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 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 Ember Saturday in 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. 2019 DOMINICAN RITE CALENDAR

Just in time for Christmas!  Once again, I barely made it this year!  Nevertheless, I am pleased to announce the completion of the 2019 Dominican Rite Calendar, for praying the 1962 Dominican Breviary.  The Calendar is now available from Fr. Augustine Thompson's "Dominican Liturgy Publications" at Lulu.

As usual, the calendar also includes notations for the 15 Tuesdays devotion to Our Holy Father St. Dominic and other items of interest for members of the Order of Preachers.

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, B., C., III Class

Though not exclusively a Dominican saint, I have, for the past few years, posted on some of the interesting connections between the Order and St. Nicholas.

This is the fourth year in a row that I have posted a link between St. Nicholas, who's feast we celebrate today, and the Dominican Order.  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.).

I have stumbled across a number of connections between St. Nicholas and our holy Order.  I wrote did a post about how the feast of St. Nicholas was elevated to a totum duplex (1st Class) feast.  The next 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.  I also did a  posted on the fact that, when St. Dominic was approaching death, and was 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.  Finally, last year, I posted on a scholarly article which suggested that the famous O lumen ecclesiae antiphon for the office of St. Dominic may have borrowed heavily from an existing antiphon for...you guessed it, the office of St. Nicholas (O Christi Pietas).  You can find it here.

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 two years ago 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...

The Ferial Office During Advent

From “Missale Sacri Ordinis Praedicatorum"; 1933

This year, during the season of Advent, we will pray the ferial office 8 times. 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.

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.  Since it is a Saturday, the Saturday office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is prayed, and the commemoration of Blessed John is made at Lauds only, since we celebrate the 1st Sunday of Advent at 1st Vespers this evening.  At Pretiosa, the obit of Thomas Turco of Cremona, 56th Master General of the Order is read.

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 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 since today is a II Class Sunday, the XXIII Sunday after Pentecost is celebrated, and a commemoration is made of the feast. 

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 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):

Nov. 2 - Libera me Domine

Last year, New Liturgical Movement wrote a short post on the Dominican Office of the Dead, as it is prayed on the Feast of All Souls.  In particular, the last responsory at Matins.

I find this venerable Dominican tradition to be quite poignant.  Its anxious pleas for mercy and forgiveness stand in stark contrast to the implicit universal salvation that seems to infect most modern liturgical settings for the dead.  This is a wonderful way pray for the Church Suffering, and a true memento mori for those of us who are still members of the Church Militant.

Here is the full text in Latin and English:

R. Líbera me, Dómine, de morte aeterna in die illa tremenda, * Quando caeli movendi sunt et terra, * Dum véneris judicáre sáeculum per ignem. V. j. Dies illa, dies irae, calamitátis et miseriæ, dies magna et amára valde. Dum. V. ij. Tremens factus sum ego et tímeo, dum discussio vénerit atque ventúra ira. Quando. V. iij. Quid ego misérrimus, quid dicam, vel quid faciam, cum nil boni pérferam ante tantum júdicem? Quando. V. iv. Nunc, Christe, te pétimus, miserére, quæsumus; qui venisti redímere pérditos, noli damnáre redemptos. Dum. V. v. Creátor omnium rerum Deus, qui me de limo terrae formasti, et mirabíliter proprio sánguine redemisti, corpusque meum, licet modo putrescat, de sepulchro facies in die judicii resuscitári: exaudi, exaudi me, ut ánimam meam in sinu Abrahae, Patriarchae tui, júbeas collocári. Repetitur R. Líbera me.

R. Deliver me, Lord, from eternal death on that dread da, * when the heavens and the earth shall be shaken, as you come to judge the world by fire. V. j. That day is a day of wrath, a day of ruin and devastation, the great day; and a very bitter one, - When. V. jj. I am seized with trembling and I rear as the judgement draws near and the wrath to come. – As. V. jjj. I am most miserable, what shall I say, or what shall I do, when I have nothing good that I may say in front of such a Judge? – When. V. iv. Therefore, Christ, we ask of you, we beg you, to have mercy; you come to redeem the lost, do not condemn the redeemed. – As. V. v. O God, creator of all things, you formed me from the dust of the earth, and wondrously redeemed me with your own blood.  Although my body may now decay, you will raise it up again from the tomb on the day of judgement.  Hear me; hear me and decree that my soul be gathered into the bosom of your patriarch Abraham. Repeat R. Deliver me.

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.

The Versicles Before Lauds on Ferial Days

One of the differences between the Dominican and Roman berviaries, that you would notice when flipping though the Psalter, is the  "Versiculi ante Laudes" (versicle before Lauds).   They are found in the oldest editions of the Dominican Breviary that are extant, and survived right up through the 1962 edition.  In "The History of the Dominican Liturgy", when describing the hour of Lauds in an edition of the breviary-antophonarium that predated the the Codex of Humbert, Fr. Bonniwell notes that a versicle and respond were said before beginning Lauds.  (You can spot them in the Codex of Humbert, if you care to sift through the abbreviated Latin script in these photos of the Codex here.)

In addition to being included in the Psalter, they also appear in the Commons as well.  The versiculi for the ferial days in the temporale are as follows:

Throughout the year and in Septuagesima.

℣. Fiat misericórdia tua, Dómine, super nos. ℟.Quemádmodum sperávimus in te.

℣. May your love be upon us O Lord. ℟.  As we place all our hope in you.

During Advent (and the Annunciation).

℣.Emítte Agnum, Dómine, dominatórem terrae. ℟. De Petra desérti ad montem filiæ Sion.

℣. Send forth, Lord, the Lamb, the ruler of the earth. ℟. From Petra of the desert to the mountain of the daughter of Sion.

During Lent.

℣. In mánibus portábunt te. ℟. Ne forte offéndas ad lápidem pedem tuum.

℣. They shall bear you upon their hands. ℟. Lest you strike your foot against a stone.

During Passiontide.

℣. Inténde ánimæ meae, et líbera eam. ℟. Propter inimícos meos éripe me.

℣. Come close to my soul and redeem me. ℟. Ransom me pressed by my foes.

During Christmastide.

℣. Puer natus est nobis. ℟. Et fílius datus est nobis

℣. To us a child is born. ℟. To us a son is given.

During Epiphanytide.

℣. Vídimus stellam eius in Oriénte. ℟. Et vénimus adoráre eum.

℣. We have seen his star in the East. ℟. And have come to worship him.

During Paschaltide.

℣. In resurrectióne tua, Christe, allelúia. ℟. Caeli et terra læténtur, allelúia.

℣. At your resurrection, Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia.

During Ascensiontide.

℣. Ascéndo ad Patrem meum et Patrem vestrum, allelúia. ℟. Deum meum et Deum vestrum, allelúia.

℣. I am ascending to my Father and your Father. ℟. To my God and to your God.

On Sundays throughout the year.

℣. Excélsus super omnes gentes Dóminus. ℟. Et super cælos glória eius.

℣. High above all nations is the Lord. ℟. Above the heavens his glory.

In the Ordinary for Lauds, the rubrics state:

Before Lauds, the versicle appropriate to the Office of the day is said.

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.  

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.

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.  Holy Mary, most tender of virgins, receive the constant prayers of your little servants: raise up the fallen, correct the wayward, strengthen the trembling, comfort the faint-hearted: so that we may ever offer praises to you whom we honor as the Mother of the Most High God.
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.  The feast displaces the 20th Sunday after Pentecost, a commemoration of which is made at Lauds and Vespers.  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. 

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.    I know I complain often about how so many feasts were removed from the Dominican calendar, but this one really 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 it was deleted from the calendar.

September 18: St. John Massias, C., O.P., III Class

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of Saint John Massias, a lay brother of the Order of Preachers.  The feast is III Class, and the ordinary office is prayed according to the rubrics.

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. 

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.

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 many 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.

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. Pius XII, 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.

LOST TRADITIONS: August 5 - 11: Octave of Our Holy Father St. Dominic

Prior to the revision of the Breviary instituted by Pope Pius XII, the Octave of Our Holy Father St. Dominic would be celebrated from August 5 till August 11.   This is one of the many octaves of the Dominican saints that were casualties of the liturgical revisions of the mid-20th centuries.  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.

Once again, I will restate my bewilderment at the Order giving up some of these wonderful feast days on their calendar, when the calendar was updated in 1961.  Even if they wanted to reduce the sanctorale a bit, to make room for new saints and the ferial office, they could still mark the octave of our Holy Father's feast day with a commemoration at Lauds and Vespers.

On August 5, at Pretiosa, we read in the Martyrology for August 6 the commemoration of his death on the actual day that he passed to his eternal reward:

At Bologna, the birthday of St. Dominic, confessor and founder of the Order of Friars Preachers. He was a man of great renown for holiness and learning. Until death he preserved without stain his virginity, and by the singular grace of his merits raised three dead men to life. By his preaching he curbed heresies, and established many persons in a religious and godly manner of life. He died on this day, but his festival, by an ordinance of Pope Paul IV, is celebrated on August 4.

At the very least, the extension of Our Holy Father's solemn feast day is a wonderful way in which to deepen our devotion to him.  Every day during the octave, a commemoration was made at Lauds and Vespers using the proper versicle/responsory, Benedictus/Magnificat antiphons from the Dominican Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the collect from the feast. 

August 4: Our Holy Father St. Dominic, C., O.P., I Class

O happy parent, Spain, rejoice in giving to the world the joy of new offspring!  But, rejoice still more, Bologna, because you are favored with the glory of so great a father.  O universal Mother Church, sing in praise as you celebrate the festival of this new source of fame!  (Super psalmos antiphon to the Laudate psalms at First Vespers.)