may keep thy words, O Lord.

(I have not declined from thy judgments, because thou hast set me a law. * That I may keep thy words, O Lord.

(Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.

(I have restrained my feet from every evil way: * That I may keep thy words, O Lord.)

at None (Pss 118:164a; 27:3a; 118:176):

R/. Septies in die laudem dixi tibi, Domine Deus meus: * Ne perdas me.

V/. Erravi sicut ovis quæ perierat: require servum tuum, Domine, quia mandata tua non sum oblitus. * Ne perdas me.

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.

R/. Septies in die laudem dixi tibi, Domine Deus meus: * Ne perdas me.

(Seven times a day I have given praise to thee, Lord my God: * Destroy me not.

(I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost: seek thy servant, Lord, because I have not forgotten thy commandments. * Destroy me not.

(Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.

(Seven times a day I have given praise to thee, Lord my God: * Destroy me not.)

(3) Sundays and ferias of the third and fourth weeks of Lent (drawn from Psalm 118) —

at Terce (Ps 118:71a,72,73):

R/. Bonum mihi, Domine, quod humiliasti me: * Bonum mihi lex oris tui super millia auri et argenti. 

V/. Manus tuæ fecerunt me et plasmaverunt me: da mihi intellectum, ut discam mandata tua. * Bonum mihi lex oris tui super millia auri et argenti. 

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.

R/. Bonum mihi, Domine, quod humiliasti me: * Bonum mihi lex oris tui super millia auri et argenti. 

(It is good for me, Lord, that thou hast humbled me: * The law of thy mouth is good to me, above thousands of gold and silver.

(Thy hands have made me and formed me: give me understanding, and I will learn thy commandments. * The law of thy mouth is good to me, above thousands of gold and silver.

(Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.

(It is good for me, Lord, that thou hast humbled me: * The law of thy mouth is good to me, above thousands of gold and silver.)

at Sext (Ps 118:125a,73b):

R/. Servus tuus ego sum: * Da mihi intellectum, Domine.

V/. Ut discam mandata tua: * Da mihi intellectum, Domine.

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.

R/. Servus tuus ego sum: * Da mihi intellectum, Domine.

(I am thy servant: * Give me understanding, Lord. 

(That I will learn thy commandments. * Give me understanding, Lord. 

(Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.

(I am thy servant: * Give me understanding, Lord.)

at None (cf. Ps 118:41,130):

R/. Declara super nos, Deus, * Tuam misericordiam.

V/. Declaratio sermonum tuorum dat intellectum, Domine, * Tuam misericordiam.

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.

R/. Declara super nos, Deus, * Tuam misericordiam.

(Declare upon us, O God, * Thy mercy.

(The declaration of thy words giveth understanding, Lord. * Thy mercy.

(Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.

(Declare upon us, O God, * Thy mercy.)

(4) Sundays and ferias of Passiontide, until Holy Thursday exclusive (without "Glory be" on account of the season) —

at Terce (Ps 21:21-22):

R/. Erue a framea, Deus, animam meam: * Et de manu canis unicam meam. 

V/. Salva me ex ore leonis: et a cornibus unicornium humilitatem meam, * Et de manu canis unicam meam. 

R/. Erue a framea, Deus, animam meam: * Et de manu canis unicam meam. 

(Deliver, O God, my soul from the sword: * And my only one from the hand of the dog.

(Save me from the lion's mouth; and my lowness from the horns of the unicorns. * And my only one from the hand of the dog.

(Deliver, O God, my soul from the sword: * And my only one from the hand of the dog.)

at Sext (Ps 21:22,21):

R/. De ore leonis libera me, Domine: * Et a cornibus unicornium humilitatem meam.

V/. Erue a framea, Deus, animam meam, et de manu canis unicam meam.  * Et a cornibus unicornium humilitatem meam.

R/. De ore leonis libera me, Domine: * Et a cornibus unicornium humilitatem meam.

(From the lion's mouth save me, Lord: * And from the horns of the unicorns my lowness. 

(Deliver from the sword, O God, my soul, and from the hand of the dog my only one. * And from the horns of the unicorns my lowness. 

(From the lion's mouth save me, Lord: * And from the horns of the unicorns my lowness.)

at None (Ps 118:161-162a,162b):

R/. Principes persecuti sunt me gratis, et a verbis tuis formidavit cor meum. * Lætabor ego super eloquia tua.

V/. Quasi qui invenit spolia multa. * Lætabor ego super eloquia tua.

R/. Principes persecuti sunt me gratis, et a verbis tuis formidavit cor meum. * Lætabor ego super eloquia tua.

(Princes have persecuted me without cause: and my heart hath been in awe of thy words. * I will rejoice at thy words.

(As one that hath found great spoil. * I will rejoice at thy words.

(Princes have persecuted me without cause: and my heart hath been in awe of thy words. * I will rejoice at thy words.)

(5) At Compline, on Sundays and feasts from the first Sunday of Lent until the first Passion Sunday (Pss 4:9; 131:4):

R/. In pace in idipsum * Dormiam et requiescam.
V/. Si dedero somnum oculis meis et palpebris meis dormitationem. * Dormiam et requiescam.
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.

R/. In pace in idipsum * Dormiam et requiescam.

(In peace in the selfsame * I will sleep, and I will rest.
(If I shall give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids, * I will sleep, and I will rest.

(Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.

(In peace in the selfsame * I will sleep, and I will rest.)

Septuagesima till Easter: Rubricks

In the Dominican Office, as in the Roman, of course no use is made of Alleluia from after first Vespers of Septuagesima until Easter Sunday.  In place of that heavenly word, after the initial Glory be of each Hour, we sing the earthly words Laus tibi, Domine, Rex æternæ gloriæ.

From this day until Easter (excepting 3rd class feasts until Ash Wednesday - and from that day on never save on the few feasts of 1st and 2nd class: the Chair of St Peter; St Matthias; for Dominicans, St Thomas Aquinas; for Australians and the Irish, St Patrick; St Joseph; the Annunciation), no Te Deum is said at Matins, nor Gloria in excelsis sung at Mass.  (To avoid such festal joy entirely during the penitential season before Easter, the Mozarabic and Ambrosian Rites moved all such feasts out of Lent.)

At Lauds of ferias from now till Easter, the second, more penitential set of psalms are used, beginning every day with Psalm 50, the Miserere.  On Sunday, moreover, Psalm 117 is sung next at Lauds (not as usual at Prime, where Psalm 53 substitutes), thus entirely omitting the joyful Psalms 92 and 99.

 The old, longer daily canticles of Lauds, those used before the reforms of Pope St Pius X, also reappear: on Monday, Confitebor tibi, the Canticle of Isaias; on Tuesday, Ego dixi, the Canticle of Ezechias (Hezekiah); on Wednesday, Exsultavit cor meum, the Canticle of Anna; on Thursday, Cantemus Domino, the triumphant Canticle of Moses at the Red Sea; on Friday, Domine audivi, the Canticle of Habacuc; on Saturday, Audite cæli, the terrible Canticle of Moses against faithless Israel.  On Sunday, however, lest the Hour be too burdensome by reason of length, in place of the traditional Benedicite is sung the shorter Benedictus es, also from the Canticle of the Three Young Men.

Furthermore, in the Dominican Rite, on all ferias (as has been the case since the end of Christmastide on the 13th) the preces - threefold Kyrie and Pater noster - are said at Lauds, at Terce, Sext, and None, and at Vespers, before the Dominus vobiscum and collect.

Once Lent begins, the ferial days thereof take precedence of all 3rd class feasts, which are reduced to a Memorial at Lauds.

Already, from Septuagesima Sunday, the way the short responsories at Terce, Sext and None are read changes: the respond (the initial line) is not repeated at once as usual, but instead the versicle is said directly, then the second half of the respond (after the asterisk) as usual, then the Glory be, then the respond in full, thus:

R/.

V/.

*

Gloria Patri...

R/.

(This variation is proper to the Dominican Rite.)

First Vespers of Septuagesima - O.P. Responsory &c.

As is the custom when a new book of Scripture is about to be begun at Matins, at first Vespers to-night the Dominican Rite inserts a Responsory from the set of Historia (as they are called) for that book – Genesis:

(Genesis ii, 1 & cf. ii, 2; Genesis i, 31a.)

R/.  Igitur perfecti sunt cæli et terra et omnis ornatus eorum: complevitque Deus die septimo opus suum quod fecerat: * Et requievit † Ab omni opere quod patrarat.  V/.  Viditque Deus cuncta quæ fecerat: et erant valde bona. * Et requievit.  Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. † Ab omni opere quod patrarat.

(R/.  So the heavens and the earth were finished and all the furniture of them: and on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made: * And he rested † From all his work which he had done. V/.  And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. * And he rested.  Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. † From all his work which he had done.)

Eve of Septuagesima: Farewell Alleluia: New Year of Grace

Pius Parsch once cogently argued that the Liturgical Year - the Church's Year of Grace - doesn't begin with Advent Sunday, but with Septuagesima Sunday!

For at Septuagesima, the Matins Lesson begin "In the beginning...", with Genesis chapter one, verse one.  The sober liturgy proceeds through the account of Man's Creation and Fall, and then through the Patriarchs and God's continual call of them back from doom to salvation - at Sexagesima, Noë and the Flood; at Quinquagesima, the call of Abraham.

(The Mozarabic Liturgy for Lent similarly proceeds through the Books of Moses and those of the Kings, but on a much more fulsome scale, with long readings even at the Little Hours, concluding with the Fall of Jerusalem, symbolic of Israel's persistent and final failure to keep the Law, of the ultimate frustration of the Old Testament without the grace of the New.  But even then, the Return from Exile in Babylon, and the comforting words of the prophets, foretell the Messianic Age when all Israel shall be saved.)

We cannot begin the New Year of Grace, without remembering how for Man it all started so well, and so quickly went so bad - we cannot begin the New Year of Grace without in sombre recollection thinking on our own sin.  We spend the time from now through till Easter turned toward the Lord, conscious of our need and insufficiency, conscious of His mercy and His making speed to save us.

We do not so much put away Alleluia for a time, as begin the Year with it - at first Vespers of Septuagesima (once at the start, and four times at the end with the Benedicamus Domino otherwise special to Paschaltide), signifying that "In the beginning" Man and all that God created was "very good" (as in the Dominican Office the special Responsory at first Vespers tells) - then immediately leave it aside (symbolizing the Fall and the consequent captivity of all men under sin) till Christ by His Victory, bursting forth from the tomb on Easter morn, restores all things in Himself, making all things new.

"Alleluia, our transgressions / Make us for a while give o'er..."

The mediævals called this the Depositio Alleluia, the burial, even of the Alleluia - for as Adam sinned and died and was buried, so the heavenly song of original justice must be laid aside.  (Some local ceremonies of old time for this involved writing Alleluia on parchment, and actually burying it!)

At Easter, all that had been foreshadowed is accomplished: "freed from Pharaoh's bitter yoke, Jacob's sons and daughters" - by the new Moses, Our Saviour, Who leads us through the waters of Baptism.  With Him as Shepherd and Guide, we set forth for the Promised Land...

We celebrate for fifty days the glory of the Resurrection, which is our resurrection, laying hold on it by grace - for Christ stretches forth His hand to draw us also, like Lazarus, from the tomb.

Pentecost is the Gift of the Spirit, completing the Paschal Mystery; after Pentecost, we live through the Ages of the Church; Advent is the season of looking forward to the Return of Christ; at Christmas and Epiphany, we ought not so much indulge in mawkish fawning upon "the Little Boy Jesus / Asleep on the hay" as see in Him our Goal, as see these feasts as prefigurations of the glory that is to come, that in Heaven we shall be united forever with the Lamb of God, "casting down [our] golden crowns" before Him.

The conclusion of the Liturgical Year, then, is not Stir-up Sunday, nor Christ the King (for, He reigns now, as He has for all ages as God, and as Incarnate Deity enthroned above since His Ascension, His return back to His Father in robes of glory, His Sacred Humanity: Christ the King ought not be an eschatological safe dream, but our motto for life in this age - Viva Cristo Rey!).

The End of the Liturgical Year is Candlemas, the Meeting with Christ in the Temple - when we too, as Simeon, can say Nunc dimittis.

How happy it is that Candlemas and Septuagesima Sunday so often overlap, as they do this year (2nd February and 31st January) - the Liturgical Year is the image, repeated for our edification and sanctification, until the Lord completes the cycle in us by our death, and in the Church by His Return in glory.  When we are judged, though like Adam, and ancient Israel, and the new Israel, the Church in her members, we will admit many falls and backslidings, may we in our own persons attest that God's grace is stronger than human weakness: "And all things shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."

(Need I add that for sundry reasons, it seemed good and fitting to go to confession and disburden myself this morning?)

Dicitur Laus tibi

Laus tibi, Domine, Rex æterne gloriæ.

Praise to Thee, Lord, King of eternal glory!

This is the cry of the penitent Church in her Office from Compline after first Vespers of Septuagesima till Compline of Wednesday in Holy Week inclusive, having laid aside the glad Alleluia that is not resumed until either the joyful Mass of Easter in completion of the solemn Paschal Vigil, or, for those not present thereat, at the start of Easter Matins.

Now, I resolved that a good way to remember this, and not just mechanically say the A-word by mistake at the start of each Hour, was to blog about it, and so fix it the more in my mind.

(Note that the Anglicans since 1662 long said at Matins and Evensong, after the opening Glory be, the versicle and response "Praise ye the Lord; The Lord's Name be praised" - which arose from Cranmer's rendering of the Alleluia and Laus tibi together as "Praise ye the Lord", and the turning of this, first in the Scottish Prayer Book of 1637, into a versicle for the minister not the people, who were assigned a new counterpart phrase, based on Sit nomen Domini benedictum and laudabile nomen Domini in Ps 112:2 and 3.)

But why this phrase?  Well, Hallelujah means "praise the Lord", and this, put into the vocative gives Laus tibi, Domine - "Praise (be) unto Thee, (O) Lord".  The second half of the full phrase, Rex æterne gloriæ - "(O) King of eternal glory" - forms together with the first half a rough rhyming couplet, and this is a common form in the Breviary apparently stemming from mediæval days, being used for blessings at Matins.  Of course, God is named the King of glory four times in Psalm 23:7-10; and the Te Deum sings Tu Rex gloriæ, Christe - "Thou art the King of glory, O Christ": in both cases, Their Kingship and glory is eternal; God shall live and reign in perfect Trinity "as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen."

The T.A.C. at Prayer

Pursuant to my ecumenical endeavours (!), after attending my usual Sunday Novus Ordo Mass at Carmel (Fr Kene again the celebrant), there joining in singing the chant for the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus and Agnus Dei, plus hymns, and making my communion, Deo gratias, I went along and took a back seat at the liturgy of the T.A.C.'s parish of the Annunciation here in Launceston.  I must say I felt sorry for them and the sacrifices they have made in setting up a place of refuge away from the reigning illiberal and unchristian liberalism in the Anglican mainstream: they perforce have Sunday worship in a room at the Harry Abbot Scout Centre, and apparently otherwise (on Wednesdays, that sacred day to Anglicans) their rites are performed at their minister's home.  

Their pastor is their local bishop also, David Robarts, with whom I had a very long and interesting conversation afterward.  It's a small world: he knows many of the people I do (Bps Jarrett and Elliott, Dr Tracey Rowland, my mate Justin et al.), and was able to fill me in about the miserable way that liberal or rather modernist Anglicans, in their quest to depart from faith and ramroad through the pretended ordination of women, made use of all manner of underhanded tactics: as usual, "scratch a liberal, find a fascist".  I hadn't realized, but for most of the eighties Robarts had been Dean of the Anglican cathedral in Perth, and more recently was in charge at Christ Church, Brunswick; he retired at 70 but was prevailed upon by Hepworth, the T.A.C.'s primate, to be made as it were one of his auxiliaries - though, courtesy of being still licensed as a clergyman by the Anglican Bishop of the Murray (!), he remains technically a minister in good standing as an Australian Anglican, yet at the same time, to the chagrin of the powers-that-be, is a T.A.C. prelate.  

I must say I find Anglican ideas of ecclesiology rather peculiar.

As to the worship I attended: I arrived about five minutes before the start of the service, "Mass" as they term it, to find one reasonably-sized room at the scout centre (its walls hung with ancient photographs of scouts, and a portrait of Baden Powell) set up with three rows of chairs (with cushions) facing a table up against the wall, dressed as an altar with a green frontal and white altar cloth.  Behind it hung a curtain, which I later discovered was only temporary, and employed to conceal a blackboard.  On this makeshift altar were two candles burning in silver candlesticks, a wooden crucifix with a corpus depicting Christ the High Priest in vestments, a missal on a stand on the epistle side, sundry sheets of paper (answering to altar cards), another book (a hymnal?), and a veiled chalice and paten in the middle.  There was a chair facing forward either side of this altar.  Over on the gospel side up the front there was a lectern facing the people (in the corner behind it was a vase with a few flowers in it, an icon of the Trinity and a little bluish light burning), while far over near the door on the epistle side was a credence with cruets, lavabo bowl and finger towel.  As I had come in, I'd taken a copy of the order of service (originally used at Christ Church, Brunswick), and a New English Hymnal (of which I have a copy at home on the third-nearest bookshelf).

The congregation consisted of eleven worshippers (including, as it turned out, Robarts' wife and stepson), plus yours truly.  Robarts, in green Roman vestments (but without maniple), with a pectoral cross under his chasuble, and a purple zucchetto on his head, came in and began the liturgy, first briefly welcoming us, and especially "our visitor, Joshua..."!  Then he said "The Lord be with you" (to which they replied, "And with thy spirit"), and thereupon turned to face the altar: being without a server, he then recited, all in English of course, the traditional Roman prayers at the foot of the altar: "In the name of the Father...", Psalm 42(43) with antiphon and Glory be (we joined in the "As it was"), "Our help is in the Name of the Lord...", the Confiteor (complete with all its saints), then straightaway the Indulgentiam (presumably not having servers to respond with the Misereatur, nor to say their Confiteor - none of this part was in the order of service), and the versicles following exclusive of "The Lord be with you" (as already said?) - then he said what was the start of the B.C.P. service: an Our Father, which he said softly; and the Collect for Purity, in which all joined.  (In passing, I observe that he recited these prayers, as nearly all the rite - even the Gospel! - with hands extended in the oriens position, which struck me as curious.)

Next, he had us sing the first hymn, "All my hope on God is founded" (N.E.H. no. 333, by Robert Bridges based on the German of Neander, to the tune "Michael" by Howells) - all five verses.  I was unfamiliar with both the hymn and tune; being Anglicans, the twelve of them sang up very well!

Robarts then read the Introit (again, all saying the "As it was..."), but I was confused - the Introit was not that of Septuagesima (I had wondered why the vestments were green).  Next, the Kyrie (in Greek, the only time English wasn't used), then the Gloria in the traditional Anglican version,  "The Lord be with you", "Let us pray" and the Collect - which was that of Septuagesima!  (How this works I don't know.)

Odder still - having all stood since the entrance of their minister, all sat - for the Collect!

One of the laymen then got up, made a tiny reverence when passing the middle of the altar (as the celebrant had done earlier), and read the lessons: which turned out to be, not the traditional ones, but the same I'd heard at Mass earlier, for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B.  (By this point I was quite bemused.)  It must be said, though, that the version of Scripture used (I'm guessing it was the King James) was much more pleasant to the ear. There was no psalm read, so the reader proceeded from Job vii, 1-4 & 6-7 direct to I Corinthians ix, 16-19 & 22-23.  During these readings, the celebrant had sat at the chair on the epistle side; now he got up, and read the Gradual and Alleluia (unidentifiable as to provenance) from the Missal or whatnot, before carrying the Missal on its stand over to the gospel side, saying some private prayer, and going himself to the lectern, where he read the Gospel (all standing): St Mark i, 29-39.

After the Gospel (all making the Anglican responses thereto - there had been no responses given for the earlier readings), Robarts returned to the middle of the altar and then he and all recited the Creed (he genuflected at the Incarnatus est; as I much prefer to do so, and am used to it from the Trad. Mass, I did too).  Only then did he return to the lectern and preached the sermon, while of course we all sat.

He began by referring to a Roman Catholic friend, who had been bemoaning the current lack of priestly and religious vocations while meanwhile all sorts of busybodies run to and fro engaging in pseudo-ministry; and took the topic of vocation, what it really is for each and every Christian, as his concern to expound.  Of course, vocation is God's call to us to come nigh to Himself, solemnly made in the sacrament of Baptism and lived throughout life; he observed that those who seek to serve anything other than God, even the church or other people, are missing the basic fact of what vocation is.  He quoted from Cardinal Newman's famous prayer about God's call to us, both at the start of his sermon and, at length, at its end, and referred also to Leo Trese: so all his references were Catholic.  Next, Job: Job's cry shows us that very often our calling is to endure suffering; St Paul in the epistle spoke also of being all things to all men, but not in the sense of being smoothly changeable nor a Christian doormat!  Our Lord by His life of self-giving sacrificial love shews us what vocation is, and what its food - prayer, persevering prayer to the heavenly Father. And so, he quoted Newman ("Meditations on Christian Doctrine", I. Hope in God - Creator, (2) 3.):

Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be necessary causes of some great end, which is quite beyond us. He does nothing in vain; He may prolong my life, He may shorten it; He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends, He may throw me among strangers, He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide the future from me—still He knows what He is about.

...

I ask not to see—I ask not to know—I ask simply to be used.

The sermon ended, the celebrant returned to the altar, with "The Lord be with you" and "Let us pray", then they sang the next hymn, very Eucharistic, "We hail thy presence glorious" (N.E.H. no. 310, by Richard Parsons), while we all stood; during this, the collection was taken up - I may have committed a faux pas by being rather Catholic and putting coins, not notes into the basin, which was passed to the celebrant at the altar for him to solemnly elevate (how very Anglican) before returning it to the collector.  Otherwise, during this time, he appeared to be saying prayers at the altar and readying the chalice and paten - I assume he was saying the Roman Offertory prayers.  (One of the laymen had gone over to the credence and brought him the cruets, I think, and when I looked over had the lavabo towel ready for him when he came over to wash his hands, saying some private prayer.)  He was bowed low to do at least some of this, so I suspect he did say the Suscipe sancta Trinitas as this is the rubricly prescribed posture for so doing.  However, the hymn ended, all sat down again, and he then said several of the Novus Ordo offertory prayers aloud, but followed them with the Veni sanctificator from the old rite!  (If as I suspect he had read the Traditional Roman offertory prayers secretly, presumably he felt the need to read a second set aloud that the congregation might join in.  And in the prayers to come the elements would be offered at least twice more!)  

At about this point, Bruce (one of the parishioners, and my contact) went to the lectern and read out a series of biddings to pray for those suffering bushfire or flood (there are floods in Queensland), for various parts of the T.A.C. worldwide and Australiawide (including the Church of the Torres Strait), for the sick, and lastly for the dead - for whom we prayed "Eternal rest".  Next, Robarts read the Prayer for the Church Militant, but I think in its 1928 recension (it included mention of Hepworth as primate and himself as an unworthy servant), then he turned to say the Invitation facing the congregation: all said the general Confession (he knelt), and he pronounced over his people the Absolution to which they responded Amen.  The Comfortable Words were not used - a pity.  Instead, at this point, he went Roman again, saying the Orate fratres (response and all) - next, he and they recited together the Prayer of Humble Access.  (I think he also read the Secret, but I forget exactly when: probably directly after the Orate fratres.)

"The Lord be with you... Lift up your hearts... Let us give thanks..." and the Common Preface with Sanctus and Benedictus followed.  (The Anglicans had split off from the Church over two hundred years before Pope Clement XIII in 1759 enjoined that the Trinity Preface be said at Mass on ordinary Sundays.)  As I had surmised, the Canon following was precisely Frere's Interim Rite, but including (as in my post below) the anamnesis from the 1549 B.C.P.  Each species was elevated, with genuflexions before and after - but during all this, all remained seated!   It was strange watching all this.  I noticed various rubrics from the Roman Canon somehow wandered into the Anglican, such as the bowing low and signing oneself at the Supplices te, and the making crosses with the wafer over the chalice at the end.  Nonetheless, I distinctly heard him break the wafer at the words "he brake" just before the words of institution, as the B.C.P. prescribes.  (Lutherans regard so doing as a dreadfully Reformed thing to do, I don't know why.)

"Let us pray.  As our Saviour Christ hath commanded..." followed, then all said the Lord's Prayer with doxology - to which the celebrant appended the Novus Ordo form of the embolism "Deliver us, Lord, from every evil..." but without its doxology!  Next, the Novus Ordo prayer before the sign of peace, "The peace of the Lord be alway with you", no sign of peace itself (all were still sitting), sotto voce the prayer at the commingling, and then the Agnus Dei, done responsorially.  While bowing low, the celebrant appeared to read to himself the Roman private prayers before communion, and those at reception thereof; he turned, holding a ciborium, and said, holding up a wafer, "Behold the Lamb of God..." to which his people replied "Lord, I am not worthy..." (once only).  They all then lined up, standing, in a semicircle around the altar as he gave them first communion under the form of bread, then from the chalice - he seemed to vary the words of administration, using the first half of the rather long Anglican 1662 B.C.P. forms for all, but quoting the whole thereof for some or at least at the end of administering each species.  (It seemed rude to watch too closely, so I prayed for spiritual communion, and for corporate reunion).

So far as I can see, this was how the Anglican forms of administration were used:

The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee,...

was said to each communicant; every so often to this was added (completing the 1549 portion thereof, in turn based upon the former mediæval Catholic rite):

...preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life. ...

And at the end was said the rest of the it (originally from Edward VI's second book of 1552):

Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for thee,

and feed on him in thy heart by faith with thanksgiving.

Likewise to each was said when delivering the chalice:

The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for thee,...

while sometimes was added: 

....preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life. ...

And at the end of the distribution, all were admonished to:

Drink this in remembrance that Christ's Blood was shed for thee,

and be thankful.

I didn't observe the ablutions; after all had sat back down, Robarts read the communion verse back at the epistle side, "The Lord be with you..." and the postcommunion (which was definitely that of Septuagesima), followed at once by the long Anglican 1662 Thanksgiving Prayer.  Only then did we all stand and sing the last hymn, "O thou who camest from above" (N.E.H. no. 432, by Charles Wesley, to "Hereford" by Samuel Sebastian Wesley); neither did I know the tune of this, so I just listened in to its beautiful words.  It seemed odd to me that this wasn't sung earlier.

The T.A.C. Mass ended with "The Lord be with you...", the dismissal, and Robarts as their bishop first - rather anticlimatically - giving the parish notices ad populum, then (first ad orientem, then turning round to all) singing the B.C.P. blessing (more pontificio, with three crosses) "The peace of God...".  That was it: apparently the Last Gospel is not done (nor the Placeat, though I couldn't be sure).  I wonder why there was no recessional hymn?

The whole rite had been a curious amalgam of Traditional Latin Mass, Novus Ordo, and Anglican B.C.P.: it had a rather do-it-yourself feel, if I may say so.

Very quickly afterward (Robarts going off to remove his chasuble and stole before returning), all was packed away: the seats stacked, the cushions stowed, the altar table stripped, the hanging behind taken down, and all popped away in a cupboard toward the back on the side of the room.  I was most amused to see that, where during the liturgy an icon of the Virgin and Child had hung above the altar table, now a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was returned to its usual place!

Goodbye Alleluia

What a sombre start to Septuagesima: death and destruction.

Since Adam's fall, sin has sundered us from God, and misery has been man's lot in this dark world: the original state of harmony and justice being broken, nature is armed against us, as the Magnificat antiphon at 1st Vespers puts before us:

Dixit Dominus ad Adam: De ligno quod est in medio paradisi, ne comedas: in qua hora comederis, morte morieris.

The Lord said to Adam: Of the tree that is in the midst of paradise, thou shalt not eat: in what hour thou shalt have eaten (of it), by death shalt thou die.

(Genesis ii, 17 & cf. 9)

How sadly appropriate then to sing at Mass to-morrow:

Circumdederunt me gemitus mortis, dolores inferni circumdederunt me: et in tribulatione mea invocavi Dominum, et exaudivit de templo sancto suo vocem meam.

(They have surrounded me the sorrows of death, the dolours of hell surrounded me: and in my tribulation I called upon the Lord, and He heard from His holy temple my voice.)

– Introit antiphon (Ps 17:5-7), Septuagesima Sunday.

Preces populi tui, quæsumus, Domine, clementer exaudi: ut, qui juste pro peccatis nostris affligimur, pro tui nominis gloria misericorditer liberemur.  Per...

O Lord, we beseech thee favourably to hear the prayers of thy people: that we, who are justly punished for our offences, may be mercifully delivered by thy goodness, for the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.  Amen. *

– Collect, Septuagesima Sunday 

(English from the B.C.P.)

[* The words "by thy goodness" are not in the Latin, but are implied; and the long ending is a little idiosyncratic, as the Latin would be better rendered "through Our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son, who with thee liveth and reigneth in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end."]

Adjutor in opportunitatibus, in tribulatione: sperent in te, qui noverunt te: quoniam non derelinquis quærentes te, Domine.

(A helper in due time in tribulation: let them hope in Thee, who know Thee: for Thou dost not forsake them that seek thee, Lord.)

– Response of the Gradual (Ps 9:10-11), Septuagesima Sunday

De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine: Domine, exaudi vocem meam.  V/.  Fiant aures tuæ intendentes in orationem servi tui.  V/.  Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine: Domine, quis sustinebit?  V/.  Quia apud te propitiatio est, et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.

Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, Lord: Lord, hear my voice.  V/.  Let Thine ears be attentive to the prayer of Thy servant.  V/.  If Thou, Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall abide it?  V/.  For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness, and by reason of Thy law I have waited for Thee, Lord.)

– Tract (Ps 129:1-4), Septuagesima Sunday.

'Tis the Season of Saints

Below I blogged about the four weeks "after Epiphany" now upon us; and soon enough Septuagesimatide will follow, providing sixteen days for to prepare for Lent, during which time the Matins lessons will begin at the beginning, covering Genesis i-xiv (Septuagesima week focussing on the Creation, the Fall and the descendants of Adam*; Sexagesima week on Noë and the Flood; and Quinquagesima on the call of Abraham and his travels - on Shrove Tuesday, the mysterious Melchisedech will make his appearance).

[* How moving is Genesis v, read in part on Friday and Saturday after Septuagesima...]

During all this time, however, there will be not one single ferial day until well into Septuagesimatide (when five occur in eight days, what a surprise that will be!): every day "after Epiphany" this year is a saint's day, as follows (unless otherwise marked, they are of the 3rd class, and so the course of lessons at Matins is unaffected, just supplemented by merging Lessons ii and iii into one, and adding a third Lesson of the Saint):

• Wednesday 14th January - St Hilary, BCD, & comm. St Felix, priest & M;
  
• Thursday 15th January - St Paul the First Hermit, C, & comm. St Maurus, A;
  
• Friday 16th January - St Marcellus, P & M;
• Saturday 17th January - St Anthony, A;
• Sunday 18th January - 2nd Sunday after Epiphany (∴ no comm. of St Prisca, V & M)†;
• Monday 19th January - comm. SS Marius, Martha, Audifax & Abachum, MM; & comm. St Canute, K & M;
• Tuesday 20th January - SS Fabian, P, & Sebastian, MM;
• Wednesday 21st January - St Agnes, V & M*;
• Thursday 22nd January - SS Vincent & Anastasius, MM - and moreover, in Hobart, 1st Vespers of the Dedication of the Cathedral occur this evening;
• Friday 23rd January - St Raymund of Peñafort, C, & comm. St Emerentiana, V & M - however, the Archdiocese of Hobart, this is the 1st class feast of the Dedication of the Cathedral, so no commemorations are made;
• Saturday 24th January - St Timothy, B & M;
• Sunday 25th January - 3rd Sunday after Epiphany (∴ comm. of the 2nd class feast of the Conversion of St Paul the Apostle, with customary comm. of St Peter the Apostle "under one conclusion"; although, by special decree for this Year of St Paul, his Mass may displace that of this Sunday);
• Monday 26th January - St Polycarp, B & M;
• Tuesday 27th January - St John Chrysostom, BCD;
• Wednesday 28th January - St Peter Nolasco, C, & comm. St Agnes V & M ("for the second time" on her quasi-Octave day, when after her martyrdom she appeared in glory to her parents according to her Acts);
• Thursday 29th January - St Francis de Sales, BCD;
• Friday 30th January - St Martina, V & M;
• Saturday 31st January - St John Bosco, C;
• Sunday 1st February - 4th Sunday after Epiphany (∴ no comm. of St Ignatius, B & M - nor, in Australia, of the 3rd class feast of St Brigid, V, which would otherwise take precedence of St Ignatius and reduce him to a commemoration anyway);
• Monday 2nd February - Purification of Blessed Mary the Virgin (2nd class) [i.e. the Presentation of the Lord, commonly styled Candlemas for the blessing of candles and procession therewith];
• Tuesday 3rd February - comm. St Blaise, B & M (NB blessing of throats);
• Wednesday 4th February - St Andrew Corsini, B & C;
• Thursday 5th February - St Agatha, V & M*;
• Friday 6th February - St Titus, B & C, & comm. St Dorothy, V & M;
• Saturday 7th February - St Romuald, A (NB 1st Vespers of Septuagesima end with a double alleluia at the Benedicamus Domino, after which alleluia is not said until the Easter Vigil nine weeks' hence);
• Sunday 8th February - Septuagesima Sunday (∴ no comm. of St John of Matha, C);
• Monday 9th February - St Cyril of Alexandria, BCD, & comm. St Apollonia, V & M;
• Tuesday 10th February - St Scholastica, V;
• Wednesday 11th February - Appearance of Blessed Mary, Virgin Immaculate [at Lourdes]*;
• Thursday 12th February - the Seven Holy Founders of the Order of the Servants of Blessed Mary the Virgin (the Servites), CC;
• Friday 13th February - FERIA;
• Saturday 14th February - Our Lady on Saturday, & comm. St Valentine, priest & M;
• Sunday 15th February - Sexagesima Sunday (∴ no comm. of SS Faustinus & Jovita, MM);
• Monday 16th February - FERIA;
• Tuesday 17th February - FERIA;
• Wednesday 18th February - comm. St Simeon, B & M;
• Thursday 19th February - FERIA;
• Friday 20th February - FERIA;
• Saturday 21st February - Our Lady on Saturday;
• Sunday 22nd February - Quinquagesima Sunday (∴ comm. of the 2nd class feast of the Chair of St Peter the Apostle, & comm. of St Paul the Apostle "under one conclusion")
• Monday 23rd February - St Peter Damian, BCD‡;
• Tuesday 24th February - St Matthias the Apostle (2nd class);...

...and then Lent begins!

If, on the two days when there is a commemoration alone, Mass is said of that commemoration (rather than of the feria, that is, of the preceding Sunday), then the liturgical colours used at the liturgy are as follows:

• Green - three days only (the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Sundays after Epiphany);
  
• White - nineteen days (for all confessors and virgins, as well as for the Dedication of the Church);
  
• Red - twelve days (for all martyrs, including St Matthias the Apostle);
  
• Violet - eight days (for the Masses of Septuagesimatide).

All this addition serves to make me note that "after Epiphany" and Septuagesimatide together this year last for just six weeks, or 42 days.

Notes

* SS Agnes and Agatha's feasts, together with that of Our Lady of Lourdes, while ranked as but 3rd class, should really be styled 2nd class feasts, as they have psalmody from the Common at Matins and Vespers, and the Sunday psalms at Lauds.

† Formerly, the 18th of January was the Feast of St Peter's Chair at Rome (the Feast of his Chair on the 22nd of February being that of Antioch); these two dates are respectively the earliest and latest dates on which Septuagesima can fall, and hence are called "the keys of Septuagesima" by a play on the symbolical keys of St Peter - though Septuagesima last fell on the 18th of January in 1818 and won't recur on that date till 2285, and it last fell on the 22nd of February in 1204 (under the old Julian calendar) and won't again fall then until 3784!

‡ Again, until the last pre-Conciliar reforms, a commemoration was made on the 23rd of February of the Vigil of St Matthias.

(I use the usual abbreviations: A for Abbot, B for Bishop, C for Confessor, D for Doctor, K for King, M for Martyr, P for Pope, V for Virgin; comm. stands for "commemoration", a remembrance of the subsidiary saint or saints at Lauds and Low Mass.)