March 7: St. Thomas Aquinas, C., D., O.P., I Class

  Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas, Confessor, Doctor of the Church, of the Order of Preachers.  Piercing a hole straight through the somber, penitential season of Lent, the feast of the Angel of the Schools is I Class, so the festive office is prayed according to the rubrics.  A commemoration of  the Friday after Ash Wednesday is made  at Lauds.  All is given in the Proper of the Saints.

At Pretiosa yesterday, we read from the Dominican Martyrology:

In the monastery of Fossa Nuova, near Terracina, St. Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Preachers, confessor and Doctor of the Church. He was most illustrious for nobility of birth, holiness of life, and knowledge of theology. He preserved until death the grace of virginity. On account of the extraordinary superiority of his learning, he rightly earned the title of "Angelic Doctor." His writings, remarkable for the solidity of doctrine and approved by our Lord Himself, marvelously illuminate as dazzling lights the Catholic Church and every school of the orthodox world. Leo XIII declared him to be the celestial patron of all Catholic schools.

The Dominican Office for this feast contains spiritually rich proper antiphons and hymns.  Some of my favorites include the super psalm antiphon at 1st Vespers:

The Blessed Thomas, Doctor of the Church, light of the world, glory of Italy, virgin shining with the bloom of chastity, rejoices in a twofold crown of glory.

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

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.  Since today is a Sunday after Pentecost, and Our Lady's feast is II Class,  the office of the XVII Sunday after Pentecost is prayed, and a commemoration of the Seven Sorrows of the BVM is made at Lauds.  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:

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.)

Thus begins the Office for the Feast of Our Holy Father St. Dominic, which we celebrate on August 4 in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar.  In the Dominican Rite, this feast is a I Class feast, and is prayed according to the rubrics for the Festive Office.  Since today is a Sunday, a commemoration of the XI Sunday after Pentecost is made.

Three years ago year, on August 6, we marked the 800th anniversary of Our Holy Father's passing, from this life into eternal glory.  May his prayers continue to sustain our Order, even during these most difficult of times.

May 8: Blessed Virgin Mary - Mediatrix of All Graces, III Class

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Mediatrix of All Graces.  The feast is III Class, so the Ordinary Office is prayed.  Like many III Class feasts in the Dominican Breviary, this office contains the a significant amount of beautiful propers, as if the feast were II Class.  At Lauds, the Psalms of Sunday are prayed.

May is the month of Mary, our blessed Lady and Mother of God.  Today we celebrate a wonderful Marian feast, with a beautiful Office. It honors our Blessed Lady's role in the salvation of mankind as mother of our Savior, and recognizes her universal mediation in the dispensing of all graces that come to us from Our Lord Jesus Christ.  In his encyclical Octobri Mense (On the Rosary, September 22, 1891), Pope Leo XIII declared "We may affirm that nothing, by the will of God, is given to us without Mary's mediation, in such way that just as no one can approach the almighty Father but through His Son, like wise no one, so to speak, can approach Christ but through His Mother".

Travelers' Prayers from the Dominican Breviary

Shame on me for not posting this for the past few years.  And with Summer almost half over, shame on me again.  This is the Travelers' Prayer from 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.

It starts with "In viam pacis dirige nos Domine (Guide us Lord, in the way of peace).  After this, the Benedictus is said.  Some samples from the litany are:

Ant. Sub tuum praesidium  confugimus, sancta Dei Genitrix: nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta.	Ant. We fly to your patronage, holy Mother of God.  Do not despise our prayers in our needs, but ever deliver us from all dangers, O blessed Virgin
Ant. Magne Pater sancte Dominice, mortis hora nos tecum suscipe, et hic semper nos pie respice.	Ant. Great father, holy Dominic, always watch lovingly over us here below, and take us up with you at the hour of our death.
Ant. Christi pia gratia Sanctos sublimavit quos Patris Dominici Ordo propagavit: nos eorum meritis petimus juvari, atque suis precibus Deo commendari.	Ant. The loving grace of Christ has raised up saints whom Father Dominic’s Order has engendered.  We ask to be added by their merits, and through their prayers to be commended to God.
V. Pie Pater Dominice, tuorum memor operum.  R. Stacoram summo Judice pro tuo coetu pauperum.	V.  Loving father, Dominic, be mindful of your works.  R. Plead before the supreme Judge for your group of poor.
Concede, quæsumus, omnipotens Deus, ut qui peccatorum nostrorum pondere premimur, beati Dominici Confessoris tui, Patris nostri, patrocinio sublevemur.	Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that we who are weighed down by the burden of our sins, may be relieved through the patronage of the blessed Dominic, your confessor and our father.
Concede, quæsumus, omnipotens Deus, ut ad meliorem vita Sanctorum Ordinis nostril exempla nos provocent, quatenus quorum memoriam agimus etiam actus imitemur.	Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the example of the saints of our Order may inspire us to a better life; as we venerate their memory may we copy their behavior.

So the next time you head out on a trip, take a few minutes before you leave to avail yourself of the intercession Our Lady, the angelic host, our holy father, St. Dominic, and all of the Dominican Saints and Blesseds.

The Ferial Office During Christmastide

In the 1962 Breviarium S.O.P., the ferial days of Christmastide (January 2-5) contained no feast days of saints or blesseds, so the ferial day was prayed on each of those days, unless one of them fell on Sunday.  The liturgical rank of these ferial days was IV Class.  Of course, in previous editions of the Breiary, January 2 was the feast of Blessed Stephana Quinzani and January 3 was the feast of St. (then blessed) Zedislavae Berkianae.  On my calendar, I follow Fr. Augustine Thompson rule of including the Dominican saints who were merely blessed in the older calendar.  

So I add St. Zedislavae back into the calendar, even though she was removed in the 1962 revision.

The Christmastide ferial office is is prayed as follows:

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 (even though, sadly, we do not actually celebrate it this year since it falls on a Sunday of Advent).  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.

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.  

COMPLETE: The 1967 Dominican Breviary in English Online

I am pleased to announce that the complete 1967 Dominican Breviary, in English, is now available on this blog site.

If you click on the link above, entitled "1967 Dominican Breviary in English" you will be taken to a table of contents page.  Each entry in the table is a hyperlink to pdf texts of the breviary.  The table of contents is arranged in the order that the actual breviary is arranged.

In the 1967 English edition, all of the preliminary texts, Ordinary, Psalter, Commons, Appendices, etc., are the same in both editions.  The only thing that changes between the two volumes is the Proper of the Seasons, and the Proper of the Saints.  In addition, at the end of the Proper of the Saints in Volume II, there are two sections with additional office texts.

The first is called "Office of the Saints O.P." whose feasts are in some places celebrated with I or II Class rank, For the Second Order.  So this section contains texts for additional lessons for Matins, or 1st Vespers, etc., so that the office of the saints can be celebrated as I or II Class.

The second is called "On The Missions", and contains additional office texts for the saints associated with the Missions, so that they can be celebrated in certain places as I or II Class.  These saints are St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, and St. Martin de Porres, O.P., and Bl. John of Vercelli, O.P..

WARNING:  Some of the files are rather large (in excess of 100 MB) and the pdf viewer on your browser may not support a file that large for preview.  If that happens, you can simply download the file.  Please let me know if you find any missing pages, or double pages.  I will fix them as soon as I can.

Perhaps, some day, I can do the same thing for the 1962 Breviarium SOP, so that both editions will be online for anyone who wishes to do research or possibly even use them to pray.

Veritas!

January 23: St. Raymond of Pennafort, C., O.P., III Class

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of St. Raymond of Pennafort, Confessor, of the Order of Preachers. At the time the 1962 Breviary was published, his feast was III Class and contained a near complete set of propers for the entire office. So the semi-festive office is prayed, according to the rubrics. Between then, and the printing of the 1967 English translation of the Breviary, the Order made his feast II Class. At Lauds, the Psalms of Sunday are prayed and a commemoration of St. Emerentiana, virgin and martyr is made.

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

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...

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.

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.

February 13: St. Catherine de Ricci, V., O.P., III Class

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of St. Catherine de Rici, virgin of the Order of Preachers.  The feast is III Class, so the Ordinary Office is prayed.  Like many II Class feast in the Breviary, her office contains propers as if the feast were II Class.  At Lauds, the Psalms of Sunday are prayed.

From the Martyrology yesterday:

At Prato in Etruria, St. Catherine de'Ricci of Florence, virgin, of the Order of Preachers. She was remarkable for the abundance of her divine gifts, and was canonized by the Sovereign Pontiff, Benedict XIV. She died rich in virtues and merit on February 2, but her feast is celebrated today.

Also, at Pretiosa today, we remember the obit of Fr. Aniceto Fernandez, 82nd Master General of the Order, who died on this day in 1981.  He gave his approval to the 1967 English translation of the Dominican Breviary, and his name appears on the title sheet.

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

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. 

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.

1967 Dominican Breviary On-Line

As has been reported over at New Liturgical Movement and Dominican Liturgy, the good folks at Corpus Christi Watershed, have posted a scan of Volume II of the 1967 English translation of the 1962 Breviarium Iuxta ritum sacri ordinis praedicatorum, and it is available as a pdf download.  This is the edition that I use daily when praying the office.

This edition was a project of the Irish Dominican Province, and was issued with the approbation of Fr. Aniceto Fernandez, O.P., who was Master General of the Order of Preachers during the tumultuous period from 1962 - 1974.  It was published in 1967 by St. Savrour's Press, Dublin, Ireland.  The translation of elements of the Old Testament are a combination of those from the Douay and the Revised Standard Version.  The psalm translation is that of the Grail edition.  Being issued after the close of Vatican Council II, the editors made the decision to remove the Office of Prime, which had been suppressed by the conciliar Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium.