LOST FEASTS: October 31 - Commemoration of the Holy Relics

Collect prayer from the 1909 Breviarium
iuxta ritum sacri ordinis, when the feast
was celebrated on October 30.

One of the great tragedies of the 20th century liturgical changes was the "Romanization" of the Dominican calendar that occurred in the revision of 1960, and which is codified in the calendar of the 1962 Breviarium iuxta ritum sacri ordinis praedicatorum.  Many wonderful Dominican feasts were removed from the liturgical calendar of the Order, including those of many Dominican blessed's and many other feasts that were particular to the Dominican Order.One such feast was the Feast of the Holy Relics.

As noted in the Martyrology of the Sacred Order of Friars Preachers (Bonniwell, 1955), this feast was a commemoration of "holy martyrs and of the other saints, whose bodies or relics are preserved in our churches."  In the 1909 Breviarium iuxta ritum sacri ordinis

praedicatorum  the feast is celebrated on October 30, however in the 1924 Breviarium S.O.P. it appears on  October 31, the Vigil of All Saints Day, and remained there until it was removed in 1960.  The feast  had the rank of a totum duplex feast, which in 1962 would have been considered a 1st Class Feast.   For the Office, everything was taken from the Common of Many Martyrs, except the Collect (see below), and lessons 4, 5, and 6 at Matins, which were taken from a tract by St. John Damascene's "De Fide Orthodoxa" .  A commemoration of St. Quintinus was also made.  Interestingly, this feast superseded the Vigil of All Saints at Matins, as noted in the 1924 Breviarium S.O.P., which states "De Vigilia Sanctorum in Officio nihil fit" at the end of the Office.

NYC Events

A friend sent word of two upcoming Dominican events taking place in New York City, for anyone who may be in the area.

The first will take place at Holy Innocents Church (128 W. 37th Street, New York, NY) on Saturday, October 31.  To close out the month of October, the Regina Angelorum Court of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas and the Regina Mundi Praesidium of the Legion of Mary are sponsoring a series of Marian events to be given by Rev. Fr. Innocent Smith, O.P.. 

• 1:00 PM Votive Mass (OF) of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
• 2: 15 PM Lecture on the Rosary
• 5:15 PM First Vespers of All Saints Day (Latin)

You can download the flyer here.

The second is a Dominican Rite Requiem Mass for the holy souls in Purgatory on Monday, November 16, at the Dominican Church of St. Catherine of Siena (411 East 68th Street, New York, NY).  The Mass will be accompanied by Maurice Duruflé's magnificent setting for the Catholic Mass for the Dead (Requiem Op. 9), which will be sung by the Schola Dominicana of St. Catherine of Siena.  The Mass will be celebrated by Rev. Fr. Innocent Smith, O.P..  A reception will follow the Mass at the Church of St. Catherine of Siena. The Mass and reception will be sponsored by the Catholic Artists Society, the New York Purgatorial Society, and the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny.

You can download the flyer here.

LOST FEAST: The Octave of the Holy Rosary of the B.V.M.

Prior to the revision of the liturgical calendar instituted by Pope St. John XXIII, the Octave of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary would be celebrated today.  This is one of the many octaves that were casualties of the 1961 revision of the calendar.  Owing to the immemorial connection between the Order and the Rosary, this feast was given the highest honor in our calendar.  It had the rank of a totum duplex of the first class, with a solemn octave.  That meant that during each of the days of the Octave, a commemoration of the feast was made at Lauds and Vespers.  On the octave (8th) day, the office of the feast was essentially celebrated again, with minor changes (the II & III Lessons at Matins were different).  I think this is something that could have been retained, particularly the daily commemoration at Lauds and Vespers.

In the previous calendars of the Order, the feast was celebrated on the 1st Sunday of October.  That meant that the Octave was celebrated on the following Sunday.  I could see how this disruption in the Sunday liturgical cycle two weeks in a row would be a problem for some, but with the move of the feast to October 7, the octave would have moved to October 14, which is the feast of St. Calistus, P., M., a III Class feast.  So, to honor the octave, the Office of the feast could be prayed again, but this time with a commemoration of St. Calistus at Lauds and Vespers.

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us.  And most especially for Christians be persecuted throughout the world.

October 9: St. Louis Bertrand, C., O.P., III Class

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of Saint Louis Bertrand, confessor of the Order of Preachers.  His feast is III Class, so the ordinary office is prayed according to the rubrics.  A commemoration of Ss. Denis, Bishop, and companions is made at Lauds only.  

October 7: The Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary, I Class

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary.  The feast is I Class in the calendar of the Order, so the festive office is prayed according to the rubrics.  Traditionally, Dominican Tertiaries would fast on the vigil of this great feast.  The hyms at 1st Vespers, Matins, and Lauds celebrate the three traditional groupings of mysteries...the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious.  You can download the entire English translation of the office here.

The great feast was announced at Pretiosa yesterday:

The Commemoration of Our Lady of Victory, which Pope Plus V instituted to be made annually, on account of the famous victory gained on this very day by the Christians in a naval battle against the Turks, by the assistance of the same Mother of God. However, Gregory XIII decreed that for the same victory there should be celebrated on the first Sunday of this month the annual solemnity of the Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin. 

October 6: Bl. Bartolo Longo, C., O.P. (Votive)

Today is the feast day of Blessed Bargolo Longo, confessor of the Order of Preachers and a Dominican tertiary.  I will be making a commemoration of his office at Lauds this morning.  He was beatified in 1980 by Pope St. John Paul II, and he joins the magnificent array of blesseds that illuminate our Order.

There is a beautiful post on Bl. Bartolo over at the Vultus Christi blog, by Benedictine Prior Fr. Mark Kirby, which includes the text of the prayer that he composed to Our Lady.  The prayer is called the Supplica, and it is a true gem, inspired by much prayer and penance.

When my wife began practicing Eastern style "meditation", I turned to Bl. Bartolo Longo, the "Apostle of the Rosary" for help.  Of all the saints and blesseds in Heaven, he certainly knows the power of false religions, having been converted by a Dominican Friar away from satanism and back into the safety of Holy Mother Church.

Blessed Bartolo Longo...Apostle of the Rosary...please pray for my wife, and all those who have fallen into the darkness of false spirituality. "O Blessed Rosary of Mary..." be our "Tower of salvation in the assaults of Hell..."

October 5: Bl. Raymond of Capua, C., O.P., III Class

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of Blessed Raymond of Capua, confessor of the Order of Preachers.  The feast is III Class, so the ordinary office is prayed according to the rubrics.

From “Short Lives of the Dominican Saints” (London, Kegan Paul, Trench, and Trübner & Co., Ltd., 1901):

Dominican Tertiary Indulgence Reminder

Dominican Tertiaries are reminded that a plenary indulgence may be acquired, provided the usual conditions (confession, Communion and prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff) are properly fulfilled, who make or renew, at least privately, the promise to faithfully observe the statutes of the Third Order (Lay Fraternity of St. Dominic) on the upcoming Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary on Wednesday, October 7, 2015.

According to the 1923 "Rule of the Brothers and Sisters of the Secular Third Order of St. Dominic", the Vigil of this feast (October 6) was traditionally a day during which Tertiaries fasted and abstained.

The complete list of days when the plenary indulgence may be obtained, can be found here, at the Australian Province Website.

"O Lumen Ecclesiae" at the Dominican House of Studies, Washington, D.C.

The New Liturgical Movement has a post on a video produced by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P., showing the closing prayers and antiphons after Compline at the Dominican House of Studies.  The friars came from around the US, and represented all four Provinces.  The occasion for their being together in Washington was the arrival of Pope Francis on his recent visit to the United States.  In the video, they chant the "Sub tuum" in English and then "O lumen ecclesiae" in Latin.  

It is wonderful to see these young friars continuing the tradition of chanting this beautiful antiphon!