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 the Order 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.

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.  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.

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.

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.

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 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.  At First Vespers this year, since the feast falls on a Monday, a commemoration is made of the 20th Sunday after Pentecost.  Traditionally, Dominican Tertiaries would fast on the vigil of this great feast.  However, since the vigil falls on a Sunday this year, the fast would be dispensed.

From the Dominican Breviary (antiphon to the Psalms at First Vespers):

This is the Queen of virgins, the virgin, beautiful as a rose, who bore the king.  Mother of God, through whom we gain God and man, gracious Virgin, intercede for us all.

From the "The Martyrology of the Sacred Order of Friars Preachers" (Tr. by Rev. W. R. Bonniwell, O. P., The Newman Press - Westminster, Maryland, 1955):

The Rosary

There is no such thing as a time or place that is not suitable for the Rosary.