December 22: The Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Comm.

    Happy Anniversary to the Order of Preachers!

I say it every year, and I will say it again, I so thoroughly and truly enjoy this feast.  As a member of the Order, it brings me great joy to know that I am part of a family that is now overs 800 year old, and which has been endowed by almighty God with so many holy men and women.  It is also a great joy to me that there is a specific date which serves as the birthday, so to speak, for the Order, and that it is marked by acknowledging Our Lady's patronage over this magnificent religious order founded by Out Holy Father, St. Dominic.  The office for Monday in the Fourth Week of Advent is prayed, and a commemoration of the feast is made at Lauds only.

New Book of Traditional Prayers to St. Thomas Aquinas

For those of you who, like myself, have a devotion to the Angelic Doctor, I heartily recommend this little gem that was sent to me by its author.  The purpose of this small tome is simple…to introduce readers to the beautiful patrimony of prayers (both liturgical and devotional), which the Church has given us, in order to increase devotion to St. Thomas Aquinas.

Included within its pages, you will find:

1. The Little Office of St. Thomas Aquinas
2. Antiphons and Responsories from the Office of St. Thomas Aquinas
3. Prayer of the Angelic Warfare Confraternity
4. Prayers to St. Thomas, Patron of Catholic Schools
5. Prayer Before Studying St. Thomas
6. Litany in Honor of St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and Patron of Chastity
7. The Six Sundays in Honor of St. Thomas Aquinas

Much of the traditional Dominican office of St. Thomas, much of which has been lost with the shift to the Liturgy of the Hours, is presented here in both Latin and English.

I quite heartily recommend this volume for anyone who has a devotion to St. Thomas…or who wishes to begin one.

You can purchase it at Os Justi Press here. Or, you can purchase it from Amazon here.

The Ferial Office During Advent

In the Dominican Breviary, the ferial office in Advent draws heavily from the Book of Jeremiah for the Little Chapter (Lauds, Terce, Sext, and Vespers). The versicle before Lauds is from Isaiah 6. Each one builds upon the Old Testament Prophets' anticipation of the coming of the Messiah, just as the Church now does during Advent.

The ferial days in Advent have the rank of III Class, until December 17.  During these days, when a III Class feast occurs in the Proper of the Saints, a commemoration is made of the ferial day at Lauds and Vespers.  From December 17 through December 23, the ferial days have the rank of II Class.  During this period, when a III Class feast occurs, the ferial office is prayed and a commemoration of the III Class feast is made at Lauds and Vespers.  The preces are prayed on all of these ferial days.

November 15: St. Albert the Great, B., C., D., O.P., II Class

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of St. Albert the Great, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church.  In the 1909 Breviarium S.O.P., his feast had the rank of totum duplex, yet propers for the office were minimal.  There wasn't even a proper collect prayer for his feast; the prayer used was one of the prayers from the Common of a Confessor.  I also noticed this morning that for some reason, the 1967 English translation of the 1962 Breviarium omits the propers for 1st Vespers (for those who may celebrate his feast as a 1st Class feast), which I do not understand at all.

It is truly remarkable to me to think that it was not until the early 20th Century that the Universal Church raised this saintly teacher to the altars of the Church. Nevertheless, his sanctity and spirit are a model for all Christians, but in particular for Dominicans, given the broad scope of his erudition.

LOST FEASTS: November 13 - St. Thomas Aquinas - Patron of Catholic Schools

In the annals of the traditional Dominican liturgical calendar, this feast may rank as one of the shortest lived.  In the early 20th century, rather than celebrating the VI Sunday after the Epiphany yesterday, the Order would have celebrated the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas - Patron of Catholic Schools.

One year after his landmark engyclical Aeternis Patris on the philosophical and theological methods of St. Thomas Aquinas, Pope Leo XIII declared:

“We, for the glory of Almighty God and in honor of the Angelic Doctor, for the increase of the sciences, and for the common benefit of human society, declare by Our Supreme Authority , that St. Thomas Aquinas is Patron of Studies in Universities, Colleges, Lyceums, and Catholic Schools; and We desire that he be so held by all…” "Cum hoc sit", Brief of Leo XIII, August 4, 1880.

Beginning with the 1924 Breviarium iuxta ritum sacri ordinis praedicatorum, November 13 was the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas - Patron of Catholic Schools in the Dominican liturgical calendar. Fr. Bonniwell's "History of the Dominican Liturgy" gives no date for when exactly the Order adopted this feast. 

November 13: Anniversary of the Brothers and Sisters

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we commemorate the Anniversary of the Deceased Brothers and Sisters of our Order. The Ferial  Office is prayed and a commemoration of St. Brice is made at Lauds. The commemoration of our deceased brothers and sisters is made at Pretiosa.

Being a true family, albeit a supernatural one, the members of our Order pray for one another, just as we pray for members of our earthly families. And just as we depend on the intercessory prayers of the Dominican Saints in heaven, so our brothers and sisters in Purgatory depend on our sufferages here on earth. Let us remember our duty in charity to them on this special day set aside in the liturgical calendar of the Order, to offer up prayers for them. What a wonderful consolation, to those of us who, by the grace of almighty God, are members of this holy and venerable Order, to know that once we have departed this life, the entire Order will pause and offer prayers for our poor souls.

November 12: Feast of All Saints of the Dominican Order, II Class

 Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of All Saints of the Dominican Order.  The feast is II Class and so the semi-festive office of Sunday is prayed and we make a commemoration of the feast at Lauds. 

How truly humbling it is to be part of a religious Order which includes over 30 saints, 3 Doctor's of the Church, innumerable martyrs and 4 Popes.  Not only are these holy men and women, drawn from every station in life, models of sanctity for us, they are powerful intercessors for us before the heavenly throne of our loving God and Father.  The litany of the Dominican Saints can be downloaded here.