December 25: The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, I Class

℣. Puer natus est nobis.	℣. To us a child is born.
℟. Et filius datus est nobis.	℣. To us a son is given.

(Versicle before Lauds)

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  The feast is 1^st Class, with a 2^nd Class octave.  The Festive Office is prayed. with everything being taken from the Proper of the Season for this day.

December 24: Vigil of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, I Class

℣. Tomorrow the transgression of the earth will be blotted out. ℟. And the Savior of the world will reign over us.  (Versicle before Lauds for the Vigil of the Nativity).

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the Vigil of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  The feast is 1st Class so the Festive Office is prayed.  At Pretiosa, we read the Martyrology for December 25:

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

Happy 800th Anniversary to the Order of Preachers!

I truly enjoy this feast.  And this year, it falls on the 800th anniversary of the official founding of the Order in 1216.  The ferial Office for Advent is prayed, and a commemoration of the feast is made at Lauds only.

Dominican Tertiary Indulgence Alert

Dominican Tertiaries (Lay Dominicans) 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 Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ on December 25.

What a wonderful Christmas gift for the soul of a loved one in Purgatory, or perhaps for a deceased Dominican!

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

BREVIARIUM S.O.P. 2017 DOMINICAN RITE CALENDAR

Just in time for Christmas!  I barely made it this year, but once again I am pleased to announce the completion of my 2017 Dominican Rite Calendar, for praying the 1962 Dominican Breviary.  The Calendar is now available from Fr. Augustine Thompson's "Dominican Liturgy Publications" at Lulu.

Once again, the calendar includes notations for the 15 Tuesdays devotion to Our Holy Father St. Dominic.

The calendar is based on the Dominican Rite Liturgical Calendar that Fr. Augustine Thompson, O.P. prepares every year.  The format is similar to that of the Ordo published by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter for the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.  The calendar contains the entire liturgical year, according to the 1962 Breviarii Iuxta Ritum Ordinis Preædicatorum, updated with the most recent canonizations of Dominican saints.

December 6: St. Nicholas and the Dominican Order...Again.

The feast of St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, is one of my favorite non-Dominican feasts in the liturgical calendar.  It holds the liturgical rank of III Class, as in the Roman Rite, but unlike the latter rite the Dominican Breviary contains a near-complete set of propers, as if the feast were II Class (you can download the text of the propers here, taken from the 1967 English Translation of the Breviarium S.OP.).

And for the third year in a row, I have stumbled across a connection between St. Nicholas and our holy Order.  Two years ago I did a post about how the feast of St. Nicholas was elevated to a totum duplex (1st Class) feast.  Then, last year, I did a post on how the famous mystical experience which ended St. Thomas Aquinas' prolific theological writing occurred on the feast of St. Nicholas, right after the Angelic Doctor finished offering the Mass of this saint.  A few weeks ago, while flipping through Pere Jacquin' "The Friar Preacher - Yesterday and Today" (Washbourne, 1915), I came across the account of St. Dominic's death.  Apparently, when our Holy Father became too ill to walk, he was carried by the brethren by stretcher to the Church of St. Nicholas in Bologna.  And there, surrounded by his fellow friars, he passed to his eternal reward.

So there you go, yet one more connection between the Order of Preachers and this wonderful saint.

As always, I remind anyone who reads this blog to check out the website of a wonderful organization called The St. Nicholas Center, who contacted me last year to ask if they could include my post from last year on St. Nicholas and the Dominicans on their website.  I was happy to oblige.  This organization seeks to promote and educate the world on this wonderful saint, who is the inspiration for Santa Claus.

Prayer

O God, you adorned the blessed bishop Nicholas with countless miracles; grant, we beseech you, that through his merits and prayers, we may be delivered from the flames of hell.  Through our Lord...

December 1: Blessed John of Vercelli, C., O.P., Commemoration

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we make a commemoration of Blessed John of Vercelli, 6^th Master General of the Order.  The Advent ferial office is prayed, according to the rubrics, and the commemoration of Blessed John is made at Lauds and Vespers, since his is a privileged commemoration.  In addition, a second commemoration is made of SS. Cyriacus, Largus, and Smaragdus, Martyrs.  At Pretiosa, the obit of Thomas Turco of Cremona, 56th Master General of the Order is read.

The Ferial Office During Advent

From “Missale Sacri Ordinis Praedicatorum"; 1933

This year, during the season of Advent, we will pray the ferial office 12 time.  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 25: St. Catherine of Alexandria, V., M., III Class

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr.  The feast is III Class, so the ordinary office is prayed according to the rubrics.

Prior to the mid-20th Century revisions of the calendar, her feast was celebrated as a Totum Duplex with an octave (December 2), and her office contained a partial set of propers (the office did not include proper antiphons for the psalms of Matins, and only included three of the original nine responsories).  The antiphon at 1st Vespers for her feast in the 1909 Breviarium S.O.P. was "Hail! O Catherine, thou gem of virgins.  Hail!  O glorious spouse of the King of kings."

Due to the circumstances of her martyrdom, as one defending the Faith against pagans, and the fact that she is reputed to have been a philosopher, she has traditionally been referred to as one of the two "protectresses" of the Order, the other being St. Mary Magdalene.  In a future post, I will give the account of their intervention in the miracle of St. Dominic at Soriano.

Advent: Are You "Excited"?

Excita!  Are you "excited"?  Advent is upon us, and the word "excita" is very prominent in the liturgy at this time of year.  Next Saturday evening, we switch to Volume I of the Dominican Breviary, for 1st Vespers of the 1st Sunday of Advent.

This holy season is intended to prepare us by rousing (stirring) up sentiments of contrition and hope in us, as we count down the weeks till we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Contrition for our sins, and hope in the Child Jesus, who is our salvation.

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.  Since today is a II Class Sunday (VI Sunday after Pentecost) we can make a commemoration of the feast of St. Albert at Lauds and Vespers.

It is truly remarkable to me to think that it was not until the early 20^th 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

Photo by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P., Flickr

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we commemorate the Anniversary of the Deceased Brothers and Sisters of our Order. The Sunday Office is prayed for the VI Sunday after the Epiphany according to the rubrics, 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 is prayed according to the rubrics. 

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.

November 5: St. Martin de Pores, C., O.P., III Class

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of St. Martin de Pores.  The feast is III Class so the Ordinary Office is prayed according to the rubrics.  Like many III Class feasts, the Office contains a full set of propers as if it was a II Class feast.  At Lauds, the Psalms of Sunday are prayed. 

From the Martyrology:

At Lima in South America, [Saint] Martin de Porres, a tertiary of the Order of Preachers. Having pronounced his solemn vows to God, he united integrity of life so perfectly with the most severe penances, that both before and after death he merited to become famous for his miracles.

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

LOST FEASTS: October 31 - Commemoration of the Holy Relics

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.

LOST TRADITIONS: October 7-14 Octave Of B.V.M. Of The Rosary

If the Order had maintained its system of keeping the octaves of its major feasts, the Octave of the B.V.M. of the Rosary would be celebrated from October 8 till October 14. This is one of the many octaves that the Dominicans included in their calendar, as a means of prolonging the celebration of saints (or in this case, their Patroness), that were casualties of the revisions of Dominican calendar that took place in the middle of the 20th Century. Not all of the Dominican saints had "solemn" octaves after their feast day, but the major ones like St. Dominic, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Peter Martyr did.

Actually, this feast was originally celebrated on the 1st Sunday of October. That is where it appears in the 1909 calendar. This means that the octave was celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of October. You can see the problem that was caused, by assigning feasts of the sanctorale to the Sundays of the year. This, along with the numerous totum duplex feasts of the saints of th eOrder and others led to the situation where the Sundays were hardly ever celebrated as such. Moving the date of the feast to October 7 (the actual day of the Battle of Lepanto) was a nice solution that preserved the solemn celebration of the feast, and avoided the interruption of the temporale.

Every day during the octave, a commemoration was made at Lauds and Vespers using the proper versicle/responsory, Benedictus/Magnificat antiphons provided in the sanctorale.  The versicles and responses come from the feast, as does the antiphon at Lauds (which comes from 1st Vespers of the feast), but I have not been able to tell where the antiphon for Vespers comes from.  In fact, I could not find a translation of the antiphon for Vespers.  So if anyone out there can either translate it, or can point me toward a good English translation of it, i would be immensely appreciative.

Ad Bened. ant.  Speciosa facta es et suavis in deliciis virginitatis sancta Dei genitrix: quam videntes filiae Syon vernantem in floribus rosarum et liliis convalium. Beatissimam praedicaverunt,et regine laudaverunt eam.	Ad Bened. ant.  The holy Mother of God is beautiful and comely in the delights of virginity. When they saw her flourishing among the roses and lilies of the valleys, the maidens of Sion called her happy and queens praised her
V. Elegit eam Deus, et praeelegit eam. R. Et habitare eam facit in tabernaculo suo.	V. God has chosen her, and has given her preference.  R. He gives her his home to dwell in.
Oratio. Deus, cuius Unigenitus per vitam, mortem et resurrectionem suam nobis salutis aeternae praemia comparavit: concede, quaesumus; ut haec mysteria sacratissimo beatae Mariae Virginis Rosario recolentes, et imitemur quod continent, et quod promittunt, assequamur.  Per Dominum nostrum…	Prayer O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech thee, that by meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise.  Through the same…
Ad Magnif. ant.  Sancta Maria virginum piissima suscipe vota servulorum assidua lapsos erige errantes corrige trementes corrobora pusillanimes conforta ut tibi semper referamus laudes quam Dei summi colimus Genetricem.	Ad Magnif. ant.  Sancta Maria virginum piissima suscipe vota servulorum assidua lapsos erige errantes corrige trementes corrobora pusillanimes conforta ut tibi semper referamus laudes quam Dei summi colimus Genetricem.
V. Regina sacratissimi Rosarii ora pro nobis. R. Ut digni efficiámur promissiónibus Christi.	V. Queen of the most holy Rosary pray for us.  R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

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 Dominican Order, so the festive office is prayed according to the rubrics.  Traditionally, Dominican Tertiaries would fast on the vigil of this great feast.  The hymns 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 using the antiphon, versicle/responsory and collect pray from the Common of a Confessor.  He is one of the many Dominicans to be beatified after the last revision to the Breviary in 1962. (He was beatified in 1980 by Pope St. John Paul II).

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 ex-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 ex-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):

LOST FEAST: September 25: Commemoration of Our Holy Father St. Dominic in Suriano

Prior to the revision of the liturgical calendar of the Order initiated in 1960, the feast of the Commemoration of Our Holy Father St. Dominic in Suriano would be celebrated today.  The feast was always a totum duplex feast, equivalent to a Ist Class feast in the 1962 breviary classification system.  However, in the older calendar, this feast would have taken precedence over today's Sunday office.  The removal of this feast baffles me, as it is such a wonderful way to pay tribute to the patronage of St. Dominic, our Lady, and the two (2) "unofficial" patronesses of the Order, St. Mary Magdalene and St. Catherine of Alexandria.

The feast was traditionally celebrated on September 15, and the Feast of the Seven Dolors or Our Lady was celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of the month of September.  However, I believe, when the feast of the Seven Dolors was fixed on September 15, this feast was transferred to September 25 until its suppression in 1961.

September 20: Blessed Francis de Posadas, C., O.P., III Class

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of Blessed Francis Possadas, confessor of the Order of Preachers.  In the 1962 Breviarium sacri ordinis praedicatorum calendar, his feast is merely a commemoration.  By the time the 1967 English translation was published by the Irish Dominican Province, the Order had elevated his feast to III Class.  So today, the ordinary office is prayed according to the rubrics.

September 15: The Seven Sorrows of the B.V.M.

(I would like to thank everyone who responded to my personal request for prayers last year, on the eve of the feast of the Seven Sorrows of the B.V.M., they were/are very much appreciated.)

Stemus iuxta crucem cum María Matre Iesu, * Cuius ánima dolóris gládius pertransívit.

Let us stand by the cross with Mary the mother of Jesus, * The sword of sorrow has pierced her soul.

Thus begins Matins for today's feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The feast is II Class, so the Semi-Festive office is prayed according to the rubrics.  I've heard it said that May is the month of Mary, but for me it is September.  This month contains four (4) Marian feasts:

- September 8: Nativity of the B.V.M. (II Class)
- September 12: The Most Holy Name of Mary (III Class)
- September 15:  The Seven Sorrows of the B.V.M. (II Class)
- September 24:  B.V.M. of Ransom (Comm.)

In the Dominican breviary, the feast is II Class as in the Roman, but it contains propers for praying the office as a I Class feast as well.  This is because the feast was originally a totum duplex feast, which was celebrated on the III Sunday of the month of September.  Thus we have the magnificent responsory at Vespers, which is a solemn acknowledgement of our culpability in causing the suffering of both our Lord and our Lady by our sins:

September 12: The Most Holy Name of Mary, III Class

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Office, we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary.  I truly love this feast, and I look forward to its return each year.  Like the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, it is a feast that is rich in devotion to our Blessed Lady.  It is also steeped in the glorious history of Christendom.  

The feast was announced in the Martyrology during Pretiosa yesterday:

The feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Sovereign Pontiff, Innocent XI, commanded this feast to be celebrated because of the brilliant victory obtained over the Turks at Vienna in Austria by the help of the Blessed Virgin.

September 10: Blessed Alphonsus Navarrete, O.P., and Companions, Mm., III Class

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of Blessed Alfonso Navarrete and Companions.  The feast is III Class, so the ordinary office is prayed according to the rubrics.  A commemoration is made of St. Nicholas of Tolentino, Confessor.  The lesson at Matins describes the heroic virtue of these martyrs of Japan.  The Dominicans made up a large contingent of those who were killed.  Also represented were the Franciscans, Jesuits, and Augustinians.

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

September 6: Blessed Bertrand of Garrigue, C., O.P., Commemoration

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we make a commemoration of Blessed Bertrand of Garrigua, Confessor, of the Order of Preachers.  Since today is a ferial day, the ferial office is prayed, and a commemoration is made of Bl. Bertrand at Lauds only.  Bl. Garrigua is on of the few Dominican blesseds who's feast day was retained during the disastrous 1961 calendar revision, which saw the deracination of nearly all of the blesseds of the Order from the calendar.

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

September 5: Anniversary of the Associates and Benefactors of our Order

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we commemorate the Anniversary of the Deceased Associates and Benefactors of our Order.  The commemoration is made at Pretiosa as follows:

The Anniversary of the deceased friends and benefactors of our Order. 

The 1909 Breviarium Juxta Ritum Sacri Ordinis Praedicatorum

Thanks to the gracious generosity of Jose Dominguez, a tertiary from Chicago and a long-time reader of this blog and a lover of the Dominican Rite breviary, I am please to offer a page dedicated to the 1909 Breviarium Juxta Ritum Sacri Ordinis Praedicatorum.  On this page, you will find four (4) downloadable files that contain the entire text of both volumes of this magnificent edition of the breviary of the Order.

This edition was the fruit of the labors of one of the finest liturgists in the history of the Order.  Fr. Vincent Laporte, O.P. was a member of the Province of Toulouse and a renowned musician.  In his book "The History of the Dominican Liturgy", Fr. William Bonniwell, O.P. said this of the 1909 Breviarium S.O.P. "For accuracy of text, clarity of rubrics, and convenience of arrangement, it was the finest edition of the Dominican breviary ever published.  The Order was indeed fortunate to receive from this painstaking scholar the fruits of nearly forty years of research."

A link to the page containing the links is now under the blog banner above.  Thank you Jose!

The Elusive Dominican Cuff-Link

For quite some time now, I have been searching for cuff links that use the shield or crest of the Order.  So far, I have come up empty. And I find this quite frustrating because this seems like a no-brainer to me.  The shield, after all, is ideally shaped to be a cuff link.  And I refuse to believe that I am the first person in the past few hundred years, to have had this inspiration.

After all, you can find the Jerusalem Cross (symbol of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem) on cuff links, as well as the Maltese Cross, which is the symbol of the Knights of St. John.  You can also find Benedictine cuff-links.  So why not the Dominican shield?

I have the lapel pin, which I purchased from this online store.  But I have searched in vain for a set of cuff links.  I would be most grateful to any reader, particularly outside the United States (since I believe I have scoured the US via the internet unsuccessfully) if you could forward me a weblink to a store that sells this elusive element of sartorial esoterica.

August 30: St. Rose of Lima, V, O.P., III Class

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of St. Rose of Lima.  The feast is III Class, so the Ordinary office is prayed according to the rubrics.  This is another one of those III Class feasts which retained many of the propers from the days when the feast was totum duplex or duplex.  At Lauds, the Psalms of Sunday are prayed.  

From the Martyrology:

At Lima in Peru, St. Rose, virgin, of the Third Order of our holy Father St. Dominic. The Roman Pontiff Clement IX called her "the first flower from the Western World." At the age of five she took the vow of virginity; later she was received by Christ in a miraculous way as His spouse. She added the most severe penances to a life of purest innocence and her fame spread because of her many miracles. She died on August 24.

Travelers' Prayers from the Dominican Breviary

Recently, my children went with their mother to a family resort for a few days of vacation.  This is the first trip they have been on in years, and I was concerned for their safety.  Before I dropped them off with her, the kids and I prayed a few of the antiphons from the Travelers' Prayers in the Appendix of the Dominican Breviary.

There is nothing unique to the Dominicans about the concept of these prayers.  A similar version can be found in the monastic breviary.  However, our version is tailored to our Order by including some of the wonderful antiphons, versicles/responses, and Collect prayers that invoke St. Dominic, the saints of our Order, and our Lady as our patroness.   You can download the English translation here.

August 28: St. Augustine, B., C., D., II Class

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of St. Augustine, Bishop, Confessor, Doctor, and Father of the Church.  Since today is also the VX Sunday after Pentecost which holds the rank of II Class, and since his feast in the Dominican Rite calendar is also II Class, we pray the Sunday office and make a commemoration of his feast at Lauds and Vespers.    Also, at Pretiosa, the obit is read of Albert de Chiavari of Genoa, 10th Master General of the Order. 

The Order’s has always given high honor to the Doctor of Grace, in part because our founder St. Dominic adopted the Rule of St. Augustine as the Rule for his Order in 1216. 

August 17: St. Hyacinth, C., O.P., III Class

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of St. Hyacinth.  The feast is III Class so the Ordinary office is prayed according to the rubrics.  Like many III Class feasts of Dominican saints on the calendar, the office for St. Hyacinth contains a full set of propers, as if the office were II Class.  So there are antiphons and responsories at all of the hours, and the Sunday Psalms are prayed at Lauds, rather than the Psalms of the ferial office.

The feast was announced yesterday, at the reading of the Martyrology:

At Cracow in Poland, St. Hyacinth, confessor, of the Order of Preachers. Having received the religious habit from the hands of our Father St. Dominic, he excelled in learning and in a life of admirable innocence. He was celebrated for the glory of his miracles, especially for walking dryshod across wide rivers. Thought deserving of sweet converse with the holy Mother of God, distinguished for his spotless life, and filled with the gifts of the Holy Ghost, he died at an advanced age. He was called to his eternal reward on the very feastday of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was canonized by Pope Clement VIII.

August 15: Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I Class

Last year, while reading "Christ the Savior" by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. on the Assumption of the B.V.M., I came across the following passage:

Therefore the Blessed Virgin Mary, as Mother of the Savior and the new Eve, is also most closely associated with Christ's perfect victory over death, so that "she could not be held down or detained by the bonds of death, " as the liturgy says[19]; otherwise she would have been vanquished by death and would not have been the vanquisher, and her parallelism with Christ's resurrection and ascension, before the general resurrection of the dead, would be destroyed.  Moreover, the exceptional benediction, "blessed art thou among women," excludes the malediction "into dust thou shalt return." (emphasis mine)

Dominican Tertiary Indulgence Alert - Feast of the Assumption of the B.V.M.

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 Feasts of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on  Monday, August 15th.

In your charity, please consider offering the indulgence for a deceased fellow Tertiary, or perhaps a deceased friar or nun/brother who is suffering in Purgatory.

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

LOST FEAST: August 11: The Octave of our Holy Father St. Dominic

Prior to the revision of the Breviary and liturgical calendar instituted by Pope St. John XXIII, the Octave of Our Holy Father St. Dominic would be celebrated today, August 11.  This would be the final act in our long celebration of the feast of St. Dominic.  A fitting tribute to the saintly founder of the Order of Preachers, if I do say so myself.  When you add up all of the preparation (the 15 Tuesdays, the Novena, the feast itself, the commemoration in the octave, and finally, the octave day itself) it is a sure and salutary means of developing a loving devotion to our holy father through our liturgical celebrations.

In the pre-1962 Breviarium S.O.P.'s, the feast had the rank of "solemne", which would be considered at least a 2nd Class Feast in the ranking system that was adopted with the 1962 breviary.  For Lauds, Vespers, and the little hours, the office of the feast was prayed.  At Lauds, a commemoration was made of St. Tiburtius.  At Matins the office was that of three (3) lessons.  For the first nocturn, the responsories are proper, and the lessons from the previous Sunday are used.  At the second nocturn, the lessons and the responsories are proper; the lessons being taken from the life of St. Dominic by Theodoric.  The third nocturn is like the first, with the responsories being proper, but the Gospel and homily on the Gospel are taken from the previous Sunday.

At Pretiosa, on August 10, the octave was announced thus "The Octave day of our holy Father Dominic. A solemn octave."

I am going to depart from my 1962/1967 calendar today, since it is a ferial day, and pray the office of his feast again, as a way of closing out this wonderful liturgical celebration of St. Dominic.

August 8: Blessed Jane of Aza, Mother of Our Holy Father St. Dominic, Commemoration

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we make a commemoration of Blessed Jane of Aza, mother of Our Holy Father St. Dominic. In the old calendar, her office was tucked into the octave of our holy founder, which I thought was a very fitting way to honor her.  The ferial office is prayed, and the commemoration is made at Lauds and Vespers since it is a privileged commemoration.  In addition, a second commemoration is made of SS. Cyriacus, Largus, and Smaragdus, Martyrs. At Pretiosa, the obit of Hugh de Vaucemain of France, sixteenth Master General of the Order of Preachers is read.

From the Martyrology of yesterday:

At Peñafiel in Spain, Blessed Joan de Aza, mother of the most Blessed Patriarch Dominic. Admirable for her virtue and beloved of God for her piety, she died at Calaruega in the love of the Lord. A duplex feast.

The holy martyrs Cyriacus, deacon, Largus, and Smaragdus, with twenty others, who suffered on March 16. Their bodies were buried on the Via Salaria by a priest named John, and on this day Pope St. Marcellus removed them to the garden of Lucina, on the Via Ostiensis. Afterward, they were brought into the city, and buried in the deaconry of St. Mary's in Via Latina. A memory.